Numerical and Experimental Studies on the Propulsion Performance of A Wave Glide Propulsor

This paper introduces a newly developed Unmanned Wave Glide Vehicle （UWGV）, which is driven only by extracting energy from gravity waves, and presents a comprehensive study on the propulsion performance of the UWGV＇s propulsor-Wave Glide Propulsor （WGP） in a regular wave. By simplifying the WGP as six 2D tandem asynchronous flapping foils （TAFFs）, a CFD method based on Navier-Stokes equations was first used to analyze the hydrodynamic performance of TAFFs with different parameters of non-dimensional wave length rn and non-dimensional wave height n. Then, a series of hydrodynamic experiments were performed. The computational results agree well with the experimental results when n〈0.07 and both of them show the thrust force and input power of the WGP are larger at smaller m or larger n. By analyzing the flow field of TAFFs, we can see that a larger m is beneficial to the forming, merging and shredding of the TAFFs＇ vortices; as TAFFs are arranged in tandem and have the same motions, the leading edge vortex and wake vortex of the TAFFs are meaningful for improving the thrust force of their adjacent ones.

Propulsion Performance of Spanwise Flexible Wing Using Unsteady Panel Method

In this paper, the propulsion performance of a spanwise flexible oscillating wing, which is broadly similar to the undulation of a fin fluke, is investigated. The geometry of the fluke underwent three prescribed harmonic oscillating motions simultaneously while surging with constant velocity. The effect of deflection phase angle, flexibility parameter, and wing tip deflection amplitude on thrust coefficient and swimming efficiency was studied. A low-order unsteady panel method coupled with a time stepping algorithm for free wake alignment is implemented in a computer program to estimate the propulsion efficiency of lifting bodies. A novel approach is introduced to evaluate the singular integrals of line vortices by using an adaptive mollifier function. This method is an efficient way to accelerate computational speed by reducing the order of problem from R^3 to body boundaries. Results present the significant effect of phase angle on the propulsion characteristics of oscillating fluke.

Continuous Detonation Engine and Effects of Different Types of Nozzle on Its Propulsion Performance

The rotating propagation of a continuous detonation engine (CDE) with different types of nozzles is investigated in three-dimensional numerical simulation using a one-step chemical reaction model. Flux terms are solved by the so-called monotonicity-preserving weighted essentially non-oscillatory (MPWENO) scheme. The simulated flow field agrees well with the previous experimental results. Once the initial transient effects die down, the detonation wave maintains continuous oscillatory propagation in the annular chamber as long as fuel is continuously injected. Using a numerical flow field, the propulsion per- formance of a CDE is computed for four types of nozzles, namely the constant-area nozzle, Laval nozzle, diverging nozzle and converging nozzle. The gross specific impulse of the CDE ranges 1 540-1 750 s and the mass flux per square meter ranges 313-330 kg/(m2·s) for different nozzles. Among these four types of nozzles, Laval nozzle performs the best, and these parameters are 1 800 N, 1 750 s and 313 kg/(m2.s). A nozzle can greatly improve the propulsion performance.

Propulsive performance and flow field characteristics of a 2-D flexible fin with variations in the location of its pitching axis

The thrust coefficients and propulsive efficiency of a two-dimensional flexible fin with heaving and pitching motion were computed using FLUENT. The effect of different locations of the pitching axis on propulsive performance was examined using three deflexion modes which are respectively, modified Bose mode, cantilever beam with uniformly distributed load and cantilever beam with non-uniformly distributed load. The results show that maximum thrust can be achieved with the pitching axis at the trailing edge, but the highest propulsive efficiency can be achieved with the pitching axis either 1/3 of the chord length from the leading edge in modified Bose mode, or 2/3 of the chord length from the leading edge in cantilever beam mode. At the same time, the effects of the Strouhal number and maximal attack angle on the hydrodynamics performance of the flexible fin were analyzed. Parameter interval of the maximum thrust coefficient and the highest propulsive efficiency were gained. If the Strouhal number is low, high propulsive efficiency can be achieved at low αmax , and vice versa.

Numerical Simulation and Experimental Research on Hydrodynamic Performance of Propeller with Varying Shaft Depths

In order to study hydrodynamic performance of a propeller in the free surface, the numerical simulation and open-water experiments are carried out with varying shaft depths of propeller. The influences of shaft depths of a propeller on thrust and torque coefficient in calm water are mainly studied. Meanwhile, this paper also studies the propeller air-ingestion under special working conditions by experiment and theoretical calculation method, and compares the calculation results and experimental results. The results prove that the theoretical calculation model used in this paper can imitate the propeller air-ingestion successfully. The successful phenomenon simulation provides an essential theoretical basis to understand the physical essence of the propeller air-ingestion.

Study on Unsteady Hydrodynamic Performance of Propeller in Waves

The speed of a ship sailing in waves always slows down due to the decrease in efficiency of the propeller. So it is necessary and essential to analyze the unsteady hydrodynamic performance of propeller in waves. This paper is based on the numerical simulation and experimental research of hydrodynamics performance when the propeller is under wave conditions. Open-water propeller performance in calm water is calculated by commercial codes and the results are compared to experimental values to evaluate the accuracy of the numerical simulation method. The first-order Volume of Fluid(VOF) wave method in STAR CCM+ is utilized to simulate the three-dimensional numerical wave. According to the above prerequisite, the numerical calculation of hydrodynamic performance of the propeller under wave conditions is conducted, and the results reveal that both thrust and torque of the propeller under wave conditions reveal intense unsteady behavior. With the periodic variation of waves, ventilation, and even an effluent phenomenon appears on the propeller. Calculation results indicate, when ventilation or effluent appears, the numerical calculation model can capture the dynamic characteristics of the propeller accurately, thus providing a significant theory foundation forfurther studying the hydrodynamic performance of a propeller in waves.

Thrust generation and wake structure of wiggling hydrofoil

Marine animals and micro-machines often use wiggling motion to generate thrust. The wiggling motion can be modeled by a progressive wave where its wavelength describes the flexibility of wiggling animals. In the present study, an immersed boundary method is used to simulate the flows around the wiggling hydrofoil NACA 65-010 at low Reynolds numbers. One can find from the numerical simulations that the thrust generation is largely determined by the wavelength. The thrust coefficients decrease with the increasing wavelength while the propulsive efficiency reaches a maximum at a certain wavelength due to the viscous effects. The thrust generation is associated with two different flow patterns in the wake： the well-known reversed Karman vortex streets and the vortex dipoles. Both are jet-type flows where the thrust coefficients associated with the reversed Karman vortex streets are larger than the ones associated with the vortex diploes.

SWIMMING PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS FOR ANGUILLIFORM PROPULSION

This paper investigates the swimming performance of fish undulatory motion which is the basic form in locomotion of aquatical animal from a hydrodynamics point of view.In particular,the propulsive characteristics is discussed.The three-dimensional potential flow over a model rectangular flexible plate performing the motion which consists of a progressive wave of a given wave length and phase velocity along the chord is treated.Vortex ring method is used to calculate the thrust,the power required and the hydrodynamic propulsive efficiency,etc.The dependence of these energetics on certain physical parameters,such as the aspect ratio,the reduced frequency and the wave number,is discussed.It is found that as the wave tength gets close to the body length,propulsive performance is no longer sensitive to the aspect ratio.Some qualitative explanation of the fish swimming phenomena is also given.

Research progress on the hydrodynamic performance of water-air-bubble mixed flows around a ship

The interaction between ship and surrounding fluids generates the water-air-bubble mixed flow laden with numerous droplets and bubbles.The water-air-bubble mixed flow is a complex multi-phase flow phenomenon,which involves intense air-water mixture,complex evolution of interface shape,interactions between multi-scale flow structures and strong turbulent fluctuations.Based on the field observations at sea,a large range of white water-air-bubble flow exists widely around a large-scale sailing ship,and directly affects the hydrodynamic performance of ship from various aspects.This paper reviews the research progress of water-air-bubble mixed flow around a ship.Current knowledge about the formation and evolution mechanism are introduced firstly.Then,the effects of the water-air-bubble mixed flow on ship performance are further reviewed,the main concerns are ship resistance,propulsion performance,slamming and maneuverability.Finally,the future research prospects are summarized.

Performance of rotating detonation engine with stratified injection

In this study,a numerical study based on Euler equations and coupled with detail chemistry model is used to improve the propulsion performance and stability of the rotating detonation engine.The proposed fuel injection called stratified injection functions by suppressing the isobaric combustion process occurring on the contact surface between fuel and detonation products,and thus the proportion of fuel consumed by detonation wave increases from 67%to 95%,leading to more self-pressure gain and lower entropy generation.A pre-mixed hydrogen-oxygen-nitrogen mixture is used as a reactive mixture.The computational results show that the propulsion performance and the operation stability of the engine with stratified injection are both improved,the temperature of the flow field is notably decreased,the specific impulse of the engine is improved by 16.3%,and the average temperature of the engine with stratified injection is reduced by 19.1%.

Propulsive performance of a passively flapping plate in a uniform flow

Propulsive performance of a passively flapping plate in a uniform viscous flow has been studied numerically by means of a multiblock lattice Boltzmann method. The passively flapping plate is modeled by a rigid plate with a torsion spring acting about the pivot at the leading-edge of the plate, which is called a lumped-torsional-flexibility model. When the leading-edge is forced to take a vertical oscillation, the plate pitches passively due to the fluid-plate interaction. Based on our numerical simulations, various fundamental mechanisms dictating the propulsive performance, including the forces on the plate, power consumption, propulsive efficiency and vortical structures, have been studied. It is found that the torsional flexibility of the passively pitching plate can improve the propulsive performance. The results obtained in this study provide some physical insights into the understanding of the propulsive behaviors of swimming and flying animals.

A theoretical and 1-D numerical investigation on a valve/valveless air-breathing pulse detonation engine

The important operating characteristics of pulsed Pressure Gain Combustion(PGC)propulsion are the pressure gain of the combustor component and the propulsive performance gain of the engine.A ramjet-type valve/valveless air-breathing pulsed detonation engine with a supersonic internal compression inlet is investigated.Based on an ideal thermal cycle,the ideal equivalent pressure ratios(pcb)of the Pulsed Detonation Combustor(PDC)are obtained theoretically which are directly related with the propulsive performance of the engine.By introducing an orifice loss model into the cycles,the critical pressure drop ratios through the orifice for the PDC achieving pressure gain and the engine achieving thrust gain are studied.More influencing factors are investigated by the use of a one-dimensional(1-D)numerical simulation model.The operating characteristics of the pulse detonation engine are investigated with changes of the valve type,the inlet/outlet area ratio of the PDC,the nozzle area ratio,and flight conditions.All these factors can affect pcbof the PDC,and pcbcan be optimized by changing the geometry of the engine.The most important influence parameter is the valve type.When using an orifice-type aerodynamic valve,simulation results show that the PDC cannot achieve the pressure gain characteristics.When a supersonic internal compression inlet is introduced to the engine,whether the Pulse Detonation Engine(PDE)can achieve thrust gain comparable with that of an ideal Brayton cycle engine not only is related to the pressure gain of the combustor,but also needs to optimize the engine structure to reduce the total pressure loss.

Numerical study on ethylene-air continuous rotating detonation in annular combustors with different widths

To investigate the impact of combustor width on continuous rotating detonation(CRD)fueled by ethylene and air,a series of 3 D simulations are conducted by changing the inner cylinder radius of an annular combustor while retaining the same outer cylinder radius.The results show that the CRD wave propagates more steadily and faster as the combustor width increases.The high-temperature zone at the backward-facing step preheats the propellants and contributes to the steady propagation of the CRD wave in 25-and 30-mm wide combustors.The highest and the lowest velocities are obtained in the30-and 15-mm wide combustors at,respectively,1880.27 and 1681.01 m/s.On the other hand,the average thrust decreases as the combustor width increases.The highest thrust is obtained in the 15-mm wide combustor while the lowest is in the 30-mm wide combustor,at 758.06 and 525.93 N,respectively.Nevertheless,the thrust is much more stable in the 25-and 30-mm wide combustors than in the 15-and 20-mm wide combustors.

Primary investigation on Ram-Rotor Detonation Engine

The study presents a new type of detonation engine called the Ram-Rotor Detonation Engine(RRDE),which overcomes some of the drawbacks of conventional detonation engines such as pulsed detonation engines,oblique detonation engines,and rotating detonation engines.The RRDE organizes the processes of reactant compression,detonation combustion,and burned gas expansion in a single rotor,allowing it to achieve an ideal detonation cycle under a wide range of inlet Mach numbers,thus significantly improving the total pressure gain of the propulsion system.The feasibility and performance of RRDE are discussed through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations.The theoretical analysis indicates that the performance of the RRDE is mainly related to the inlet velocity,the rotor rim velocity,and the equivalence ratio of reactant.Increasing the inlet velocity leads to a decrease in the total pressure gain of the RRDE.Once the inlet velocity exceeds the critical value,the engine cannot achieve positive total pressure gain.Increasing the rim velocity can improve the total pressure gain and the thermodynamic cycle efficiency of RRDE.Increasing the equivalence ratio can also improve the thermodynamic cycle efficiency and enhance the total pressure gain at lower inlet velocities.While at higher inlet velocities,increasing the equivalence ratio may reduce the total pressure gain.Numerical simulations are also performed to analyze the detailed flow field structure in RRDE and its variations with the inlet parameters.The simulation results demonstrate that the detonation wave can stably stand in the RRDE and can adapt to the change of the inlet equivalence ratio within a certain range.This study provides the preliminary theoretical basis and design reference for the RRDE.