Air lubrication is a technology that reduces frictional resistance by covering the bottom of a ship with a flow of air bubbles by releasing air from the bottom of a ship. It has attracted growing interest in recent years in efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in marine transport. While air lubrication reduces the power required for propulsion by reducing frictional resistance, it still requires power to pump air, and the released air can flow into the propeller at the stern, reducing propeller efficiency. There is a strong need for simulation technology to accurately predict these effects. This article explains simulations for predicting the reduction of frictional resistance on ships and simulations for predicting pressure loss at air injector.
Takafumi KAWAMURA (Sun,) studied this question.