A DES-SST based assessment of hydrodynamic performances of the wetted and cavitating PPTC propeller

Abstract

The paper describes an investigation of the hydrodynamic performances of a five-bladed controllable pitch propeller, whose geometry was provided by Schiffbau-Versuchsanstalt (SVA) Potsdam GmbH Model Basin. Both cavitating and non-cavitating regimes are numerically simulated for different advance ratio coefficients. The numerical approach is based on a finite volume approach in which closure to the turbulence is achieved through detached eddy simulation (DES). Propeller open water (POW) characteristics are computed, and the numerical solutions are validated through extensive comparisons with experimental data. In addition, the bi-phasic flow for the cavitating regime is simulated, for which comparisons with the cavitation sketches are performed to check the ability of the solver to estimate the cavitation extent. Grid convergence tests are performed for both working regimes together with validation and verification checks, not only to size the level of the numerical errors, but also to prove the robustness of the chosen numerical approach. Finally, a set of final remarks will conclude the present research.