Validation of a numerical model for iceberg towing in broken ice

The possibility of iceberg towing in broken ice is attracting considerable interest because it may help to improve the design of offshore structures to be used in regions where both sea ice and icebergs can appear simultaneously. The contribution of the broken ice resistance to the total towing force still remains uncertain. A model of iceberg towing in broken ice has been proposed and discussed (Yulmetov et al., 2016), and it requires validation. The present paper aims to validate the model and to provide an estimate of the broken ice resistance. The validation is performed using data obtained in a model-scale towing experiment in the Hamburg Ship Model Basin. The evolution of the towing force and mean towing forces calculated in the simulations are compared to the experimental results. A qualitative analysis of the broken ice field after towing is given. The numerical model reproduces the average towing forces measured in the experiment fairly well. In addition, the scaled results of the simulations are compared with the existing analytical approximations of the ice resistance to drifting icebergs. The numerical model can be addressed when planning towing operations in ice; however, further testing against full-scale data would significantly improve its credibility.