The Optimization Design of the Nozzle Section for theWater Jet Propulsion System Applied in Jet Skis

The performance of a water jet propulsion system is related to the inlet duct,rotor,stator,and nozzle.Generally,the flow inlet design must fit the bottom line of the hull,and the design of the inlet duct is often limited by stern space.The entire section,from the rotor to the nozzle through the stator,must be designed based on system integration in that the individual performance of these three components will influence each other.Particularly,the section from the rotor to the nozzle significantly impacts the performance of a water jet propulsion system.This study focused on nozzle design and established referable analysis results to facilitate subsequent integrated studies on the design parameters regarding nozzle contour.Most existing studies concentrate on discussions on rotor design and the tip leakage flow of rotors or have replaced the existing complex computational domain with a simple flow field.However,research has yet to implement an integrated,optimal design of the section from the rotor to the nozzle.Given the above,our program conducted preliminary research on this system integration design issue,discussed the optimal nozzle for this section in-depth,and proposed design suggestions based on the findings.This program used an existing model as the design case.This study referred to the actual trial data as the design conditions for the proposed model.Unlike prior references’simple flow field form,this study added a jet ski geometry and free surface to the computational domain.After the linear hull shape was considered,the inflow in the inlet duct would be closer to the actual condition.Based on the numerical calculation result,this study recommends that the optimal nozzle outlet area should be 37%of the inlet area and that the nozzle contour should be linear.Furthermore,for the pump head,static pressure had a more significant impact than dynamic pressure.

How to make the "jump" on understanding the importance of the intrinsic foot muscles for propulsion

In this issue of the Journal of Sport and Health Science,Smith and colleagues1addressed a unique aspect of human locomotion;they evaluated the effects of the intrinsic foot musculature on the mechanical properties and energetic function of the human foot.By performing a controlled jumping experiment to mimic components of human locomotion.

APPLICATION OF HYBRID AERO-ENGINE MODEL FOR INTEGRATED FLIGHT/PROPULSION OPTIMAL CONTROL

The real-time capability of integrated flight/propulsion optimal control （IFPOC） is studied. An appli- cation is proposed for IFPOC by combining the onboard hybrid aero-engine model with sequential quadratic pro- gramming （SQP）. Firstly, a steady-state hybrid aero-engine model is designed in the whole flight envelope with a dramatic enhancement of real-time capability. Secondly, the aero-engine performance seeking control including the maximum thrust mode and the minimum fuel-consumption mode is performed by SQP. Finally, digital simu- lations for cruise and accelerating flight are carried out. Results show that the proposed method improves real- time capability considerably with satisfactory effectiveness of optimization.

Novel Ship Propulsion System

As the development tends towards high-speed, large-scale and high-power, power of the ship main engine becomes larger and larger. This make the engine design and cabin arrangement become more and more difficult. Ship maneuverability becomes bad. A new ship propulsion system, integrated hydraulic propulsion （IHP）, is put forward to meet the development of modem ship. Principle of IHP system is discussed. Working condition matching characteristic of IHP ship is studied based on its matching characteristic charts. According to their propulsion principle, dynamic mathematic models of IHP ship and direct propulsion （DP） ship are developed. These two models are verified by test sailing and test stand data. Based on the software Matlab/Simulink, comparison research between IHP ship and DP ship is conducted. The results show that cabin arrangement of IHP ship is very flexible, working condition matching characteristic of IHP ship is good, the ratio of power to weight of IHP ship is larger than DP ship, and maneuverability is excellent. IHP system is suitable for engineering ship, superpower ship and warship, etc.

Anguilliform Fish Propulsion of Highest Hydrodynamic Efficiency

It is hypothesized that steady anguilliform swimming motion of aquatic animals is purely reactive such that no net vortex wake is left downstream. This is versus carangiform and tunniform swimming of fish, where vortex streams are shed from tail, fins, and body. But there the animal movements are such to produce partial vortex cancellation downstream in maximizing propulsive efficiency. In anguilliform swimming characteristic of the eel family, it is argued that the swimming motions are configured by the animal such that vortex shedding does not occur at all. However, the propulsive thrust in this case is higher order in the motion amplitude, so that relatively large coils are needed to produce relatively small thrust; the speeds of anguilliform swimmers are less than the carangiform and tunniforrn, which develop first order thrusts via lifting processes. Results of experimentation on live lamprey are compared to theoretical prediction which assumes the no-wake hypothesis. Two-dimensional analysis is first performed to set the concept. This is followed by three-dimensional analysis using slender-body theory. Slender-body theory has been applied by others in studying anguilliform swimming, as it is ideally suited to the geometry of the lamprey and other eel-like animals. The agreement between this new approach based on the hypothesis of wakeless swimming and the experiments is remarkably good in spite of the physical complexities.

Kinematics Modeling and Experiments of Pectoral Oscillation Propulsion Robotic Fish

A robotic fish driven by oscillating fins, 'Cownose Ray-I', is developed, which is in dorsoventrally flattened shape without a tail. The robotic fish is composed of a body and two lateral fins. A three-factor kinematic model is established and used in the design of a mechanism. By controlling the three kinematic parameters, the robotic fish can accelerate and maneuver. Forward velocity is dependent on the largest amplitude and the number of waves in the fins, while the relative contribution of fin beat frequency to the forward velocity of the robotic fish is different from the usual result. On the other hand, experimental results on maneuvering show that phase difference has a stronger effect on swerving than the largest amplitude to some extent. In addition, as propulsion waves pass from the trailing edge to the leading edge, the robotic fish attains a backward velocity of 0. 15 m·s^(-1).

Overview of Al-based nanoenergetic ingredients for solid rocket propulsion

The introduction of nano-sized energetic ingredients first occurred in Russia about 60 years ago and arose great expectations in the rocket propulsion community, thanks to the higher energy densities and faster energy release rates exhibited with respect to conventional ingredients. But, despite intense worldwide research programs, still today mostly laboratory level applications are reported and often for scientific purposes only. A number of practical reasons prevent the applications at industrial level: inert native coating of the energetic particles, nonuniform dispersion, aging, excessive viscosity of the slurry propellant, possible limitations in mechanical properties, more demanding safety issues, cost, and so on.This paper describes the main features in terms of performance of solid rocket propellants loaded with nanometals and intends to emphasize the unique properties or operating conditions made possible by the addition of the nano-sized energetic ingredients. Steady and unsteady combustion regimes are examined.

Research on Propeller Dynamic Load Simulation System of Electric Propulsion Ship

A dynamic marine propeller simulation system was developed, which is utilized for meeting the experimental requirement of theory research and engineering design of marine electric propulsion system. By applying an actual ship parameter and its accurate propeller J＇ -KT＇ and J＇ - Kp＇ curve data, functional experiments based on the simulation system were carried out. The experiment results showed that the system can correctly emulate the propeller characteristics, produce the dynamic and steady performances of the propeller under different navigation modes, and present actual load torque for electric propulsion motor.

Numerical Study of Propulsion Mechanism for Oscillating Rigid and Flexible Tuna-Tails

Numerical study on the unsteady hydrodynamic characteristics of oscillating rigid and flexible tuna-tails in viscous flow-field is performed. Investigations are conducted using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes （RANS） equations with a moving adaptive mesh. The effect of swimming speed, flapping amplitude, frequency and flexure amplitude on the propulsion performance of the rigid and flexible tuna-tails are investigated. Computational results reveal that a pair of leading edge vortices develop along the tail surface as it undergoes an oscillating motion. The propulsive efficiency has a strong correlation with various locomotive parameters. Peak propulsive efficiency can be obtained by adjusting these parameters. Particularly, when input power coeffcient is less than 2.8, the rigid tail generates larger thrust force and higher propulsive efficiency than flexible tail. However, when input power coefficient is larger than 2.8, flexible tail is superior to rigid tail.

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.

The characteristics of confined ablation in laser propulsion

Compared with direct ablation, confined ablation provides an effective way to obtain a large target momentum and a high coupling coefficient. By using a transparent glass layer to cover the target surface, the coupling coefficient is enhanced by an order of magnitude. With the increase of the gap width between the target surface and the cover layer, the coupling coefficient exponentially decreases. It is found that the coupling coefficient is also related to the thickness of the cover layer.

Effect of Spanwise Flexibility on Propulsion Performance of a Flapping Hydrofoil at Low Reynolds Number

Spanwise flexibility is a key factor influencing propulsion performance of pectoral foils. Performances of bionic fish with oscillating pectoral foils can be enhanced by properly selecting the spanwise flexibility. The influence law of spanwise flexibility on thrust generation and propulsion efficiency of a rectangular hydro-foil is discussed. Series foils constructed by the two-component silicon rubber are developed. NACA0015 shape of chordwise cross-section is employed. The foils are strengthened by fin rays of different rigidity to realize variant spanwise rigidity and almost the same chordwise flexibility. Experiments on a towing platform developed are carried out at low Reynolds numbers of 10 000, 15 000, and 20 000 and Strouhal numbers from 0.1 to 1. The following experimental results are achieved: (1) The average forward thrust increases with the St number increased; (2) Certain degree of spanwise flexibility is beneficial to the forward thrust generation, but the thrust gap is not large for the fins of different spanwise rigidity; (3) The fin of the maximal spanwise flexibility owns the highest propulsion efficiency; (4) Effect of the Reynolds number on the propulsion efficiency is significant. The experimental results can be utilized as a reference in deciding the spanwise flexibility of bionic pectoral fins in designing of robotic fish prototype propelled by flapping-wing.

Advantages of a Biomimetic Stiffness Profile in Pitching Flexible Fin Propulsion

The use of oscillating flexible fins in propulsion has been the subject of several studies in recent years, but attention israrely paid to the specific role of stiffness profile in thrust production.Stiffness profile is defined as the variation in localchordwise bending stiffness (EI) of a fin, from leading to trailing edge.In this study, flexible fins with a standard NACA0012shape were tested alongside fins with a stiffness profile mimicking that of a Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus).The finswere oscillated with a pitching sinusoidal motion over a range of frequencies and amplitudes, while torque, lateral force andstatic thrust were measured.Over the range of oscillation parameters tested, it was shown that the fin with a biomimetic stiffness profile offered a significantimprovement in static thrust, compared to a fin of similar dimensions with a standard NACA0012 aerofoil profile.Thebiomimetic fin also produced thrust more consistently over each oscillation cycle.A comparison of fin materials of different stiffness showed that the improvement was due to the stiffness profile itself, andwas not simply an effect of altering the overall stiffness of the fin.Fins of the same stiffness profile were observed to follow thesame thrust-power curve, independent of the stiffness of the moulding material.Biomimetic fins were shown to produce up to26% greater thrust per watt of input power, within the experimental range.

Propulsion Modeling and Analysis of a Biomimetic Swimmer

We have studied a biomimetic swimmer based on the motion of bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) theoretically andexperimentally. The swimmer has an ellipsoidal cell body propelled by a helical filament. The performance of this swimmer wasestimated by modeling the dynamics of a swimmer in viscous fluid. We applied the Resistive Force Theory (RFT) on this modelto calculate the linear swimming speed and the efficiency of the model. A parametric study on linear velocity and efficiency tooptimize the design of this swimmer was demonstrated. In order to validate the theoretical results, a biomimetic swimmer wasfabricated and an experiment setup was prepared to measure the swimming speed and thrust force in silicone oil. The experimentalresults agree well with the theoretical values predicted by RFT. In addition, we studied the flow patterns surrounding thefilament with a finite element simulation with different Reynolds number (Re) to understand the mechanism of propulsion. Thesimulation results provide information on the nature of flow patterns generated by swimming filament. Furthermore, the thrustforces from the simulation were compared with the thrust forces from theory. The simulation results are in good agreement withthe theoretical results.

Optimization and Sizing for Propulsion System of Liquid Rocket Using Genetic Algorithm

Flight vehicle conceptual design appears to be a promising area for application of the Genetic Algorithm （GA） as an approach to help to automate part of the design process. This computational research effort strives to develop a propulsion system design strategy for liquid rocket to optimize take-off mass, satisfying the mission range under the constraint of axial overload. The method by which this process is accomplished by using GA as optimizer is outlined in this paper. Convergence of GA is improved by introducing initial population based on Design of Experiments Technique.

Nozzle Optimization for Water Jet Propulsion with A Positive Displacement Pump

In the water jet propulsion system with a positive displacement （PD） pump, the nozzle, which converts pressure energy into kinetic energy, is one of the key parts exerting great influence on the reactive thrust and the efficiency of the system due to its high working pressure and easily occurring cavitation characteristics. Based on the previous studies of the energy loss and the pressure distribution of different nozzles, a model of water jet reactive thrust, which fully takes the energy loss and the nozzle parameters into consideration, is developed to optimize the nozzle design. Experiments and simulations are carried out to investigate the reactive thrust and the conversion efficiency of cylindrical nozzles, conical nozzles and optimized nozzles. The results show that the optimized nozzles have the largest reactive thrust and the highest energy conversion efficiency under the same inlet conditions. The related methods and conclusions are extended to the study of other applications of the water jet, such as water jet cutting, water mist fire suppression, water injection molding.

Experimental and Numerical Study on Vibration of the Full-Revolving Propulsion Ship Stern

In order to solve the severe vibration problems of an ocean engineering ship with a full-revolving propulsion system, the navigation tests, including forced vibration response test and modal test, are carded out in its stem. It is concluded from the comparison of the time-domain waveform and spectrum from different measurement points that three main factors lead to a high-level stern vibration. Firstly, the specific dynamic stiffness of a water tank is relatively small compared with its neighbor hold, which makes it act like a vibration isolator preventing vibrational energy transmitting to the main hold. Secondly, there exists high-density local modes in the working frequency range of the main engine and thus the local resonance occurs. Thirdly, the abnormal engagement of gears caused by the large deflection of the shaft bearing due to its low mounting rigidity leads to violent extra impulse excitations at high speeds. Then the modification against the dynamic defects is given by simply improving the specific stiffness of the water tanks. And the effect is validated by the FEM calculation. Some important experience is obtained with the problems being solved, which is useful in the design of ships with the same propulsion system. It is also believed that the dynamic consideration is as important as the static analysis for the ships, and that most of the vibration problems may be avoided with a proper acoustic design.

Numerical and Experimental Studies on the Effect of Axial Spacing on Hydrodynamic Performance of the Hybrid CRP Pod Propulsion System

The hydrodynamic performance of a hybrid CRP pod propulsion system was studied by RANS method with SST k ？？ turbulence model and sliding mesh. The effect of axial spacing on the hydrodynamic performance of the hybrid CRP pod propulsion system was investigated numerically and experimentally. It shows that RANS with the sliding mesh method and SST k -ω turbulence model predicts accurately the hydrodynamic performance of the hybrid CRP pod propulsion system. The axial spacing has little influence on the hydrodynamic performance of the forward propeller, but great influence on that of the pod unit. Thrust coefficient of the pod unit declines with the increase of the axial spacing, but the trend becomes weaker, and the decreasing amplitude at the lower advance coefficient is larger than that at the higher advance coefficient. The thrust coefficient and open water efficiency of the hybrid CRP pod propulsion system decrease with the increase of the axial spacing, while the torque coefficient keeps almost constant. On this basis, the design principle of axial spacing of the hybrid CRP pod propulsion system was proposed.

Flow structures of gaseous jets injected into water for underwater propulsion

Gaseous jets injected into water are typically found in underwater propulsion, and the flow is essentially unsteady and turbulent. Additionally, the high water-to-gas density ratio can result in complicated flow structures; hence measuring the flow structures numerically and experimentally remains a challenge. To investigate the performance of the underwater propulsion, this paper uses detailed NavierStokes flow computations to elucidate the gas-water interactions under the framework of the volume of fluid （VOF） model. Furthermore, these computations take the fluid compressibility, viscosity, and energy transfer into consideration. This paper compares the numerical results and experimental data, showing that phenomena including expansion, bulge, necking/breaking, and back-attack are highlighted in the jet process. The resulting analysis indicates that the pressure difference on the rear and front surfaces of the propul- sion system can generate an additional thrust. The strong and oscillatory thrust of the underwater propulsion system is caused by the intermittent pulses of the back pressure and the nozzle exit pressure. As a result, the total thrust in underwater propulsion is not only determined by the nozzle geometry but also by the flow structures and associated pressure distri- butions.

Feasibility of a New Ironless-stator Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Machine for Aircraft Electric Propulsion Application

With the development of aviation electrification,higher demands for electrical machines are put forward in aircraft electric propulsion systems.The aircraft electric propulsion requirements and propulsion motor features are analyzed in this paper.Comparing with conventional PM machines,ironless stator axial flux permanent magnet(AFPM)machine topologies with Litz wire windings allow designs with higher compactness,lightness and efficiency,which are suitable for high-frequency and high-power density applications.Based on the motor requirements and constraints of aircraft electric propulsion systems,this paper investigates a high-power 1 MW multi-stack ironless stator AFPM machine,which is composed of four 250kW modular motors by stacking in axial.The design guidelines and special attentions are presented,in term of electromagnetic,thermal,and mechanical performance for the high-frequency coils and Halbach-array PM rotor.Finally,an ironless stator AFPM motor is manufactured,tested and evaluated with the consideration of cost and processing cycle.The results show that the output power is up to 53.8kW with 95%efficiency at 9000r/min at this stage.The proposed ironless stator AFPM machine with oil immersed forced cooling proves to be a favorable candidate for application in electric aircraft as propulsion motors.