Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Ice Blockage on Propeller Hydrodynamic Performance

Chun-Yu Guo,Pei Xu,Chao Wang,Wei-Peng Xiong

doi:10.1155/2019/3712012

Chun-Yu Guo, Pei Xu + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/3712012

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Abstract

This experimental study investigates the influence of different sizes, quantities, and axial positions of model ice on propeller hydrodynamic performance. We used particle image velocimetry measurements to analyze the characteristics of the propeller wake flow field. The measurement results show that ice blockage leads to an increase in propeller thrust, torque, and efficiency. The smaller the advance coefficient of the propeller is, the smaller the influence of model ice on propeller blockage is. As the model ice becomes thicker and the thrust and efficiency of the propeller increase, the propeller torque is smaller for low advance coefficient and higher for high advance coefficient. The wider the model ice is, the larger the thrust and torque of the propeller are. Once the model ice width exceeds the propeller diameter, the change in its width has no effect on propeller efficiency. When the propeller is blocked with model ice, the fluid velocity in the wake flow reduces in the inflow direction, and the increase in fluid velocity in the horizontal transverse direction and variation of fluid velocity in the vertical direction are related to the model ice width.

Highlights

The occurrence of global warming is increasing the possibility of northern shipping routes being opened, and the commercial value of the Arctic channel is likely to continue increasing
The chosen sampling frequency fully considers the shedding frequency of the model ice wake vortex, and the shedding frequency of the model ice wake vortex was mainly analyzed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation software [15]
The effect of model ice on propeller torque is the opposite to the low advance coefficient

Summary

Introduction

The occurrence of global warming is increasing the possibility of northern shipping routes being opened, and the commercial value of the Arctic channel is likely to continue increasing. Under ice-breaking conditions, brash ice frequently slides to the bottom surface of the ship and into the flow field in front of the propeller This induces extreme loads on the propeller blade and in turn influences the propeller hydrodynamic performance and causes serious noise, vibration, and cavitation problems. Wang [10] performed a series of tests in an ice tank and found that propeller-ice interaction loads mainly depended on the propeller shape and the operating conditions (e.g., advance coefficient, angle of attack, and depth of milling). In-depth investigations have not yet been conducted with different widths, thicknesses, and number of ice pieces and on the wake field of the propeller in the blocked flow To address these deficiencies, an experiment was performed to study the effect of synthetic ice on the propeller hydrodynamic performance in the towing tank at Harbin Engineering University in China. The accurate particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurement technique was used to analyze the flow field under propeller blockage conditions

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Test Data Analysis

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Conclusions