COVER STORY
Assisting nozzle
30
Nozzle propellers are used in many types
of ships and for dynamic positioning of
platforms. Their operation at high thrust
loadings and low inflow velocities requires
high-tech designs. SVA Potsdam
specializes in these propulsion systems and
is investing in continuous research to
ensure that its designs meet expectations.
The flow in the gap between the
propeller tip and the inside wall of the
nozzle strongly influences the
performance of the propeller, and the
greater the thrust loadings, the greater the
influence. CFD allows visualization of
these flows, which are difficult to study
experimentally because the gap can be
less than one millimetre. Unfortunately,
the required computational effort
increases rapidly as the thrust loading
increases (due to slower convergence as
the rotational speed of the propeller
increases), and we have realised that
combining experimental and numerical
KQS /KQM [-]
CTh [-]
Influence of Reynolds number and the thrust-loading
coefficient on propeller torque coefficients. The figure
includes the calculated ratio of the torque coefficients
(KQs) as a function of the corresponding coefficients of
a model propeller.
No 22 Autumn 2002
propeller design
by Moustafa Abdel-Maksoud and Hans-Jürgen Heinke,
SVA Potsdam, Germany
investigations can overcome the
shortcomings of each method. The
experimental data provide a good
overview of the forces and moments for
the whole range of operational
conditions, while CFD reveals the detail
of the flow for selected loadings.
In our CFD model, we use the
powerful rotor/stator capabilities of
CFX-TASCflow. The stationary part
includes the inflow and outflow regions
and the nozzle; the propeller blade and
part of the propeller shaft are included in
the rotating part. The flow in and around
the nozzle varies strongly with Reynolds
number. As this increases, the pressure
reduction near the leading edge is
increased and the separation point near
the trailing edge moves backwards. This
leads to a change in the operating point of
the propeller. To understand these
phenomena fully, we undertook an
extensive CFD analysis of the flow
behaviour of the nozzle at different thrust
loading conditions and Reynolds number,
investigating also different nozzle and
propeller geometries.
The results compared well with both
published data and LDV measurements
behind the nozzle. To analyse the effect of
scale on the performance characteristic of
our design, we compared the numerical
results of three full-scale propellers with
the corresponding coefficients of a model
propeller. The results showed that with
increasing Reynolds number, the thrust
The calculated forces and torque acting on the propeller
are in good agreement with published results, showing
the propeller thrust coefficient (KTP), torque coefficient
(KQ), nozzle thrust coefficient (KTD) and total thrust
coefficient (KTG). The detailed results of the study have
been published in the 24th Symposium on Naval
Hydrodynamics in Fukuoka, Japan, July 2002.
coefficient of the nozzle increases (this
effect is stronger for low thrust loadings),
while the torque and thrust coefficients of
the propeller decrease.
The flow velocity through the nozzle
at full scale is higher than at model scale.
This increases the efficiency of the nozzle
at full-scale and reduces the propeller
loading (thrust and torque coefficients).
Further reduction of the propeller torque
takes place due to the lower friction
coefficient on the propeller blades at
higher Reynolds numbers. This is one
possible explanation for the strong
Reynolds-number dependency of the
torque coefficient of the ducted propeller
in comparison to a free-running one.
The quality of propeller design is
directly affected by the ability to
accurately predict thrust and torque
loading at full scale. The results of the
 Numerical grid on a
nozzle propeller.

Applied numerical grid on 31

the Z-drive propeller.

Marine
Measuring the velocity distribution behind a nozzle Streamlines around a ship hull with a A nozzle propeller in a Z-drive configuration. Propeller
propeller in the Potsdam cavitation tunnel. ducted propeller. courtesy of Schottel Ruder Propeller system (SRP).

‘CFX compared well with both published data

and LDV measurements.’
Pressure distribution on a nozzle propeller.

numerical study give the allowed range of

extrapolation coefficients that can be used
to estimate the full-scale propeller
performance based on model-scale data.
However, because of the strong dependence
of the propeller characteristics on the
geometry (thickness, camber, pitch and
skew distribution), the results of one
numerical study cannot generally be applied
to a ducted propeller of another design.
Therefore, it is expected that CFD methods
will be further involved in the propeller
design process to assess the extrapolation of
model results to the full scale.

No 22 Autumn 2002