ACIC

Project History

ACIC's submarine hydrodynamics program has run in continuous collaboration with DRDC since 2000. The timeline below covers key phases and outputs.

The work described here spans twenty-five years of applied research on the Victoria Class submarine — from initial bare-hull CFD studies that fed directly into DSSP model improvements, to today's full-scale manycore simulations and machine learning surrogate models. Throughout, the work has been anchored to peer-reviewed publication and to practical deliverables for DRDC and industry partners.

2000–2010

Building the CFD Foundation

Partners: DRDC, UNB, AEA Technology/ANSYS

DRDC introduced computational fluid dynamics into its Victoria Class research and development program at the start of this period. ACIC's contribution began with bare-hull incidence simulations that directly informed improvements to DSSP's hydrodynamic coefficient database. The decade concluded with the development and validation of a fully appended six degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) notional submarine CFD model, and initial applications to rising stability analysis.

Key outputs

Bare hull flow incidence CFD studies for DSSP improvement
Fully appended 6-DOF submarine CFD model (build-up and validation)
6-DOF application: rising stability analysis

Selected publications

Jeans, Holloway. "Flow Separation Lines on Axisymmetric Bodies with Tapered Tails." AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 47, No. 6, pp. 2177-2183, 2010.
Jeans, Holloway, Watt, Gerber. "A Force Estimation Method for Viscous Separated Flow over Slender Axisymmetric Bodies with Tapered Tails." Journal of Ship Research, Vol. 54, No. 1, pp. 1-15, 2010.
Toxopeus, Bettle, Gerber. "Calculation of Bottom Clearance Effects on Walrus Submarine Hydrodynamics." Int. Shipbuilding Progress, 57, pp. 101-125, 2010.
Jeans, Watt, Gerber, Holloway, Baker. "High-Resolution Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Flow Predictions over Axisymmetric Bodies with Tapered Tails." AIAA Journal, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 19-32, 2009.
Bettle, Gerber, Watt. "Unsteady Analysis of the Six DOF Motion of a Buoyantly Rising Submarine." Computers and Fluids, 38(9), pp. 1833-1849, 2009.

2010–2020

GPU Computing and ROM Development

Partners: DRDC, UNB, Envenio

This decade was defined by two parallel tracks: the development of GPU-accelerated CFD capabilities, and a sustained program of steady-state and dynamic CFD studies in support of reduced-order model (ROM) development for DSSP's extreme maneuvering scenarios.

On the computing side, ACIC co-developed EXN/Aero — a GPU-accelerated CFD solver — in collaboration with DRDC and Envenio, running on ACIC's in-house Mach1 and Mach2 supercomputing clusters. On the physics side, the team conducted 6-DOF submarine/tanker interaction studies, dynamic sway simulations, planar motion mechanism (VPMM) studies, wall-modelled large eddy simulations (WMLES), free-surface simulations, and a prototype UUV docking system concept.

Key outputs

Bare hull steady-turning CFD studies for DSSP improvement
EXN/Aero GPU-accelerated CFD solver (CUDA/OpenMP/MPI), developed with DRDC and Envenio
6-DOF CFD: submarine/tanker interaction studies
Dynamic sway studies; free-surface hydrodynamics
UUV docking prototype concept

Selected publications

Bettle, Gerber, Watt. "Using Reduced Hydrodynamic Models to Accelerate the Predictor-Corrector Convergence of Implicit 6-DOF URANS Submarine Manoeuvering Simulations." Computers and Fluids, 102(October), pp. 215-236, 2014.
Watt et al. "A Concept for Docking a UUV with a Slowly Moving Submarine Under Waves." IEEE Journal of Ocean Engineering, Vol. 41(2), pp. 471-498, April 2016.
Holloway, Jeans, Watt. "Flow Separation from Slender Bodies of Revolution in Steady Turning." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 108, pp. 426-438, November 2015.
Zhang, Maxwell, Gerber, Holloway, Watt. "Simulation of the Flow over Axisymmetric Submarine Hulls in Steady Turning." Ocean Engineering, 57(1), 2012.
Marshall, Jeans, Holloway, Watt. "Evaluating the Loading Increment of a Generic Submarine Hull Casing." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 187, September 2019.
Doyle, Jeans, Holloway, Fieger. "URANS Simulations of an Axisymmetric Submarine Hull Undergoing Dynamic Sway." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 172, No. 15, pp. 155-169, January 2019.
Eghbal, Gerber, Aubanel. "Algebraic Multigrid Employing Mixed Structured-Unstructured Data on Manycore Hardware." Journal of Computational Science, 17, pp. 494-508, 2016.
Eghbal, Gerber, Aubanel. "Acceleration of Unsteady Hydrodynamic Simulations Using the Parareal Algorithm." Journal of Computational Science, 19, pp. 57-76, 2017.

2020–Present

Propulsion Optimization, Machine Learning Surrogates and Full Scale Simulations

Partners: DRDC, ACIC/UNB, ANSYS, Envenio, Biome Renewables

The current phase of Victoria Class research builds on the GPU computing and ROM foundations of the previous decade, pushing toward full-scale (high-Reynolds number) manycore simulations, propulsion and shape optimization, and machine learning surrogate approaches that can replace or augment high-fidelity CFD in the simulation loop.

ACIC was formally founded during this period. The Mach3 HPC cluster (NVIDIA GB-series, 2025–) is under development to support the next generation of full-scale LES and acoustics work. ACIC is currently participating in NATO AVT 392, which directly addresses numerical methods for complex flow over marine control surfaces — the class of problem central to submarine maneuvering prediction.

Key outputs and in-progress programs

VPMM and WMLES studies in support of ROM and DSSP improvements
Manycore HPC full-scale simulation and hydroacoustics (BB2 geometry)
Non-equilibrium WMLES for submarine components
Fully appended 6-DOF URANS with ML surrogate models for rudder and propeller systems
Propulsion optimization and surrogate modelling
NATO AVT 392 participation (2024–present)

Selected publications

Bettle et al. "Benchmark Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes Study of a Generic Marine Rudder's Static Stall Characteristics." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 342, December 2025.
Marshall, Jeans, Gerber, Doyle. "Modelling Out-of-Plane Hydrodynamic Hysteresis in Horizontal Submarine Maneuvers with Indicial Responses." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 339, November 2025.
Khan, Corbett, Gerber, Carretero, Jeans. "Surrogate-Assisted Propeller Shape Optimization in Hull Wake using 3D RANS Simulations." Ninth Symposium on Marine Propulsors, SMP 2026.
Marshall, Bettle, Vartdal, Jeans, Gerber, et al. "Towards a Rudder Stall Model: URANS Predictions of Stall Onset in Dynamic Rotation." AVT-425 Research Specialists' Meeting, Bordeaux, 2026.
Khan, Corbett, Jeans, Gerber, Carretero. "Automated 3D Propeller Modelling for Integration into a Shape Optimization Workflow." Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering International Congress, Montreal, 2025.
Marshall, Jeans, Gerber, Doyle. "Modeling unsteady hydrodynamic cross-coupling in horizontal submarine maneuvers." AIAA Aviation Forum, Las Vegas, 2024.
Doyle, Bettle, Marshall, Jeans, Martin. "An Unsteady Hydrodynamic ROM for Submarine Maneuvering Using Indicial Response Functions." 35th Symposium of Naval Hydrodynamics, Nantes, 2024.
Marshall, Jeans, Gerber, Doyle. "Development of an Unsteady Indicial Response Model for Submarine Maneuvering." AIAA SCITECH Forum, National Harbor, 2023.
Doyle, Farooq, Carson, Jeans, Holloway, Raval. "Numerical Study on the Circulatory Forces Generated by Submarine Hull and Sail Interactions." 34th Symposium of Naval Hydrodynamics, Washington, 2022.
Doyle, Jeans, Holloway, Fieger. "Hydrodynamic Impulse Generated by Slender Bodies Undergoing Unsteady Motion in Viscous Flows." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 236, 2021.
White, Holloway, Jeans. "Methodology for Simulating Ablative Polymer Mass Transport with Very Large Schmidt Numbers for Polymer Drag Reduction." CFD Society of Canada 29th Annual Conference, CFDSC2021, July 2021.
Holloway, Jeans. "Hydrodynamic Impulse Generated by Slender Bodies in Viscous Flows." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 206, June 2020.

Ocean Engineering and Tidal Energy

ACIC's ocean engineering work addresses a practical problem: Canada's tidal energy resources are among the most significant in the world, particularly in the Bay of Fundy, and realizing that potential requires simulation tools capable of modelling turbulent, device-scale flows at realistic scales.

The group has developed and validated actuator-based CFD methods specifically for tidal turbine applications. This includes both actuator disk and actuator line approaches for ducted turbine geometries — configurations where the interaction between the rotor, duct, and surrounding flow creates modelling challenges that standard open-rotor methods handle poorly. The work spans idealized straight-flow conditions through yawed and unsteady inflow scenarios that reflect real tidal site conditions.

The Fundy collaboration brought this capability to bear at regional scale. Working with researchers from UNB, Dalhousie, and Acadia, ACIC contributed device-scale unsteady turbulent flow simulations of the Fundy tidal region, integrating high-fidelity CFD with observational data from the site.

Publications

Baratchi, Jeans, Gerber. "Assessment of blade element actuator disk method for simulations of ducted tidal turbines." Renewable Energy, 154, 2020.
Baratchi, Jeans, Gerber. "A modified implementation of actuator line method for simulating ducted tidal turbines." Ocean Engineering, 193, 2019.
Baratchi, Jeans, Gerber. "Actuator Line Simulations of a Tidal Turbine in Straight and Yawed Flows." International Journal of Marine Energy, 19, 2017.
Wilcox, Zhang, McLeod, Gerber, Jeans, McMillan, Hay, Karsten, Culina. "Simulation of Device-Scale Unsteady Turbulent Flow in the Fundy Tidal Region." Ocean Engineering, 145, 2017.