This paper introduces a mesh generation strategy devised and implemented for the volume element model (VEM), and elaborates key contributions of the strategy in enhancing the VEM as a prominent tool in ship thermal modeling and simulation. The VEM mesh generation strategy employs ray crossings and ray– triangle intersection algorithms developed in previous studies, and constructs sufficiently accurate geometric representations of the whole ship within permissible time frame using hexahedral meshes. In addition, this work demonstrates the strategy’s practicality in thermal analysis of a notional all-electric ship, which is characterized by intricate structures and multiple internal components, i.e., thermal loads. Ship thermal solutions obtained in this assessment verify the proposed mesh generation strategy’s ability to improve the overall computational efficiency of the VEM, by allowing it to obtain plausible thermal solutions with respect to time and space using a coarse independent mesh. specific heat (J/kg K) thermal conductivity (W/m K) length (m) total number number normal array of volume element vertex coordinates pressure (Pa) heat transfer rate (W) point ray triangle temperature time volume (m3); vertex Cartesian coordinates divider thickness (m) volume element length (m) mesh refinement relative error plane density (kg/m3) relative humidity energy (J) solution vector convection bottom divider east equivalent generation VE index VE face index maximum minimum mesh north actual component weighted average south top vapor volume element saturation pressure west x-direction y-direction z-direction 
Volume element model mesh generation strategy and its application in ship thermal analysis