Using the surface panel method to predict the steady performance of ducted propellers

A new numerical method was developed for predicting the steady hydrodynamic performance of ducted propellers. A potential based surface panel method was applied both to the duct and the propeller, and the interaction between them was solved by an induced velocity potential iterative method. Compared with the induced velocity iterative method, the method presented can save programming and calculating time. Numerical results for a JD simplified ducted propeller series showed that the method presented is effective for predicting the steady hydrodynamic performance of ducted propellers.

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of A Ducted Propeller Designed by A Fully Automated Optimization Process Under Open Water Condition

A fully automated optimization process is provided for the design of ducted propellers under open water conditions, including 3D geometry modeling, meshing, optimization algorithm and CFD analysis techniques. The developed process allows the direct integration of a RANSE solver in the design stage. A practical ducted propeller design case study is carried out for validation. Numerical simulations and open water tests are fulfilled and proved that the optimum ducted propeller improves hydrodynamic performance as predicted.

Discussion of the Fluid Acceleration Quality of a Ducted Propulsion System on the Propulsive Performance

This paper focuses on the ducted propulsion with the accelerating nozzle,and discusses the influence of its fluid acceleration quality on its propulsive performances,including the hull efficiency,the relative rotative efficiency,the effective wake,and the thrust deduction factor.An actual ducted propulsion system is used as an example for computational analysis.The computational conditions are divided into four combinations,which are provided with different propeller pitches,cambers,and duct lengths.Themethod applied in this study is the Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)technology,and the contents of the calculation include the hull’s viscous resistance,the wave-making resistance,the propeller performance curve,and the self-propulsion simulation in order to obtain the ship’s effective wake,thrust deduction factor,hull efficiency,and relative rotative efficiency.The performance curve of the propeller and resistance estimation results are compared with the experimental values for determining the correctness of the self-propulsion simulation.According to the computational analysis,it is known that increasing the propeller pitch cannot effectively increase the hull efficiency.The duct acceleration quality can be reduced by shortening the duct length;hence,when the effective wake fraction and thrust deduction factor decrease,the hull efficiency is increased.In addition,the pressure inside the duct is relatively low if the acceleration quality of the duct is too high,which is unfavorable for controlling the propeller cavitation.Moreover,if the hull bottom in front of the propeller is tapered up from the front to the back at an overly steep angle,the thrust deduction factor will be too large and lead to a relatively low hull efficiency.

Numerical Analysis of the Hydrodynamic Behavior of a Remotely Operated Vehicle in Multi-Directional Flow

In recent years,Remotely Operated Vehicles(ROVs)have played an increasingly important role in the construc-tion and monitoring of underwater pile foundations.However,due to the open frame structure of such vehicles,a gap of knowledge still exists with regard to their hydrodynamic behavior.In this study,the hydrodynamic stability of such vehicles is investigated numerically by means of a multiple reference frame method.The hydrodynamic characteristics of the ROV when it moves horizontally and upward in the vertical plane are examined.It is found that there is interference between the horizontal and vertical thrusters of the ROV.There is also interference between the propeller thrust and drag(or lift).The effect of the vertical thrusters can increase the horizontal thrust by about 5%.The horizontal thrusters create a low-pressure area below the body,which can make vertical drag experienced by the ROV significantly higher.

An Integrated Hydrodynamics and Control Model of A Tethered Underwater Robot

An integrated hydrodynamics and control model to simulate tethered underwater robot system is proposed. The governing equation of the umbilical cable is based on a finite difference method, the hydrodynamic behaviors of the underwater robot are described by the six-degrees-of-freedom equations of motion for submarine simulations, and a controller based on the fuzzy sliding mode control(FSMC) algorithm is also incorporated. Fluid motion around the main body of moving robot with running control ducted propellers is governed by the Navier–Stokes equations and these nonlinear differential equations are solved numerically via computational fluid dynamics(CFD) technique. The hydrodynamics and control behaviors of the tethered underwater robot under certain designated trajectory and attitude control manipulation are then investigated based on the established hydrodynamics and control model. The results indicate that satisfactory control effect can be achieved and hydrodynamic behavior under the control operation can be observed with the model; much kinematic and dynamic information about tethered underwater robot system can be forecasted, including translational and angular motions of the robot, hydrodynamic loading on the robot, manipulation actions produced by the control propellers, the kinematic and dynamic behaviors of the umbilical cable. Since these hydrodynamic effects are fed into the proposed coupled model, the mutual hydrodynamic influences of different portions of the robot system as well as the hydrological factors of the undersea environment for the robot operation are incorporated in the model.

RESEARCH ON SCHEME OF HIGH-SPEED ROTOR／WING TRANSITION HELICOPTER RD15

To analyze the existing schemes of high-speed rotorcrafts and some new technologies, a new conceptual sketch of the high-speed rotor/wing transition helicopter RD15 is proposed. The overall layout of the RD15 is given out and the transition process from the helicopter mode to the airplane mode is designed. The lift system consists of a circular disk-wing with four retractable blades. The technology of individual blade control is adopted for flight control in hover and low speed flight. The tail is a vectored thrust duct propeller. It can provide the anti-torque in hover, and offer the multi-directional controls and propulsion drive for the airplane mode flight. The aerodynamic characteristics and key technologies in the transition process for this layout, including the nose up angle of disk-wing, the length of the blade, rotation speed, pitch angle and other parameters, are theoretically ana lyzed and experimentally tested. Calculation and experiments show that the shift process of the lift, the power and controls are smooth, and the designed scheme is feasible.

A conceptual design for deflection device in VTDP system

The effectiveness of the Vectored Thrust Ducted Propeller(VTDP)system is not high currently,especially the lateral force is not large enough.Thus,a conceptual design for a deflection device of a VTDP system was proposed to achieve effective hovering control.The magnitude of the lateral force that was applied to maintain balance while hovering was examined.A comparison between the experimental and numerical results for the 16H-1 was made to verify the numerical simulation approach.The deflection devices of the X-49 and the proposed design were analyzed using numerical simulations.The results indicated that a larger lateral force and lower power consumption were presented in the proposed design.The results of this article provide a new idea for the design of the VTDP system.