Cavitation Predictions of E779A Propeller by a RANSE-based CFD and Its Performance Behind a Generic Hull

Ship propulsion performance heavily depends on cavitation, increasing the recent interest in this field to lower ship emissions. Academic research on the effects of cavitation is generally based on the open-water propeller performance but the interactions of the cavitating propeller with the ship hull significantly affect the propulsion performance of the ship. In this study, we first investigate the INSEAN E779A propeller by a RANSE-based CFD in open-water conditions. The numerical implementation and the selected grid after sensitivity analysis partially succeeded in modeling the cavitating flow around the propeller. Satisfactory agreement was observed compared to experimental measurements. Then, using the open-water data as input, the propeller’s performance behind a full-scale ship was calculated under self-propulsion conditions. Despite being an undesired incident, we found a rare condition in which cavitation enhances propulsion efficiency. At σ = 1.5; the propeller rotation rate was lower, while the thrust and torque coefficients were higher.