A Potential Based Panel Method For The Analysis Of Marine Propellers In Steady Flow

A surface panel method suitable for the analysis of marine propellers is developed and applied to various geometries to demonstrate its effectiveness. A reliable pressure distribution around a marine propeller, especially near the leading edge of the blade, is obtained. Hub effects are naturally included by distributing panels on the hub surface. Detailed study of the flows at the trailing edge near the tip suggests a pressure Kutta condition, which requires the pressures of the last panels at the trailing edge be equal. Due to the nonlinear aspect of the pressure Kutta condition, an iterative process is employed. An efficient approximation of the ultimate wake is achieved by replacing it with a sink disk a the beginning of the ultimate wake. The sample geometries include an ellipsoid at zero angle of attack, a circular planform wing, a rectangular planform wing with varying sweep angles, a wing-body configuration, a long axisymmetric duct, and a marine propeller. Calculated pressure distributions around the wing-body configuration are in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Calculated thrust and torque for the propeller agree well experimental results.