A Generalized Potential/RANS Interactive Method for the Prediction of Propulsor Performance

This article introduces a generalized potential/Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) interactive method for the prediction of propulsor performance with an emphasis on the calculation of the steady (axisymmetric) or the time-averaged (non-axisymmetric) effective wake fields. In the RANS solver, the propeller boundary is represented by local source terms. Therefore, this method can be used to efficiently handle different types of propulsor-related multicomponent interaction problems. The scheme is first validated by an open propeller application with a uniform inflow and then applied to a vortical-inflow-propeller interaction case, a contra-rotating propeller case, as well as a hull-rudder-propeller interaction case. Results are compared with RANS (with the propeller modeled as wall boundaries) and experiments.