Determining the Hydrodynamic Loads of the Marine Propeller Forces in Oblique Flow and Off-Design Condition

Abstract

This paper evaluates hydrodynamic force and moments applied to a marine propeller in oblique and off-design conditions. When a marine propeller operates at an off-design condition, the propeller is usually subjected to unsteady flows which can significantly change the hydrodynamic performance of the propeller. The effect of oblique angles on propeller performance is considered by implementing the numerical simulations. For the purposes of this research, a DTMB propeller is analyzed in different oblique angles. The unsteady calculations are made by applying a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver and the sliding mesh method. The method is first verified by a propeller in straight inflow condition. The performance curves of the propellers obtained by numerical method are compared and verified by the experimental results. In the next step, the flow around the propeller in oblique conditions is simulated. The results show, in non-symmetric flow condition, the hydrodynamic forces and moment generated by the propeller become considerably larger.