Experiment investigation and numerical prediction of the wall effect on thruster of ROV

• Published in: Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering Vol. 44; no. 6
• Main Authors: Li, Zhandong, Tao, Jianguo, Li, Jingkui, Wang, Wei, Gong, Changquan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Dynamic models; Efficiency; Engineering; Mathematical analysis; Mechanical Engineering; Numerical prediction; Pressure effects; Propulsive efficiency; Remotely operated vehicles; Shrouded propellers; Suction; Technical Paper; Thrust; CFD; Thrust test; Thrust model; Ducted propeller; Wall effect
• ISSN: 1678-5878; 1806-3691
• DOI: 10.1007/s40430-022-03542-7

In this article to investigate a precise dynamic model of ROV (Remotely Operate Vehicle), a ducted propeller was modeled under the wall effect based on the experiment and simulation. Firstly, the performance characteristic of a propeller was numerically acquired under multiple conditions by CFD. Then the correlation between the thrust or moment and variations (e.g., the wall distance, the rotation speed) was established. Further, the pressure field near the suction surface and the variation of propulsive efficiency were depicted, which revealed a variable trend of the pressure field on the suction surface and a propulsive efficiency without and with the effect wall, the pressure and gradient increased drastically with a decrease of the wall distance, and the efficiency got clearly smaller in a high speed. Finally, the thrust performances under different conditions were measured experimentally in an open-water condition, which can verify the accuracy of the simulation. The results demonstrated that the analysis above can quantify the wall effect on the propeller, and improve the precision of the dynamic model, which is helpful for the design and control strategy of ROV.