Prediction of steady hydrodynamic performance of pump jet propulsor considering vessel body influence

Abstract

The actual working environment of a pump jet propulsor is formed under the joint action of the vessel and thruster. The disturbance created by the pump jet propulsor changes the flow field of the vessel body. And this changing flow field environment in turn affects the hydrodynamic performance of the pump jet propulsor. Therefore, a steady-state substitution relationship is formed between two systems. In this study, the vessel was regarded as a three-dimensional non-lifting body in an ideal fluid. A numerical model of the induced velocity field of the vessel by an arbitrary surface panel method was established. The resulting velocity field was combined with a numerical model for pump jet propulsor performance prediction, which accounts for the interaction between the vessel and the pump jet propulsor according to induced velocity. A method for the prediction of hydrodynamic performance of pump jet propulsor is thereby realised considering vessel body influence.