The CFD simulation of E1619 propeller open-water tests validated by the EFD in the NCKU towing tank

Abstract

This study established a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model based on a dynamic mesh strategy to conduct a comprehensive numerical investigation of the performance of the E1619 propeller in open-water tests. To capture the turbulence flows around the propeller, a large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence model was implemented. In order to validate the simulation results, a series of open-water tests were conducted in the towing tank at National Cheng Kung University, resulting in a successful achievement of total uncertainties of less than ∼6%. The approach of simultaneous grid and time refinement was utilized to perform the discretization analysis. Eventually, the simulation results were employed to analyze the hydrodynamic performance and flow structure around the propeller, resulting in a conclusion based on the attained level of accuracy. The results indicate that the cases for a propeller with a strut exhibit favorable predictions compared to those of a single propeller, with error values for the thrust coefficients and propeller efficiencies falling below 6%. On the other hand, the torque coefficient was more accurately estimated for the cases of a single propeller than for those of a propeller with a strut, with error values below 2%.