An Open Source Parametric Propeller Design Tool

Abstract

An open source computational propeller/turbine design tool, the user-friendly open source MIT Propeller Vortex Lattice Lifting Line Program (OpenProp), is presented in this paper. This code has applications in propeller design for AUV and ROV thrusters as well as conventional propellers. The code is also being utilized for tidal turbine design. OpenProp is designed to be a fast parametric design tool for use by engineers with little training in propeller design. This tool can also be used by more experienced designers, as a preliminary design tool, to produce a starting design for further refinement using more advanced design and analysis codes. Various design examples are presented, including an ROV propeller design and a contra-rotating AUV Thruster design. These propellers were constructed and performance tested. The performance data for these propeller designs is also presented. The code was validated against the US Navy's PLL code and these results are also presented. The OpenProp propeller design tool is part of a suite of open source tools under development for rapid design, building and testing of propeller design models.