Hydrodynamic Analysis of Marine Propulsors

AbstractIn this article, several basic concepts for the hydrodynamic analysis and performance prediction of marine propulsors are presented. These (potential flow) methods range from very simple (actuator disk or lifting line method) to more elaborate ones (vortex‐lattice methods (VLM) or boundary element methods (BEM)). Comparisons are provided of results obtained with different methods. It is shown that in particular the VLM and BEM methods can predict the performance of several types of propulsors in wetted and cavitating condition, over a range of operating conditions. Application of RANS methods is discussed. These, or even more sophisticated methods, like LES or DES, are typically needed for cases where the presented potential flow methods are not valid.