LAUSR

In the present study, the correlation between skew angle and blade number on the hydrodynamic performance of a submarine propeller is numerically investigated using computational fluid dynamics. For this purpose, three different blade numbers (3, 5 and 7 blades) and four different skew angles which vary from 0° to 52° are considered based on the INSEAN E1619 propeller model as the main geometry. Three-dimensional numerical simulation is based on Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes equations combined with SST k–ω turbulence model. The hydrodynamic coefficients and efficiency are compared against the experimental and numerical results at various advance coefficients (J), and good agreement is achieved. Based on the results, by increasing the blade number, hydrodynamic coefficients are improved. The interaction between 7 blades dissipates the negative wake region in locations near the propeller blades which leads to produce higher hydrodynamic efficiency compared to other propellers. The maximum torque coefficient is generated by the propeller with 7 blades which is enhanced by about 11.8% compared to the propeller with 3 blades at J = 0.88. In addition, lower skew angle gives slightly higher performance than the high skew angle propeller. In overall, hydrodynamic efficiency of the propeller with a skew angle equal to 0° is enhanced by about 19.4% compared to the propeller with skew angles equal to 52° at J = 0.88.