The hydrodynamic behaviour of biologically inspired bristled shark skin vortex generator in submarine

Abstract

Fluid flow control is vital in submarine operations to prevent drag of crossflow separation and boundary layer separation. This research attempts to use bristled shark skin vortex generator to control the fluid around the submarine and to reduce drag during operation of submarine. The conventional vortex generator is delta wing shaped which unbaled to generate vortices efficiently. The effect of using biologically inspired vortex generator on hydrodynamic behaviour of submarine is studied through Computational Fluid Dynamic analysis. The analysis is carried out for linear movement, 30° yaw movement and 30° pitch movement of the submarine. Further wind tunnel experiments are conducted to validate the numerical simulation results. The numerical analysis and experiments reveal that the use of bristled shark skin vortex generator in the lateral side of submarine reduces the drag drastically in linear, yaw and pitch movements of the submarine. It assists in crossflow separation and moves the fluid away from the body of the submarine. During yaw and pitch movement, it moves the fluid towards the same direction as the submarine turns, which subsequently assists in generating additional torque during the turning.