A New Usable Propeller Series

The Combatant Craft Engineering Department began, in the early 1980's, to evaluate a systematic series of propellers representing those available in the commercial market. The primary goal of the program was to generate "open-water" equivalent thrust and torque data, from full-scale trials, to improve propeller selection techniques for small craft and small ships, particularly at high speeds. The first phase of the program investigated three-bladed propellers with systematic variations in pitch ratio as well as propeller blade "cupping." Cupping has been a long-practiced, but ill-defined, art for fine-tuning propeller performance. The second phase, in 1987, expanded the series to include four-bladed propellers. In addition, the propulsion system of the test craft has been changed to achieve higher speeds, and therefore lower cavitation numbers.

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Experimental Performance of a Trochoidal Propeller with High-Aspect-Ratio Blades

Marine Technology and SNAME News ◽

10.5957/mt1.1989.26.3.192 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 26 (03) ◽

pp. 192-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Neil Bose ◽

Peter S. K. Lai

Keyword(s):

Aspect Ratio ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Open Water ◽

Finite Amplitude ◽

Dynamic Stall ◽

Frictional Drag ◽

Overall Performance ◽

Small Ship ◽

Propeller Performance ◽

Thrust And Torque

Open-water experiments were done on a model of a cycloidal-type propeller with a trochoidal blade motion. This propeller had three blades with an aspect ratio of 10. These experiments included the measurement of thrust and torque of the propeller over a range of advance ratios. Tests were done for forward and reverse operation, and at zero speed (the bollard pull condition). Results from these tests are presented and compared with: a multiple stream-tube theoretical prediction of the performance of the propeller; and a prediction of the performance of a single blade of the propeller, oscillating in heave and pitch, using unsteady small-amplitude hydrofoil theory with corrections for finite amplitude motion, finite span, and frictional drag. At present, neither of these theories gives a completely accurate prediction of propeller performance over the whole range of advance ratios, but a combination of these approaches, with an allowance for dynamic stall of the blades, should lead to a reliable simple theory for overall performance prediction. Application of a propeller of this type to a small ship is discussed. The aim of the design is to produce a lightly loaded propeller with a high efficiency of propulsion.

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Numerical investigation of the rake angle effect on the hydrodynamic performance of propeller in a uniform and nonuniform flow

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part C Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science ◽

10.1177/0954406219830136 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 233 (18) ◽

pp. 6326-6338

Author(s):

Hasan Sajedi ◽

Miralam Mahdi

Keyword(s):

Open Water ◽

Rake Angle ◽

Uniform Flow ◽

Wake Flow ◽

Hydrodynamic Performance ◽

Experimental Result ◽

Nonuniform Flow ◽

Solution Scheme ◽

Propeller Performance ◽

Thrust And Torque

Marine propeller always operates in the wake of a vehicle (ship, torpedo, submarine) but (due to the high computational cost of simulating vehicle and propeller simultaneously) to investigate the propeller geometric parameters, simulations are usually performed in open-water conditions. In this article, using the computational fluid dynamics method with the control volume approach, the effect of the rake angle on the propeller performance and formation of cavitation in the uniform flow (open water) and the nonuniform flow (wake flow) was investigated. In the nonuniform condition, the array of plates was used to simulate wake at upstream propeller. For uniform flow, steady solution scheme was adopted and for nonuniform flow unsteady solution scheme was adopted, and a moving mesh zone was generated around the propeller. To simulate cavitation a multiphase mixture flow, the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes method was used and modeled by Schnerr Sauer's cavitation model. First, the E779a propeller model for numerical validation in the uniform flow and nonuniform flow was investigated. Numerical results were compared with the experimental result, and there was a good agreement between volume of the cavity, thrust, and torque coefficients. To study the effect of rake angle on the performance of B-series propellers, four models with different rake angles were modeled, and simulation was investigated behind the wake. The results of thrust, torque coefficients, and cavitation volume according to the flow parameters and cavitation number were presented as graphs. The results reveals that in the uniform flow, the rake angle has no significant effect on the propeller performance, but behind the wake flow, increase of rake causes to reduce the force applied to the propeller blades, cavitation volume, and pressure fluctuations on the propeller.

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Prediction of Propeller Performance Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach

EPI International Journal of Engineering ◽

10.25042/epi-ije.082019.15 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 185-193

Author(s):

Nur Amira Adam ◽

Ahmad Fitriadhy ◽

W. S. Kong ◽

Faisal Mahmuddin ◽

C. J. Quah

Keyword(s):

Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽

Cfd Simulation ◽

Computational Simulation ◽

Open Water ◽

Water Model ◽

Thrust Coefficient ◽

Propeller Performance ◽

Prediction Approach ◽

Thrust And Torque

A reliable prediction approach to obtain a sufficient thrust and torque to propel the ship at desired forward speed is obviously required. To achieve this objective, the authors propose to predict the thrust coefficient (KT), torque coefficient (KQ) and efficiency (η) of the propeller in open-water model test condition using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation approach. The computational simulation presented in the various number of rotational speed (RPM) within the range of advance ratio J=0.1 up to 1.05. The higher value of J lead to decrease 10KQ and KT. While the η increased steadily at the lower value of J and decreased at the higher value of J. The results also showed that the propeller with 1048 rpm obtain a better efficiency at J=0.95 with η= 88.25%, 10KQ=0.1654 and KT= 0.0942. The computation result is very useful as preliminary data for propeller performance characteristics.

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On the Optimum Wageningen B-Series Propeller Problem with Cavitation-Limiting Restraint

Journal of Ship Research ◽

10.5957/jsr.1979.23.2.108 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 23 (02) ◽

pp. 108-114

Author(s):

P. A. Markussen

Keyword(s):

Iterative Procedure ◽

Open Water ◽

Area Ratio ◽

Simultaneous Equations ◽

Polynomial Coefficients ◽

Propeller Design ◽

Blade Area ◽

Absorbed Power ◽

Pitch Ratio ◽

Thrust And Torque

For the most widely encountered preliminary propeller design problem, in which absorbed power and speed of revolutions are given and the speed of advance estimated, three simultaneous equations are derived from which, using the Wageningen B-Series polynomial coefficients for propeller thrust and torque coefficients with Reynolds number corrections, the optimum blade area ratio, pitch ratio, and advance coefficient can be solved mathematically by means of an iterative procedure on a digital computer. With these variables known, the propeller particulars, thrust and torque coefficients, optimum efficiency, and open-water and cavitation characteristics can easily be calculated.

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Steady cavitating propeller performance by using OpenFOAM, StarCCM+and a boundary element method

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part M Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment ◽

10.1177/1475090216644280 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 231 (2) ◽

pp. 411-440 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Stefano Gaggero ◽

Diego Villa

Keyword(s):

Boundary Element Method ◽

Open Source ◽

Boundary Element ◽

Open Water ◽

Fundamental Aspect ◽

Test Case ◽

Numerical Predictions ◽

Propeller Performance ◽

Thrust And Torque ◽

Element Method

Accurate and reliable numerical predictions of propeller performance are a fundamental aspect for any analysis and design of a modern propeller. Prediction of cavitation and of cavity extension is another important task, since cavitation is one of the crucial aspects that influences efficiency in addition to propagated noise and blade vibration and erosion. The validation of the numerical tools that support the design process, including open-source codes, is, consequently, essential. The public availability of measurements and observations which cover not only usual thrust and torque in open water conditions (including cavitation) but also unsteady functioning with pressure pulse measurements in the case of the Potsdam Propeller Test Case certainly represents an extremely useful source of information and an excellent chance for verification and validation purposes. In the present work, the prediction of the Potsdam Propeller Test Case propeller performance using the OpenFOAM computational fluid dynamics package is proposed. After a preliminary validation and calibration of the OpenFOAM native Schnerr–Sauer interphase mass transfer model for cavitating flow, based on the experimental results on a 2D NACA66Mod hydrofoil, open water propeller performance and cavitation predictions are carried out. The OpenFOAM results are finally compared both with the available experimental measurements and with calculations carried out with StarCCM+ and with a proprietary boundary element method code, in order to assess the accuracy and the overall capabilities of the open-source tools (from meshing to post-processing) available in the OpenFOAM package. The comparison, in addition to assessing the accuracy of the open-source approach, is aimed to verify its advantages and drawbacks with respect to widely used solvers and to further verify the reliability of traditional boundary element method approaches that are still widely adopted for design and optimization (thanks to their extremely higher computational efficiency) in a very demanding test case.

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COMPUTATIONAL PREDICTION OF A PROPELLER PERFORMANCE IN OPEN WATER CONDITION

SINERGI ◽

10.22441/sinergi.2020.2.010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 163

Author(s):

Ahmad Fitriadhy ◽

N. Amira Adam ◽

CJ. Quah

Keyword(s):

Cfd Simulation ◽

Open Water ◽

Computational Prediction ◽

Maximum Efficiency ◽

Cfd Simulations ◽

Water Condition ◽

Pitch Ratio ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Propeller Performance

In presence of hydrodynamics phenomena occur surrounding propeller evidently affects on accuracy’s prediction of thrust, torque and its efficiency. To achieve the objective, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations approach is then proposed to obtain a reliable prediction of the thrust (KT), torque (KQ) and efficiency (η) coefficients in open water condition. The effect of various blade numbers associated with constant propeller revolution (RPM=1320) and pitch ratio (P/D=1.0); are performed within the range of advance ratio from 0.1J1.0. The results revealed that the increase of blade number from Z=3 to 5 was proportional with the increase of thrust (KT) and torque (KQ) coefficients; meanwhile, it was reduced the maximum efficiency (η) that possibly lead to downgrade the propeller performance. It should be noted here, the propeller with three blade numbers (Z=3) provide the highest efficiency (η) up to 78.8% at J=0.9. These CFD simulation results are very useful as a preliminary study of propeller characteristics.

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Gap Effect on Performance of Podded Propulsors in Straight-Ahead and Azimuthing Conditions

Marine Technology and SNAME News ◽

10.5957/mtsn.2010.47.1.47 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 47 (01) ◽

pp. 47-58

Author(s):

Mohammed F. Islam ◽

Brian Veitch ◽

Pengfei Liu ◽

Ayhan Akinturk

Keyword(s):

Open Water ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Gap Effect ◽

Axial Distance ◽

Noticeable Effect ◽

Podded Propulsor ◽

Propeller Performance ◽

Thrust And Torque ◽

Straight Ahead ◽

Propeller Thrust

This paper presents results of an experimental study on the effect of gap distance on propulsive characteristics of puller and pusher podded propulsors in straight-ahead and static azimuthing open-water conditions. The gap distance is the axial distance between the rotating (propeller) and stationary (pod) parts of a podded propulsor. The propeller thrust and torque, unit forces, and moments in the three-coordinate directions of a model podded unit were measured using a custom-designed pod dynamometer in various operating conditions. The model propulsor was tested at the gap distances of 0.3%, 1%, and 2% of propeller diameter for a range of advance coefficients combined with the range of static azimuthing angles from +20_ to 20_ with a 10_ increment. The tests were conducted both in puller and pusher configurations in the same loading and azimuthing conditions. In the puller configuration, the gap distance did not have any noticeable effect on propeller torque in straight course condition, but had an effect in azimuthing conditions. The propeller thrust and efficiency were also influenced by the change of gap distance, and the effects were more pronounced at high azimuthing angles and high advance coefficients. For pusher configuration, however, the gap distance did not affect the propeller performance characteristics in straight-ahead and azimuthing conditions. Both in straight course and azimuthing conditions, the unit thrust and efficiency were not influenced by the gap distance in either puller or pusher configurations. The gap distance had a noticeable effect on unit transverse force and steering moment both in puller and pusher configurations, and both in straight course

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Recent Developments in Computational Methods for the Analysis of Ducted Propellers in Open Water

Journal of Ship Research ◽

10.5957/josr.09180063 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 219-234

Author(s):

João Baltazar ◽

José A. C. Falcão de Campos ◽

Johan Bosschers ◽

Douwe Rijpkema

Keyword(s):

Computational Methods ◽

Open Water ◽

Boundary Element Methods ◽

Navier Stokes ◽

Hydrodynamic Analysis ◽

Numerical Predictions ◽

Ducted Propeller ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Propeller Performance ◽

Ducted Propellers

This article presents an overview of the recent developments at Instituto Superior Técnico and Maritime Research Institute Netherlands in applying computational methods for the hydrodynamic analysis of ducted propellers. The developments focus on the propeller performance prediction in open water conditions using boundary element methods and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solvers. The article starts with an estimation of the numerical errors involved in both methods. Then, the different viscous mechanisms involved in the ducted propeller flow are discussed and numerical procedures for the potential flow solution proposed. Finally, the numerical predictions are compared with experimental measurements.

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Optimization of RANS Solver Simulation Setup for Propeller Open Water Performance Prediction

Volume 2: CFD and VIV ◽

10.1115/omae2015-41954 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammed Islam ◽

Fatima Jahra ◽

Michael Doucet

Keyword(s):

Domain Size ◽

Open Water ◽

Fractional Factorial ◽

Navier Stokes ◽

Calm Water ◽

Simulation Results ◽

Open Water Performance ◽

Thrust And Torque ◽

Simulation Time ◽

Fixed Pitch

Mesh and domain optimization strategies for a RANS solver to accurately estimate the open water propulsive characteristics of fixed pitch propellers are proposed based on examining the effect of different mesh and computation domain parameters. The optimized mesh and domain size parameters were selected using Design of Experiments (DoE) methods enabling simulations to be carried out in a limited memory environment, and in a timely manner; without compromising the accuracy of results. A Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes solver is used to predict the propulsive performance of a fixed pitch propeller. The predicted thrust and torque for the propeller were compared to the corresponding measurements. A total of six meshing parameters were selected that could affect the computational results of propeller open water performance. A two-level fractional factorial design was used to screen out parameters that do not significantly contribute to explaining the dependent parameters: namely simulation time, propeller thrust and propeller torque. A total of 32 simulations were carried out only to find out that the selected six meshing parameters were significant in defining the response parameters. Optimum values of each of the input parameters were obtained for the DOE technique and additional simulations were run with those parameters. The simulation results were validated using open water experimental results of the same propeller. It was found that with the optimized meshing arrangement, the propeller opens simulation time was reduced by at least a factor of 6 as compared to the generally popular meshing arrangement. Also, the accuracy of propulsive characteristics was improved by up to 50% as compared to published simulation results. The methodologies presented in this paper can be similarly applied to other simulations such as calm water ship resistance, ship propulsion to systematically derive the optimized meshing arrangement for simulations with minimal simulation time and maximum accuracy. This investigation was carried out using STAR-CCM+, a commercial CFD package; however the findings can be applied to any RANS solver.

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