Numerical Simulation and Analysis of Cavitation Characteristics of Ship Propeller

Abstract

Researching on cavitation of propeller which is an important part of ship bubble wake has important signification for studying ship bubble wake. The three viscous flow field of a five-blade high-skew propeller was simulated with numerical method. Based on RANS method, SST turbulent model and Single full cavitation model were used to simulate and analyze the cavitation characteristics of the propeller in open water condition and behind ship wake, and the influence of wake on the propeller's characteristics. The results showed that the method and numerical model were feasible for the good accordance between numerical results and test data. At the same advanced velocity, the coefficients of torque and thrust in wake were all bigger than those in open water, and at the same cavitation number, the area of cavitation on propeller in wake was broader than that in open water.