A 2.5D numerical study on open water hydrodynamic performance of a Voith-Schneider propeller

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 617
Author(s):  
Mohammad Bakhtiari ◽  
Hassan Ghassemi

Marine cycloidal propeller (MCP) is a special type of marine propulsors that provides high maneuverability for marine vessels. In a MCP, the propeller axis of rotation is perpendicular to the direction of thrust force. It consists of a number of lifting blade. Each blade rotates about the propeller axis and simultaneously pitches about its own axis. The magnitude and direction of thrust force can be adjusted by controlling the propeller pitch. Voith-Schneider propeller (VSP) is a low-pitch MCP with pure cycloidal blade motion allowing fast, accurate, and stepless control of thrust magnitude and direction. Generally, low-pitch cycloidal propellers are used in applications with low speed maneuvering requirements, such as tugboats, minesweepers, etc. In this study, a 2.5D numerical method based on unsteady RANS equations with SST k-ω turbulent model was implemented to predict the open water hydrodynamic performance of a VSP for different propeller pitches and blade thicknesses. The numerical method was validated against the experimental data before applying to VSP. The results showed that maximum open water efficiency of a VSP is enhanced by increasing the propeller pitch. Furthermore, the effect of blade thickness on open water efficiency is different at various advance coefficients, so that the maximum efficiency produced by the VSP decreases with increasing blade thickness at different propeller pitches.

Author(s):  
Mohammad Bakhtiari ◽  
Hassan Ghassemi

Marine cycloidal propeller, as a special type of marine propulsion system, is used for ships that require high maneuverability, such as tugs and ferries. In a marine cycloidal propeller, the thrust force is generated by rotation of a circular disk with a number of lifting blades fitted on the periphery of the disk, so that the propeller axis of rotation is perpendicular to the direction of thrust force. Each blade pitches about its own axis, and the thrust magnitude and direction can be adjusted by controlling the pitching angle of the blades. Therefore, the propulsion and maneuvering units are combined together and no separate rudder is needed to maneuver the ship. Two configurations of marine cycloidal propeller have been studied and developed based on propeller pitch: low-pitch propeller (designed for advance coefficient less than one, means λ < 1) and high-pitch propeller (designed for λ > 1). Low-pitch marine cycloidal propellers are used in applications with low-speed maneuvering requirements, such as tugboats and minesweepers. In this study, the effects of blade number on hydrodynamic performance of low-pitch marine cycloidal propeller with pure cycloidal motion of the blades are investigated. The turbulent flow around marine cycloidal propeller is solved using a 2.5D numerical method based on unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with shear-stress transport k–ω turbulent model. The presented numerical method was validated against experimental data and showed good agreement. The results showed that the thrust coefficient of marine cycloidal propeller generally decreases by increasing the blade number, whereas the torque coefficient increases. Consequently, the hydrodynamic efficiency of marine cycloidal propeller drops as the blade number increases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1396
Author(s):  
Fuzheng Li ◽  
Qiaogao Huang ◽  
Guang Pan ◽  
Denghui Qin ◽  
Han Li

In order to improve the hydrodynamic performance of pump-jet propulsion (PJP) when matching stator with the rotor, the RANS method with SST k-ω turbulence model is employed to study the influence of six kinds of stator parameters, which are classified into three groups, i.e., stator solidity, stator angles and rotor–stator spacing (S). Results show that the stator solidity involves the blade number (Ns) and chord length (L), has an obvious acceleration effect at and after stator, and produces a higher thrust and torque with a slight efficiency change. Further comparing Ns and L results, we find greater distinctions between the two cases when stator solidity is greatly adjusted. Three stator angles, i.e., stagger angle (α), lean angle (γ), and sweep angle (β), are studied. The α has the biggest effect on the thrust, torque, and efficiency; meanwhile, it shifts the advance number that corresponds to maximum efficiency. The effect of γ is similar to α, but its influence is far less than α. However, there is little difference between various β cases except for off-design conditions, where the efficiency drops dramatically as β increases. The S has a slight effect on PJP performance. Even though S decreases 34% relative to the original PJP, the rotor thrust and torque increase by less than 1%. In addition, we compare torque balance locations under various parameters, and each component force is analyzed in detail to explain the reason for performance variation. The present work is conducive to future optimization in PJP design.


2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Dowsett ◽  
Phillip S. Duerr ◽  
Jacques B. Hadler ◽  
Robin S. Rose

The Webb Hydroflite Propeller Series (WHPS) consists of four matching pairs of three-bladed ten-inch-diameter pleasure craft propellers with P/D ratios varying from 0.6 to 1.2. Recently, one propeller from each matching pair was modified with a uniform trailing edge cup. Cupping is a widely employed and inexpensive aftermarket alternative to repitching a propeller that is not performing in a given application. The hydrodynamic performance characteristics of each modified propeller were determined by open-water and four-quadrant model tests prior to and after cupping. Performance comparisons were made for each pair of propellers tested to determine the level of manufacturing consistency as well as the effects of cupping. Test data for peak open-water efficiency and four-quadrant performance were compared to B-Series propeller data to determine whether the B-Series can be used confidently for performance predictions. It was found that the addition of the cup could be modeled as an increase in effective pitch. For a given KT/J2 operating curve, the cupped propeller operates at a higher advance coefficient than the original propeller when running ahead. The increase in advance coefficient leads to lower shaft speed at a given thrust. When running astern, there is little change in the KT curve for the cupped propeller and therefore negligible change in advance coefficient but there is a large increase in the required torque at a given shaft speed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1247
Author(s):  
Yu Lu ◽  
Chunxiao Wu ◽  
Shewen Liu ◽  
Zhuhao Gu ◽  
Wu Shao ◽  
...  

When a ship sails in an ice area, the ice could cause damage to ship hull and the propeller as well as the rudder. In the design process of an ice class propeller, the strength verification of the propeller has always been the focus of the design and research of the ice propeller. Based on the International Association of Classification Societies Unified Requirements for Polar Class (IACS Polar UR), it is required that the maximum torque from the propeller cannot exceed the required value to ensure the safety of the propeller shafting equipment. This paper investigates the hydrodynamic performance of the propeller under the condition of satisfying the propeller’s ice strength. A parametric propeller optimization design procedure was established in which the thrust coefficient and open water efficiency solved by CFD method were selected as the objective function and optimization target, the maximum ice torque was used as the optimization constraint under the condition that the ship’s shafting equipment remains unchanged, the propeller pitch, thickness, and camber at each radial direction were taken as the optimization design variables, and the optimization algorithm of SOBOL and NSGA-II was adopted. The interaction mode of propeller and ice was simulated by the method of explicit dynamics. The equivalent stress and displacement response of the blade during the cutting process of the ice propeller were calculated, monitoring the ice destruction process. The results show that the multi-objective Pareto optimal solution set of thrust coefficient and open water efficiency of the ice class propeller was formed at the design speed while maintain the maximum ice torque not exceeding the original ice torque.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1192
Author(s):  
Dong-Hyun Kim ◽  
Jong-Chun Park ◽  
Gyu-Mok Jeon ◽  
Myung-Soo Shin

In this paper, the efficiency of Propeller Boss Cap Fins (PBCF) installed at the bulk carrier was estimated under both Propeller Open Water (POW) and self-propulsion conditions. For this estimation, virtual model-basin tests (resistance, POW, and self-propulsion tests) were conducted through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFDs) simulation. In the resistance test, the total resistance and the wake distribution according to ship speed were investigated. In the POW test, changes of thrust, torque coefficient, and open water efficiency on the propeller according to PBCF installation were investigated. Finally, the International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) 1978 method was used to predict the effect of PBCF installation on self-propulsive coefficient and brake horsepower. For analyzing incompressible viscous flow field, the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation with SST k-ω turbulence model was calculated using Star-CCM+ 11.06.010-R8. All simulation results were validated by comparing the results of model tests conducted at the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO). Consequently, for the self-propulsion test with the PBCF, a 1.5% reduction of brake horsepower was estimated in the simulation and a 0.5% reduction of the brake horsepower was estimated in the experiment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 341 ◽  
pp. 151-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Gong ◽  
Chun-Yu Guo ◽  
Tie-Cheng Wu ◽  
Ke-Wei Song

Author(s):  
Sang-Won Kim ◽  
Youn-Jea Kim

An axial-flow pump has a relatively high discharge flow rate and specific speed at a relatively low head and it consists of an inlet guide vane, impeller, and outlet guide vane. The interaction of the flow through the inlet guide vane, impeller, and outlet guide vane of the axial-flow pump has a significant effect on its performance. Of those components, the guide vanes especially can improve the head and efficiency of the pump by transforming the kinetic energy of the rotating flow, which has a tangential velocity component, into pressure energy. Accordingly, the geometric configurations of the guide vanes such as blade thickness and angle are crucial design factors for determining the performance of the axial-flow pump. As the reliability of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been elevated together with the advance in computer technology, numerical analysis using CFD has recently become an alternative to empirical experiment due to its high reliability to measure the flow field. Thus, in this study, 1,200mm axial-flow pump having an inlet guide vane and impeller with 4 blades and an outlet guide vane with 6 blades was numerically investigated. Numerical study was conducted using the commercial CFD code, ANSYS CFX ver. 16.1, in order to elucidate the effect of the thickness and angle of the guide vanes on the performance of 1,200mm axial-flow pump. The stage condition, which averages the fluxes between interfaces and is accordingly appropriate for the evaluation of pump performance, was adopted as the interface condition between the guide vanes and the impeller. The rotational periodicity condition was used in order to enable a simplified geometry to be used since the guide vanes feature multiple identical regions. The shear stress transport (SST) k-ω model, predicting the turbulence within the flow in good agreement, was also employed in the CFD calculation. With regard to the numerical simulation results, the characteristics of the pressure distribution were discussed in detail. The pump performance, which will determine how well an axial-flow pump will work in terms of its efficiency and head, was also discussed in detail, leading to the conclusion on the optimal blade thickness and angle for the improvement of the performance. In addition, the total pressure loss coefficient was considered in order to investigate the loss within the flow paths depending on the thickness and angle variations. The results presented in this study may give guidelines to the numerical analysis of the axial-flow pump and the investigation of the performance for further optimal design of the axial-flow pump.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Xiaohu Li

Tuna can change the area and shape of the median fins, including the first dorsal, second dorsal, and anal fins. The morphing median fins have the ability of adjusting the hydrodynamic forces, thereby affecting the yaw mobility of tuna to a certain extent. In this paper, the hydrodynamic analysis of the median fins under different morphing states is carried out by the numerical method, so as to clarify the influence of the erected median fins on the yaw maneuvers. By comparing the two morphing states of erected and depressed, it can be concluded that the erected median fins can increase their own hydrodynamic forces during the yaw movement. However, the second dorsal and anal fins have limited influence on the yaw maneuverability, and they tend to maintain the stability of tuna. The first dorsal fin has more lift increment in the erection state, which can obviously affect the hydrodynamic performance of tuna. Moreover, as the median fins are erected, the hydrodynamic forces of the tuna’s body increase synchronously due to the interaction between the body and the median fins, which is also very beneficial to the yaw motion. This study indicates that tuna can use the morphing median fins to adjust its mobility and stability, which provides a new idea for the design of robotic fish.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Kenshiro Takahashi ◽  
Jun Arai ◽  
Takayuki Mori

The unsteady propeller forces of an underwater vehicle were numerically simulated using computational fluid dynamics to investigate the effects of the axial location of the stern planes. A benchmark study was undertaken using a three-bladed propeller; experimental results of the nominal inflow wake profile were analyzed and the unsteady propeller forces were measured. The numerical method was applied to predict the unsteady propeller forces in the SUBOFF model’s wake by varying the axial locations of the stern planes. Several remarks were made on the primary harmonics of the hull’s wakes and blade-rate propeller forces. Introduction The hydroacoustic noise, which matches multiples of the number of propeller blades and its rotational speed, known as “blade-rate (BR) noise,” has been increasingly used to manage hydroacoustics for naval vessels. BR noise can be caused by alternating blade loads owing to fluctuations in the angle of attack of the blades because marine propellers are operated in the nonuniform wake of ships’ hulls. The unsteady blade load produces unsteady propeller forces that are transmitted via the propeller shaft and bearing, thus producing undesirable vibration and noise. Although the resultant BR noise is a common issue for marine vessels, in particular, submarines and other underwater vehicles deployed for undersea defense systems and oceanographic survey systems require strict specifications for the acoustic signature. Therefore, the unsteady propeller forces must be improved for reduced detectability, because the vehicles should be able to operate without being discovered while sonar detection technology continues to improve.


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