Hydrodynamic Performance Investigation of High-efficiency Integrated Contra-rotating Propeller for Underwater Vehicle

In contra-rotating propeller systems, the rear propeller can use the eddy current generated by the front propeller to convert it into useful power, thus improving the energy efficiency of underwater vehicles and ships. The rotating propeller can effectively avoid the roll phenomenon of the vehicle and reduce the running noise. This paper investigates the hydrodynamic performance of high-efficiency contra-rotating propeller by computational fluid mechanics. The parameterized model establishment method of contra-rotating propeller is proposed. The fluid field distribution, total pressure, velocity distribution and wall shear of three cases with different dimension combinations of front and rear propellers are comparatively studied. Some useful conclusions are obtained to help to design the contra-rotating propeller system.