Modal analysis of the propeller wake under the heavy loading condition

Abstract

Knowledge of the dynamics of propeller wakes is fundamental to design and optimize the next-generation propellers. This work aims at investigating the wake instability of a propeller operating under the heavy loading condition. Modal decomposition techniques are used to analyze the evolution characteristics of the propeller wake achieved by previous numerical simulations using different turbulence models [Wang et al., “Numerical simulation of the wake instabilities of a propeller,” Phys. Fluids 33, 125125 (2021)]. Modal analysis is performed on snapshots extracted from improved delay-detached eddy simulations and large eddy simulations of the propeller wake topologies under the high loading condition. In particular, proper orthogonal decomposition and dynamic mode decomposition are employed to identify the modes that play dominant roles in the destabilization physics of the propeller wake. The present study further extends knowledge of propeller wake instability inception mechanisms under heavy loading conditions.