Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Unsteady cavitation characteristics and alleviation of pressure fluctuations around marine propellers with different skew angles

  • Published:
Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cavitating flow around two marine propellers with different skew angles, a conventional propeller (CP) and a highly skewed propeller (HSP), operating in the non-uniform wake was simulated using a mass transfer cavitation model and the k-omega SST turbulence model. The numerical model reasonably predicted experimental data for the unsteady cavitation patterns as well as the oscillation amplitudes of the dominant pressure components. The results indicate that the effect of skew angle is very important on the cavitation characteristics as well as the pressure fluctuations and that the amplitudes of pressure fluctuations for the HSP are 50∼70% less than that for the CP. Therefore, the skewed propeller will reduce noise and vibration compared to the conventional propeller. Furthermore, the numerical model verified the relation between the hull pressures and changing cavitation patterns as the blades sweep through the high wake region. The results demonstrate that volumetric acceleration of entire cavity around a propeller blade is the main reason for the pressure fluctuations, which agrees with previous experiments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. E. Huse, Pressure fluctuations on the hull induced by cavitating propellers, Norwegian Ship Model Experiment Tank Report (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  2. G. Kuiper, New developments and propeller design, J Hydrodyn, 22(5) (2010) 7–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. S. Park and S. H. Rhee, Computational analysis of turbulent super-cavitating flow around a two-dimensional wedge-shaped cavitator geometry, Comput Fluids, 70 (2012) 73–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. S. Park and S. H. Rhee, Numerical analysis of the three-dimensional cloud cavitating flow around a twisted hydrofoil, Fluid Dyn Res, 45 (2013) 015502.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  5. D. H. Kim, W. G. Park and C. M. Jung, Numerical simulation of cavitating flow past axisymmetric body, International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, 4(3) (2012) 256–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. T. Watanabe, T. Kawamura, Y. Takekoshi, M. Maeda and S. H. Rhee, Simulation of steady and unsteady cavitation on a marine propeller using a RANS CFD code, Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Cavitation, Osaka, Japan (2003).

    Google Scholar 

  7. S. H. Rhee, T. Kawamura and H. Y. Li, Propeller cavitation study using an unstructured grid based Navier-Stoker Solver, J. Fluids Eng., 127(5) (2005) 986–994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. J. W. Lindau, D. A. Boger, R. B. Medvitz and R. F. Kunz, Propeller cavitation breakdown analysis, J. Fluids Eng., 127(5) (2005) 995–1002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. T. Kanemaru and J. Ando, Numerical analysis of cavitating propeller and pressure fluctuation on ship stern using a simple surface panel method “SQCM”, J Mar Sci Technol, 18(3) (2013) 294–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. R. E. Bensow and G. Bark, Implicit LES predictions of the cavitating flow on a propeller, J. Fluids Eng., 132(4) (2010) 041302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. B. Ji, X. W. Luo, X. Wang, X. X. Peng, Y. L. Wu and H. Y. Xu, Unsteady numerical simulation of cavitating turbulent flow around a highly skewed model marine propeller, J. Fluids Eng., 133(1) (2011) 011102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. M. Morgut, E. Nobile and I. Bilus, Comparison of mass transfer models for the numerical prediction of sheet cavitation around a hydrofoil, Int J Multiphase Flow, 37(6) (2011) 620–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. M. Morgut and E. Nobile, Influence of the mass transfer model on the numerical prediction of the cavitating flow around a marine propeller, Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Marine Propulsors, Hamburg, Germany (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  14. M. Morgut and E. Nobile, Numerical predictions of cavitating flow around model scale propellers by CFD and advanced model calibration, International Journal of Rotating Machinery, (2012) 618180.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Z. F. Zhu and S. L. Fang, Numerical investigation of cavitation performance of ship propellers, J Hydrodyn, 24(3) (2012) 347–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Y. Liu, P. F. Zhao, Q. Wang and Z. H. Chen, URANS computation of cavitating flows around skewed propellers, J Hydrodyn, 24(3) (2012) 339–346.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  17. Q. F. Yang, Y. S. Wang and Z. H. Zhang, Scale effects on propeller cavitating hydrodynamic and hydroacoustic performances with non-uniform inflow, Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 26(2) (2013) 414–426.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  18. F. R. Menter, Two-equation eddy-viscosity turbulence models for engineering applications, AIAA Journal, 32(8) (1994) 1598–1605.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. J. T. Liu, S. H. Liu, Y. L. Wu, L. Jiao, L. Q. Wang and Y. K. Sun, Numerical investigation of the hump characteristic of a pump-turbine based on an improved cavitation model, Comput Fluids, 68 (2012) 105–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. A. Kubota, H. Kato and H. Yamaguchi, A new modeling of cavitating flows — a numerical study of unsteady cavitation on a hydrofoil section, J. Fluid Mech., 240 (1992) 59–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. P. J. Zwart, A. G. Gerber and T. Belamri, A two-phase flow model for predicting cavitation dynamics, Proceedings of International Conference on Multiphase Flow, Yokohama, Japan (2004).

    Google Scholar 

  22. B. Ji, X. W. Luo, Y. L. Wu, X. X. Peng and Y. L. Duan, Numerical analysis of unsteady cavitating turbulent flow and shedding horse-shoe vortex structure around a twisted hydrofoil, Int J Multiphase Flow, 51 (2013) 33–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. B. Huang and G. Y. Wang, Evaluation of a filter-based model for computations of cavitating flows, Chinese Phys Lett, 28(2) (2011) 026401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. X. W. Luo, B. Ji, X. X. Peng, H. Y. Xu and M. Nishi, Numerical simulation of cavity shedding from a three-dimensional twisted hydrofoil and induced pressure fluctuation by large-eddy simulation, J. Fluids Eng., 134(4) (2012) 041202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. B. Ji, X. W. Luo, X. X. Peng and Y. L. Wu, Three-dimensional large eddy simulation and vorticity analysis of unsteady cavitating flow around a twisted hydrofoil, J. Hydrodyn, 25(4) (2013) 510–519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. B. Ji, X. W. Luo, X. X. Peng, Y. L. Wu and H. Y. Xu, Numerical analysis of cavitation evolution and excited pressure fluctuation around a propeller in non-uniform wake. Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 43 (2012) 13–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. B. Ji, X. W. Luo, Y. L. Wu, X. X. Peng and H. Y. Xu, Partially-averaged Navier-Stokes method with modified kepsilon model for cavitating flow around a marine propeller in a non-uniform wake, Int. J. Heat Mass Tran, 55(23–24) (2012) 6582–6588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. X. J. Li, S. Q. Yuan, Z. Y. Pan, J. P. Yuan and Y. X. Fu, Numerical simulation of leading edge cavitation within the whole flow passage of a centrifugal pump, Sci. China Technol. Sci., 56(9) (2013) 2156–2162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. X. W. Luo, W. Wei, B. Ji, Z. B. Pan, W. C. Zhou and H. Y. Xu, Comparison of cavitation prediction for a centrifugal pump with or without volute casing, Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, 27(6) (2013) 1643–1648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Y. L. Wu, J. T. Liu, Y. K. Sun, S. H. Liu and Z. G. Zuo, Numerical analysis of flow in a Francis turbine on an equal critical cavitation coefficient line, Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, 27(6) (2013) 1635–1641.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Y. Kurobe, Y. Ukon, K. Koyama and M. Makino, Measurement of cavity volume and pressure fluctuations on a model of the training ship “SEIUN-MARU” with reference to full scale measurement, Ship Research Institute Report (1983).

    Google Scholar 

  32. S. H. Rhee and S. Joshi, Computational validation for flow around a marine propeller using unstructured mesh based Navier-Stokes solver, JSME Int. J. B-Fluid T., 48(3) (2005) 562–570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. M. Morgut and E. Nobile, Influence of grid type and turbulence model on the numerical prediction of the flow around marine propellers working in uniform inflow, Ocean Eng., 42 (2012) 26–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. B. Ji, Study on cavitating flow and its induced pressure fluctuations around marine propeller in non-uniform wake, Ph.D. Thesis, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  35. K. Sato, A. Oshima, H. Egashira and S. Takano, Numerical prediction of cavitation and pressure fluctuation around marine propeller, Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Cavitation, Michigan, USA (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  36. G. Bark, G. Caprino, J. Friesch, H. G. Lee, D. Sadovnikov, M. B. Wilson and H. Yamaguchi, The specialist committee on cavitation induced pressure fluctuation: final report and recommendations to the 22nd ITTC, Proceedings of the 22nd ITTC, Grenoble, France (1998).

    Google Scholar 

  37. P. Andersen, G. Bark, B. J. Chang, F. D. Felice, J. Friesch, K. H. Kim and N. Sasaki, The specialist committee on cavitation induced pressures: final report and recommendations to the 23rd ITTC, Proceedings of the 23rd ITTC, Venice, Italy (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  38. M. E. Duttweiler and C. E. Brennen, Surge instability on a cavitating propeller, J. Fluid Mech., 458 (2002) 133–152.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Bin Ji & Xianwu Luo

  2. Beijing Key Laboratory of CO2 Utilization and Reduction Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Xianwu Luo & Yulin Wu

Authors
  1. Bin Ji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xianwu Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yulin Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xianwu Luo.

Additional information

Recommended by Associate Editor Byeong Rog Shin

Bin Ji received his B.S. degree from Jiangsu University, China, in 2005, and got the Ph.D in Department of thermal engineering from Tsinghua University, China, in 2011. He is currently a Postdoc. in State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, China.

Xianwu Luo received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in 1991 and 1997, and the Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan, in 2004. He is currently an associate professor at Department of Thermal Engineering, Tsinghua University, China.

Yulin Wu received Bachelor degree in Hydroelectric power equipment in 1967 and engineering Master degree in fluid machinery in 1981 from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, then Ph.D. in fluid machinery from Tohoku University in 1994. He has been engaged in researches about Design of Francis turbine, stability analysis, flow investigation, multiphase flow and cavitation, numerical simulation unsteady of turbulence flow, and etc..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ji, B., Luo, X. & Wu, Y. Unsteady cavitation characteristics and alleviation of pressure fluctuations around marine propellers with different skew angles. J Mech Sci Technol 28, 1339–1348 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-013-1166-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-013-1166-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation