Abstract

There are suitable studies for the evaluation of Surface-Piercing Propeller performance as well as some parametric study on the characteristics of this kind of propeller. Despite the role and importance of ventilation in the SPP, there is a lack of research in this area. The objective of the present research is to investigate experimentally the effects of aeration on the performance of the SPP. This can lead to performance improvements, especially on the propeller thrust coefficient at a lower advance coefficient. In current research, using an aeration mechanism and an air injection upstream of the propeller as shown in Figure 1, the improvement of the trust coefficient has been studied in a series of model tests in open water condition using the SPP flow loop mechanism. To assess the hydrodynamic behavior of the propeller model, the trust applied by the propeller is measured by a calibrated 5-component balance and gives the trust coefficient of the propeller as a non-dimensional number. Then, with the aeration mechanism, the air injected at special horizontal and vertical distances from the propeller and the thrust coefficients are compared to non-ventilated cases [1].

Keywords: Surface Piercing Propellers (SPP); Low advance coefficient; Ventilation mechanism