Hydrodynamic design of a bi-directional, rim-driven ducted thruster suitable for underwater vehicles

Abstract

This report describes the hydrodynamic design process of an integrated thruster used for position control on a Remotely Operated Vehicle. The numerical analysis of the performance of the thruster is carried out using a lifting surface panel code with the Interaction Velocity Field method. The complete process is described from setting up the geometry model and validation, to selecting the optimised design.The theory for the lifting surface panel method briefly described. The geometry of a marine propeller is described and the process of the mesh generation presented. The wake model is discussed in detail.The numerical model was validated against the standard DTMB4119 open water propeller. The ducted model was validated with a standard Kaplan K470 series propeller in a Marin 37 duct and the experimental data from the two prototype bi-directional thrusters. The optimisation process of the thruster is presented and results presented