Detailed Analysis of the Wake of a DP Thruster Emphasizing Comparison Between LDV and SPIV Techniques

Abstract

To provide experimental data on the hydrodynamic characteristics and features of dynamic positioning (DP) thrusters under variable operating conditions, wake measurements were performed on a DP thruster model using 2D laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV). These tests were performed with and without a nozzle and over a range of advance coefficient values including the bollard pull condition. In this paper, a detailed analysis of the hydrodynamic characteristics of the wake at a plane equal to a distance of 0.5 diameters downstream from the thruster, at advance coefficient values of 0, 0.4, and 0.45 are presented for both the LDV and SPIV measurements showing a comparison between the results of each technique. The effect of the duct and of changes in the advance coefficient values is presented in this paper.