Investigations on the numerical simulation method for the open-water performance of contra-rotating propellers based on the MRF model

A numerical simulation method for the open-water performance of contra-rotating propellers is developed based on the solution of RANS equations with the k-ε turbulence model. Interactions between the forward and aft propellers are treated as time-independent with the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) model. Numerical simulations are carried out for two sets of contra-rotating propellers designed for highspeed underwater vehicles and the results are compared with open-water test data. Furthermore, the influence of angular spacing between the forward and aft propeller blades on hydrodynamic forces is investigated. Numerical results indicate that the present simulation method is capable of predicting the open-water performance of contra-rotating propellers reliably, thus can be applied as an engineering tool to design the contra-rotating propellers.