Abstract for: System Dynamics for Naval Vessel Design

During early-stage vessel design, computational models are abundantly used to find optimal designs. However, the implications for vessel support (maintenance, spare parts supply, etc.) of early design choices are typically overlooked. This is problematic, as vessel support is vital for ensuring vessel availability and controlling lifecycle costs. Therefore, we used System Dynamics to evaluate vessel designs on operational availability and maintenance load by simulating maintenance dynamics across the vessel’s service life. We used a Multi-Resolution Modelling approach, which consisted of two computational models (the base model and the metamodel). The base model evaluated vessel designs on the performance criteria. The metamodel (an aggregated version of the base model) was used to guide the data collection process regarding the input parameters of the base model. We will demonstrate the use of Multi-Resolution Modelling with multiple results from our case study for the Dutch Royal Navy. The case study involved the evaluation of four propulsion designs for the new frigates We discuss (a) the reception of the results and the use of SD modelling by stakeholders, and (b) why Multi-Resolution Modelling was useful in this particular project and when this usefulness generalises to other projects