Design Optimization and Evaluation of Variable Profile Propellers using Panel Method

Abstract

Evaluation and Optimization of open water performance of variable profile propellers is conducted in this thesis. Variable profiles are generated by changing the radial distribution of camber of single NACA profile and by combining two different NACA profiles. CAESES is used for propeller modelling, parametrization and optimization. It is coupled with the panel code based solver panMARE for optimization of the design point evaluated using thrust identity method. Optimized solutions are validated using RANSE based CFD solver and top performing candidates are checked for cavitation using panMARE. It is observed that the variation of camber at normalized radial location of 0.6 has a significant impact on power. Performance improvement is observed for single profile blades but discrepancies between optimization results and CFD validation are observed, attributed to modelling defects and panel code method’s limitations. Moreover, exploration of propeller blade with combination of two profiles indicated that the minimum power configuration is achieved when profile switching occurs at normalized radial location of 0.9, although actual performance improvement is not observed due to limitations in the correction factors used.