Simulation of cavitation and surface erosion on marine propellers

Cavitation is the formation of vapor pockets in a liquid due to a pressure drop or an increase in speed. Cavitation nuisance can be disastrous for mechanical components, and therefore needs to be controlled from an early design stage. However, predicting cavitation dynamics using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and therefore the performance...

Cavitation erosion risk assessment on a full-scale steerable thruster

Propeller cavitation erosion prediction at an early design stage is becoming more and more important since it is one of the key constraints in the search for maximum propeller efficiency. Despite the experience from model tests, cavitation erosion research on actual ship scale is very limited. In this study, an attempt is made to assess the...

On the accuracy of predicting cavitation impact loads on marine propellers

Predicting the cavitation impact loads on a propeller surface using numerical tools is becoming essential, as the demand for more efficient designs, stretched to the limit, is increasing. One of the possible design limits is governed by cavitation erosion. The accuracy of estimating such loads, using a URANS approach, has been investigated....

On cavitation aggressiveness and cavitation erosion on marine propellers using a URANS Method

Cavitation occurrence on the propeller blades may have severe effects, such as cavitation noise, vibrations in the aft ship, and material damage on propellers or rudder. While noise and vibrations affect comfort and stability, cavitation erosion might lead to a significant reduction of the propeller efficiency and structural integrity....