Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis and Experimental Validation of Propeller Flow

Propellers are predominant propulsion devices used by vessels. The performance of the propeller is commonly represented using non-dimensional coefficients such as (i) thrust coefficient (ii) torque coefficient and (iii) efficiency in variation with advance coefficients. Determining the characteristics of full-scale propellers in open water testing consists of varying the advance speed and revolution rates over a range and measuring the resulting thrust and torque of the propeller. Due to very high financial costs, difficulty, and the required amount of time required to conduct such tests on a full scale vessel with propeller, the experimental tests are therefore commonly undertaken on a scaled model of a ship and propeller, where the torque and thrust can be conveniently measured over the required range of advance speed and revolution rates. More convenient and efficient method used for determining the performance of the propeller is developed using advanced simulation tools such as computational fluid dynamics analysis. In this work, computational fluid dynamics model is developed for determining the thrust and torque of the propeller for a range of advance speeds and revolutions, and the results are compared with conventional analytical analyses and the differences are mutually outlined.