J. Marine Sci. Appl.

(2012) 11: 301-304

DOI: 10.1007/s11804-012-1136-z

Micro-bubble Drag Reduction on

a High Speed Vessel Model
Yanuar1*, Gunawan1, Sunaryo1 and A. Jamaluddin2
1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Indonesia, Jakarta 16424, Indonesia
2. Indonesian Hydrodynamic Laboratory, Surabaya 60111, Indonesia

Abstract: Ship hull form of the underwater area strongly influences the resistance of the ship. The major factor
in ship resistance is skin friction resistance. Bulbous bows, polymer paint, water repellent paint (highly
water-repellent wall), air injection, and specific roughness have been used by researchers as an attempt to
obtain the resistance reduction and operation efficiency of ships. Micro-bubble injection is a promising
technique for lowering frictional resistance. The injected air bubbles are supposed to somehow modify the
energy inside the turbulent boundary layer and thereby lower the skin friction. The purpose of this study was to
identify the effect of injected micro bubbles on a navy fast patrol boat (FPB) 57 m type model with the
following main dimensions: L=2 450 mm, B=400 mm, and T=190 mm. The influence of the location of micro
bubble injection and bubble velocity was also investigated. The ship model was pulled by an electric motor
whose speed could be varied and adjusted. The ship model resistance was precisely measured by a load cell
transducer. Comparison of ship resistance with and without micro-bubble injection was shown on a graph as a
function of the drag coefficient and Froude number. It was shown that micro bubble injection behind the
mid-ship is the best location to achieve the most effective drag reduction, and the drag reduction caused by the
micro-bubbles can reach 6%–9%.
Keywords: ship model test; micro-bubble injection; drag reduction; high speed vessel model
Article ID: 1671-9433(2012)03-0301-04

1 Introduction1 that the decrease in the bubble size according to the

increase in the main flow velocity wascaused a larger
Ship resistance reduction has been one of the major targets reduction rate of skin friction. Experiments by Watanabe
of research and development by naval architects for a long and Shirose (1998) and Takahashi et al. (2001) indicated
time. Resistance characteristics are principal aspects of the that air lubrication did not persist over length/time scales.
ship design spiral as they are strongly coupled with speed
and fuel economy and, consequently, the operating and Micro-bubble drag reduction for a flat plate and low speed
cost efficiencies of the vessel. Micro bubbles present one vessel has been investigated by many researchers. Kato et al.
of the most promising methods for the reduction of skin (1998) used a tanker model for experimentation and showed
friction resistance. Documented drag reduction techniques that the bottom air film escapes around the hull sides
include electrolysis induced micro-bubbles, reported by without the use of longitudinal air guards set at the bilge.
McCormick and Bhattacharyya (1973). The survey of For tankers and barges with moderate length to beam L/B
Latorre and Bablenko (1998) showed that the reduction in hulls, the bottom air covers a large percentage of the wetted
the local skin friction is sensitive to the bubble orientation surface. Latorre et al. (2003) investigated a micro-bubbles
on the surface. Madavan et al. (1985) carried out an influence on a fast catamaran type boat and concluded that a
experiment using the boundary layer of the test section drag reduction of about 6% occurred. The possibilities of
wall of a water tunnel with injection of air from a porous micro-bubble drag reduction in high speed vessels require a
plate. The result showed that the injection of development procedure for drag reduction performance. As
micro-bubbles in the turbulent boundary layer of a flat a contribution to developing a high-speed micro-bubble drag
plate can reduce the drag by 15%–80%. The bubble size reduction system for high speed vessels, this study aims to
and location of the injection points are important present the comparative results from an Indonesian Navy
parameters in the persistence of drag reduction. The patrol boat (FPB 57) model with and without micro-bubbles
relationship between the bubble size and the drag reduction on the bottom hull sides. The purpose of this study is to
was examined by Kato et al. (1994). The results showed identify the effect of the injected micro bubbles on reducing
total resistance. A boat model with dimensions of L = 2 450
Received date: 2011-07-12.
Foundation item: Supported by the Directorate for Research and mm, B = 400 mm, and T = 190 mm is used. The influence of
Community Service, University of Indonesia (RUUI Research Laboratory the location micro-bubble injection and bubble velocity are
2010), Jakarta, Indonesia. also investigated.
*Corresponding author Email: [email protected]
© Harbin Engineering University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
302 Yanuar, et al. Micro-bubble Drag Reduction on a High Speed Vessel Model

2 Experimental set-ups allowing the model to move freely in the vertical plane.
Total resistance was measured for each run over the test
A series of model tests were conducted in a basin. The basin range of Froude numbers. In the resistance tests, the ship
had a length of 50 m and width of 40 m, and the water depth model was pulled by a wire rope and the total longitudinal
was maintained at a constant depth of 2 m. The experiments force acting on the model was measured for various speeds.
were conducted for a Froude number of up to 0.65. The During the measuring run the ship model was free to heave
model was connected to the load cell transducer at a point and pitch. Fig. 1 shows the experimental setup in the basin.
located amidships and vertically above the base line,

Fig. 1 Experimental set-up

This set-up consisted of the ship models, electric motor, data

interface, camera, load cell anemometer, and compressor.
The comparison of the total drag between ship models with
micro-bubbles and without micro-bubbles injection was
analyzed. The model test was conducted in order to have the
total resistance values of the ship model (RT) at various
velocity conditions (V). During the model test experiments,
the model ship was pulled by an electric motor that was
designed so that motor rotation could be used to pull the ship
model with a constant speed. Pull force was measured by
using a load cell transducer. The load cell was affixed to the
ship model and connected to the rope pullers. The load cell
was mounted on the amidships of the model. Towing rope
was connected to an electric motor whose speed could be set
and adjusted. The load cell gauge was connected to a data
Fig. 2 Lines plan and positioning bubble injector
interface to obtain the pull force when the ship was pulled.
Bubble injection was positioned at around the mid ship
bottom. Distance between the bubble injectors was varied by 3 Test analyses
5 cm. Froude’s hypothesis and similarity law is followed in the
extrapolation of the resistance test results. According to
Fig. 2 shows the lines plan for test model. The bubble Froude’s hypothesis the resistance of a ship (or of its model)
injectors are placed behind the mid-ship. Positions varied can be split up into two independent components; one (the
from position 1, position 2, and position 3. These positions viscous component) is proportional to the (frictional)
were investigated and compared regarding the influence of resistance of a flat plate of the same length and wetted
micro-bubble injection. Position 1 was 5 cm in front of the surface when towed at the same speed, and another
midship position 2 was exactly at midship, and position 3 resistance component follows Froude’s similarity law.
was 5 cm behind the midship. The nozzle diameter was the
same as that with the bubble diameter of about 0.5 mm.
The total resistance coefficient can be defined as:

CT  Cr  (1  k )C f (1)
Journal of Marine Science and Application (2012) 11: 301-304 303

where CT is the coefficient of total resistance, Cr the micro-bubble, injection has a value of CT, which is relatively
coefficient of residual resistance, Cf the coefficient of higher at low speeds. When the Froude number increases
friction resistance, and (1+k) the form factor. further, Fr>0.46, in a certain range of values of CT smaller
than the ship model without micro bubbles. The effects can
The form factor “1+k” is determined experimentally at very be seen in the micro-bubble injection at high Froude
low speed or low Froude numbers (Fr<0.2), where Cr must numbers where the turbulent flow drag coefficient of
become negligible. The ITTC (2002) and Bertram (2000) resistance is smaller. On the other hand, it was found that the
recommended applying Prohaska's method, described as: value of CT depends on the position of the bubble injector. It
CT  1  k  CF  a Fr n (2) appears that the ship model with bubble injection at position
3, has a smallest value of CT. This result agrees well with the
At low speed, Fr<0.2, is assumed to be a function of Fr4, the
experimental work of Kodama et al. (2000) at a circulating
straight line plot of CT/CF versus Fr4/CF will intersect the
water tunnel. In that study it was found that the skin friction
ordinate (Fr=0) at (1+k), enabling the form factor to be
reduction was much greater when the position of bubbles
determined. Flat plate friction resistance (CF) is estimated
was located at the rear. It can be concluded that the injector
with a reasonable precision using ITTC-57.
position has an effect on the value of the resistance
coefficient. The dashed line indicates the resistance
From the experimental towing test results, for the models,
coefficient of a flat plate.
the total resistance coefficient CT has been calculated as:
RT
CT  (3) Fig. 4 shows the total resistance coefficient ratio as a
0.5 SV 2 function of air thickness. The horizontal axis is the rate of
where ρ is water density and S the wetted area of the ship air ejection in terms of the air layer thickness. As the flux of
hull. injected air increases, the total resistance coefficient
decreases. The effective air layer thickness is 4 mm because
The Froudes number and Reynolds number are defined as in this area the ship model speed is 4 m/s and has the best
V performance. The resistance coefficient ratio for position 3
Fr  (4)
gL is slightly higher than for position 2 and position 1. This
VL indicates that position 3 is the best position to reduce the
Re  (5) total resistance that occurred.
v
where V is the speed of the ship, L the length of the ship, g
acceleration of gravity, and ν the kinematic viscosity of
water.

The micro-bubble characteristics can be determined by the

following formulas. The air layer thickness is:
Q
ta  a (6)
BaV
where Qa is the injected air rate, Ba the width of the slot, and
V the velocity of ship model. Drag reduction is obtained by:
CT  CTO
DR (%)   100% (7) Fig. 3 Total resistance coefficient of ship with and without
CTO
micro bubble
where CTO is the total coefficient resistance without
micro-bubble injection and CT is the total coefficient
resistance with micro bubbles.

4 Results and discussion

A comparison with the micro bubbles and without the micro
-bubbles applied to the ship model was made to evaluate the
resistance characteristics as shown in Figs. 3–5.

Fig. 3 shows the relationship between the total resistance

coefficient and Froude number for vessels with micro
bubbles and without micro bubbles. The ship model with
injected micro bubbles will be varied for 3 variations of Fig. 4 Relationship between total coefficient ratio and air
injector positioning. It appears that the ship model with thickness
304 Yanuar, et al. Micro-bubble Drag Reduction on a High Speed Vessel Model

and Fluid Flow, 21, 582-588.

Latorre R, Bablenko V (1998). Role of bubble injection technique
in drag reduction. Proc. ONR-NUWC International Symposium
on Seawater Drag Reduction, Newport, 319-326.
Latorre R, Miller A, Philips R (2003). Microbubble resistance
reduction on a model SES catamaran. Journal of Ocean
Engineering, 30, 2297-2309.
Madavan NK, Deutsch S, Merkle CL (1985). Measurements of
local skin friction in a micro-bubble-modified turbulent
boundary layer. Journal of Fluid Mechanic, 156, 237-256.
McCormick ME, Bhattacharyya R (1973). Drag reduction of a
Fig. 5 Relationship between drag reduction and Froude submersible hull by electrolysis. Nav Eng Journal, 85, 11-16.
number Takahashi T, Kakugawa A, Kodama Y, Makino M (2001).
Experimental study on drag reduction by microbubbles using a
Fig. 5 shows the drag reduction that occurred. It is clear that 50m-long flat splate ship. 2nd Int. Symp. on Turbulence and
Shear Flow Phenomena, Stockholm, Sweden, 175-180.
drag reduction for position 3 is greater than position 1 and
Watanabe O, Masuko A, Shirose Y (1998). Measurements of drag
position 2. The drag reduction starts at a Froude number of
reduction by microbubbles using very long ship models.
about 0.34 (V=22 kn). As the Froude number increases, drag Journal of Soc. Naval Architects, 183, 53-63.
reduction also increases. An effective drag reduction of up to
9% at Fr=0.55 (V=25 kn) can be gained for this study. Yanuar received his B.S. degree in Naval
Architecture from University of Indonesia,
Indonesia, in 1986. He then received his Master of
5 Conclusions Eng. and Doctor of Eng. in Mechanical
Engineering from University of Tokyo
Considering the experimental model test results to evaluate Metropolitan, Japan, in 1995 and 1998,
the micro-bubble drag reduction on a high speed vessel, the respectively. Professor at Mechanical Engineering
following conclusions can be stated; micro-bubble at University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia.
His research project is about drag reduction in
application to ships is found to have a positive influence on internal flow or eksternal flow.
ship resistance. The application of micro-bubbles can reduce
the ship resistance significantly for a high speed vessel. The Gunawan received his B.S. degree in Naval
test results show that an effective drag reduction of up to 9% Architecture from University of Indonesia,
Indonesia, in 2010. He then received his Master of
at Fr=0.55 (V = 25 kn) can be achieved. The air flow rate Eng. in Naval Architecture from University of
and location of the injection position are significant for Indonesia, Indonesia, in 2012. Now, He joins as
achieving the maximum drag reduction. Micro-bubble young lecturer in his University. His research
project is about how to reduce frictional resistance
injection behind the mid-ship is the best location for
in under water body.
effective drag reduction. It is expected that more work will
be carried out in order to gain further understanding on this
topic, in order to apply the method to full-scale ships. Sunaryo received his B.S. degree in Naval
Architecture from University of Indonesia,
Indonesia, in 1982. He then received his Master of
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