Numerical Study on the Hull-Propeller Interaction of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Abstract

The hull-propeller interaction of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in straight and oblique flow is numerically studied. The study is performed based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the general commercial software ANSYS Workbench. The multiple reference frames (MRF) method and the shear stress transport (SST) k-w turbulence model are adopted. Firstly, the drag of Suboff AUV and the open water performance of the Wageningen B-3-50 propeller are simulated numerically and compared with experimental data to verify the reliability of the method in this paper. Then, the Sailfish AUV and B-3-35 propeller developed by the Underwater Vehicle Laboratory (UVL) of Ocean University of China are simulated. The difference in drag between bare hull and hull with appendages is compared, and the effect of propeller rotation on hull drag is discussed. The propeller's performance in open water and behind hull is compared, and the influence of wake on the propeller is investigated. The impact of the angle of attack on hydrodynamic characteristics is analyzed. Finally, the numerical simulation and experimental data are compared. The results confirm a strong interaction between the hull and propeller, mainly manifested as wake and thrust deduction effect.

Keywords: Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Hull-propeller interaction, Straight flow, Oblique flow, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Multiple reference frames