Biomimetic reduction of wake deficit using tail articulation at low Reynolds number

The field of biomimetics seeks to distill biological principles from nature and implement them in engineering systems in an effort to improve various performance metrics. In this paper, a biology-based approach is used to address the problem of radiated propulsor noise in underwater vehicles using active control. This approach is one of "tail articulation" of a stator blade, which is carried out using a suitable strategy that effectively alters the flow field impinging on a rotor downstream and in turn changes the radiated noise characteristics of the rotor blades. A reduced-order two-dimensional noise model is developed by characterizing the impact of the articulation as a point circulation input, which is then used to develop an active control strategy. An experimental investigation of such a control strategy is also carried out in this paper using a simple benchtop open-channel water tunnel at Re=4000 and stepper motor controlled articulation. Tail articulations using sinusoidal and transient motion were able to reduce the wake deficit behind the stator by as much as 40-60%. The implications of the proposed method for reducing blade tonal noise in autonomous underwater vehicles are briefly discussed at the end of the paper.     

利用简化PIV方法测量水底浮帘后方流场

粒子图像测速（PIV）是一种快速全流场测量方法。为克服PIV设备昂贵和操作复杂等缺点,文中介绍一种新的简化PIV方法。它是根据PIV测速原理,并利用现有的连续抓图软件,CAD和Origin等绘图软件对示踪粒子进行捕捉及图像处理,并将其应用于水底浮帘截留促淤装置的实验中,成功获得了浮帘后方回流区的瞬时流场分布图。     

Flow-induced vibration analysis of elastic propellers in a cyclic inflow: An experimental and numerical study

In this paper, the flow-induced vibrations of marine propellers in cyclic inflows are investigated both experimentally and numerically. A Laser-Doppler velocimetry (LDV) system is used to measure the axial flow velocity distributions produced by the seven-cycle wake screen in the water tunnel. A customized underwater slip ring and a single axis accelerometer sealed by silicon sealant are employed to measure the acceleration responses of rotating propeller blade. Numerical simulations of pressure fluctuations on the blades are performed using large eddy simulation (LES), while the forced vibrations of the propeller blades are obtained by a combined finite element and boundary element method. Experimental and numerical results are presented for two model propellers with the same geometries and different flexible properties, which show that the propeller blade vibrates at a frequency which is seven times as large as the axial passing frequency (APF) in the seven-cycle inflow. Moreover, the propeller blades are observed to resonance when the 7 APF excitation frequency is equal to the fundamental frequency of the propellers. The results indicate that both the inflow feature and the modal characteristic of blades contribute to flow-induced vibrations of elastic propellers.     

Decreasing the radiated acoustic and vibration noise of a mid-size AUV

An Odyssey IIb autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) made by Bluefin Robotics, Inc., was acquired by the Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, to conduct research in underwater acoustics as well as provide a platform for other scientific studies. The original Odyssey IIb tail cone was replaced with a ducted fan, vectored thrust system installed on vehicles currently sold by Bluefin. In initial sea tests with the new thrust system, the acoustic self noise levels of the vehicle while underway were 20 to 50 dB higher than typical ocean background noise levels, preventing the vehicle's use as a receiver of low level sounds. Controlled tests were performed to characterize the radiated and vibration noise of the AUV propulsion and actuators. Once this baseline was established, changes were made, mostly to the tail cone propulsion, to decrease the vehicle's self noise. The resulting self noise levels of the AUV from 10 Hz up to 10 kHz measured while underway by a hydrophone mounted on the AUV's inner shroud now are at or below typical shallow water background noise levels except in three bands; below 250 Hz, around 500 Hz, and from 0.9 to 2.0 kHz. The goal of this paper is to describe these changes and their effects in lowering vehicle noise levels.     

Influence of propeller wake sheet on rudder gap flow and gap cavitation

The characteristics of the flow over the rudder’s pintle gap are investigated by using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The propeller and rudder models are scaled down to 1/28.5. Highly accelerated leakage outflows are separated at the discontinuities of the gap and generate strong cavitation at the suction side of the rudder. In the rudder and propeller configuration, the propeller wake sheet ahead of the gap entrance region starts to induce leakage flow over the lower pintle gaps of the suction side. The gap flow has a velocity magnitude as high as 0.4U₀ in the high leakage flow condition, where the wake sheet locates over the gap entrance. The cross-flow of the propeller wake sheet interferes the gap entrance region and triggers gap cavitation. As the propeller wake sheet moves downstream and weakens, the gap flow velocity decreases over the gap entrance.     

Analysis of wake behind a rotating propeller using PIV technique in a cavitation tunnel

A two-frame particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique is used to investigate the wake characteristics behind a marine propeller with 4 blades at high Reynolds number. For each of 9 different blade phases from 0° to 80°, 150 instantaneous velocity fields are measured. They are ensemble averaged to study the spatial evolution of the propeller wake in the region ranging from the trailing edge to one propeller diameter (D) downstream location. The phase-averaged mean velocity shows that the trailing vorticity is related to radial velocity jump, and the viscous wake is affected by boundary layers developed on the blade surfaces and centrifugal force. Both Galilean decomposition method and vortex identification method using swirling strength calculation are very useful for the study of vortex behaviors in the propeller wake region. The slipstream contraction occurs in the near-wake region up to about X/D=0.53 downstream. Thereafter, unstable oscillation occurs because of the reduction of interaction between the tip vortex and the wake sheet behind the maximum contraction point.     

A Numerical and Experimental Study on the Hull-Propeller Interaction of A Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Range is an important factor to the design of autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs), while drag reduction efforts are pursued, the investigation of body-propeller interaction is another vital consideration. We present a numerical and experimental study of the hull-propeller interaction for deeply submerged underwater vehicles, using a proportionalintegral-derivative(PID) controller method to estimate self-propulsion point in CFD environment. The hydrodynamic performance of hull and propeller at the balance state when the AUV sails at a fixed depth is investigated, using steady RANS solver of Star-CCM+. The proposed steady RANS solver takes only hours to reach a reasonable solution. It is more time efficient than unsteady simulations which takes days or weeks, as well as huge consumption of computing resources. Explorer 1000, a long range AUV developed by Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was studied as an object, and self-propulsion point, thrust deduction,wake fraction and hull efficiency were analyzed by using the proposed RANS method. Behind-hull performance of the selected propeller MAU4-40, as well as the hull-propeller interaction, was obtained from the computed hydrodynamic forces. The numerical results are in good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the experimental results obtained in the Qiandao Lake of Zhejiang province, China.     

Numerical analysis of a propeller during heave motion in cavitating flow

In practical maritime conditions, ship hulls experience heave motion due to the action of waves, which can further drive the ship’s propellers to oscillate relative to the surrounding water. In order to investigate the motion of a propeller working behind a surface vessel sailing in waves, a numerical simulation is conducted on a propeller impacted by heave motion in cavitating flow using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method. The coupling of the propeller’s rotation and translation is fulfilled using equations of motion defined for this purpose. The heave motion is simplified as a periodic motion based on a sinusoidal function. The numerical transmission of information from the unsteady flow field is achieved using the overset grid approach. In this manner, the unsteady thrust coefficient and torque coefficient of propellers in different periods of heave motion are analyzed. A comparative study is implemented on the unsteady cavitation performance and wake characteristics of propeller. With the propeller’s heave motion, the flow field non-uniformity constantly changes the load on the propeller during each revolution period and each heaving period, the propeller load and the wake field are closely related to the variation of heave motion period. The results obtained from the numerical simulation are expected to serve as a useful theoretical reference for the numerical analysis of a propeller in a heave motion.     

Underwater acoustic noise measurement in test tanks

The range capability of underwater acoustic equipment installed onboard underwater vehicles is limited by the noise generated by propellers, hydraulic pumps.... Measuring this noise at sea is quite expensive. Here is described a procedure allowing the measurement of the radiated noise in test tanks. This method is derived from techniques previously developed in aerial acoustics and in electromagnetism     

Numerical prediction of the effective wake profiles of a high-speed underwater vehicle with contra-rotating propellers

A numerical method is proposed to predict the effective wake profiles of high speed underwater vehicles propelled by contra-rotating propellers (CRPs), in which the hydrodynamic effects of the CRPs are simulated by distributed body forces. First, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations are conducted for identical body-force distributions in open-water and self-propulsion conditions. The effective wake profiles at the CRP disks are then obtained by subtracting the velocities induced by the body forces in the open water from those induced by the body forces in the self-propulsion condition. The effective wake profiles were then predicted for a generic underwater vehicle with an established CRP design. Next, the hydrodynamic performance of the CRPs in the effective wake was computed using an in-house vortex-lattice code. The potential-flow results agree well with those provided by the RANS simulation under the self-propulsion condition, indicating that the proposed method can predict the effective wake profiles for CRPs with reasonable accuracy. The influences of different wake components on the blade forces were investigated, determining that for CRPs, and especially for the aft propeller, the circumferential wake cannot be neglected in the design.     

探讨超疏水技术在水下航行器上的应用

超疏水技术通过在材料表面涂覆憎水的低浸润性涂层,导致水滴在其表面无法滑动铺展而保持球形滚动状,提升材料抗腐蚀、防污自清洁能力。 由于特殊的浸润特性,超疏水材料在水下航行器上的研究得到越来越多的关注。 超疏水技术有效地解决困扰水下航行器发展的瓶颈问题,降低航行阻力,噪音和提升防污抗腐蚀能力。 着重介绍超疏水技术在水下航行器减阻、防污抗腐蚀和降噪领域的应用现状。     

Hydrodynamic Modeling with Grey-Box Method of A Foil-Like Underwater Vehicle

In this study, a dynamic modeling method for foil-like underwater vehicles is introduced and experimentally verified in different sea tests of the Hadal ARV. The dumping force of a foil-like underwater vehicle is sensitive to swing motion. Some foil-like underwater vehicles swing periodically when performing a free-fall dive task in experiments. Models using conventional modeling methods yield solutions with asymptotic stability, which cannot simulate the self-sustained swing motion. By improving the ridge regression optimization algorithm, a grey-box modeling method based on 378 viscous drag coefficients using the Taylor series expansion is proposed in this study. The method is optimized for over-fitting and convergence problems caused by large parameter matrices. Instead of the PMM test data, the unsteady computational fluid dynamics calculation results are used in modeling. The obtained model can better simulate the swing motion of the underwater vehicle. Simulation and experimental results show a good consistency in free-fall tests during sea trials, as well as a prediction of the dive speed in the swing state.     

A simple model of propulsive oscillating foils

The design of thrusters inspired by the locomotion of fishes is currently investigated in many research centres for unmanned underwater vehicles. Fast fishes propel themselves in water through the rhythmic motion of their tail. Propulsion is achieved by means of the periodic shedding of vortex structures by the edges of the tail. Thrust is produced because the vortices give rise to a steady jet of fluid which leaves the tail in the direction which is opposite to the forward motion of the fish. Assuming that the fish tail can be modelled by a two-dimensional plate in steady forward motion and oscillating with a combination of harmonic heaving and pitching movements, Brown and Michael’s model is presently used to determine the dynamics of the vortex structures shed by plate edges. Numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the effects on the flow field of varying the physical parameters of the phenomenon. The knowledge of the strength and trajectory of the vortex structures shed by the plate allows the characteristics of the jet producing the thrust to be quantified.     

The effect of shroud on vortex shedding mechanism of cylinder

In the present study, flow characteristics were investigated experimentally using particle image velocimetry technique (PIV) in a gap between a solid cylinder and a shroud to reveal the effect of shroud diameter (D_s) and porosity (β) on the vortex shedding mechanism of the cylinder. Porosity (varied from β = 0.3 to 0.7) and diameter ratio (D/D_s = 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6) were main parameters examined at a Reynolds number of Re = 5000. For the porosity values of β ≤ 0.5, it is observed that vortex formation of the cylinder occurs only in the gap and shroud produces its own wake flow patterns. Penetrating flow through the shroud extends the shear layers on the both sides of the shroud through the downstream direction and prevents the interaction of shear layers in the near wake region. The diameter ratio and the porosity are impactful on the wake flow patterns in outer region of the shroud since they are determinant of the penetrating flow rate. Force measurements were also performed in the air tunnel in order to reveal the effect of shroud on the drag coefficient of cylinder. It is found that the drag coefficient of the cylinders are reduced significantly by shrouds when compared with that obtained from the bare cylinder case. However, the drag coefficient of the cylinder together with the shroud is higher than the bare cylinder for all cases since the shrouds enlarge the area exposed to the flow.     

Influence of cavity shape on hydrodynamic noise by a hybrid LES-FW-H method

The flow past various mechanical cavity, which is a common structure on the surface of the underwater vehicle, and generating hydrodynamic noise has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In this paper, a hybrid method is presented to investigate the hydrodynamic noise induced by mechanical cavities with various shapes. With this method, the noise sources in the near wall turbulences or in the wake are computed by the large eddy simulation (LES) and the generation and propagation of the acoustic waves are solved by the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy method with acoustic source terms extracted from the time-dependent solutions of the unsteady flow. The feasibility and reliability of the current method was verified by comparing with experimental data (Wang, 2009). The 2D cavity models with different cross-section shapes and 3D cavity models with different cavity mouth shapes (rectangular and circular) are developed to study the influence of cavity shape on the hydrodynamic noise. By comparing the flow mechanisms, wall pressure fluctuations, near-field and far-field sound propagation distributions, it is found that the quadrangular cavity with equal depths of leading-edge and trailing-edge is preferred for its inducing lower hydrodynamic noise than the cylindrical cavity does.     

Pulsatile vortex generators for low-speed maneuvering of small underwater vehicles

Compact zero-mass pulsatile jet actuators are proposed for low-speed maneuvering and station keeping of small underwater vehicles.¹ The flow field of such jets are initially dominated by vortex ring formation. Pinched-off vortices characterize the extremum impulse accumulated by the leading vortex ring in a vortex ring formation process. Relevant parameters in this process are identified in order to design simple and low cost zero-mass pulsatile jet actuators. Thrust optimization of synthetic jets for maximal thrust generation is achieved by enforcing the jet formation number to be around 4. Prototypes of such actuators are built and tested for underwater maneuvering and propulsion. The actuators could be used in two ways: (i) to improve the low-speed maneuvering and station keeping capabilities of traditional propeller driven underwater vehicles, and (ii) as a synthetic jet for flow control and drag reduction at higher cruising speeds. A model for calculating the rotation rate of the underwater vehicle is also proposed and verified.     

Development of hybrid URANS-LES methods for flow simulation in the ship stern area

The paper presents the results of the application of a new hybrid URANS-LES method for the investigations of the ship wake behind the tanker KVLCC2. The switching between URANS and LES models is based on the ratio between the turbulence scale and the cell size of the mesh. Ship resistance, fields of the axial velocity and turbulent kinetic energy in the propeller plane are calculated and compared with measurements. Much attention is paid to the analysis of the unsteady velocities, their PDF distributions and spectra. Numerical analysis shows that the instantaneous velocities deviate substantially from their mean values which are usually used as the estimated velocities in modern engineering methodologies. The thrust variation in the unsteady wake is more than twice as large as that in the time averaged (frozen) wake. The results of the present study point out that the unsteadiness in the wake behind full ships can be very large and should be taken into account when propulsion and unsteady loadings are determined.     

Prediction of hydrodynamic forces on submarine pipelines using an improved Wake II Model

The hydrodynamic force model for prediction of forces on submarine pipelines as described includes flow history effect (wake effects) and time dependence in the force coefficients. The wake velocity correction is derived by using a closed-form solution to the linearized Navier–Stokes equations for oscillatory flow. This is achieved by assuming that the eddy viscosity in the wake is only time dependent and of a harmonic sinusoidal form. The forces predicted by the new Wake (Wake II) Model have been compared to Exxon Production Research Company Wake Model in terms of time histories (force shape) and magnitudes of peak forces. Overall, the model predictions by the Wake II Model are satisfactory and represent a substantial improvement over the predictions of the conventional models. The conventional force models representing adaptations of Morison's equation with ambient velocity and constant coefficients give predictions that are in poor agreement with the measurements especially for the lift force component. The Wake II Force Model can be used for submarine pipeline on-bottom stability design calculations for regular waves with various pipe diameters.     

Prediction of hydrodynamic forces on submarine pipelines using an improved Wake II Model

The hydrodynamic force model for prediction of forces on submarine pipelines as described includes flow history effect (wake effects) and time dependence in the force coefficients. The wake velocity correction is derived by using a closed-form solution to the linearized Navier–Stokes equations for oscillatory flow. This is achieved by assuming that the eddy viscosity in the wake is only time dependent and of a harmonic sinusoidal form. The forces predicted by the new Wake (Wake II) Model have been compared to Exxon Production Research Company Wake Model in terms of time histories (force shape) and magnitudes of peak forces. Overall, the model predictions by the Wake II Model are satisfactory and represent a substantial improvement over the predictions of the conventional models. The conventional force models representing adaptations of Morison's equation with ambient velocity and constant coefficients give predictions that are in poor agreement with the measurements especially for the lift force component. The Wake II Force Model can be used for submarine pipeline on-bottom stability design calculations for regular waves with various pipe diameters.     

Bioinspired delayed stall propulsor

This paper provides an overview of a bioinspired delay stall propulsor (BDSP) concept that employs delayed stall unsteady lift enhancement to increase the lift on propeller blades without adding any complexity to the propulsor. This BDSP concept can provide greatly increased propeller thrust for a given propeller diameter, leading to both increased speed and/or maneuverability. Alternately, this technology offers reduced radiated noise while maintaining current thrust levels through reduction in both propulsor rotation speed and acoustic cancellation. Preliminary two-dimensional simulations have shown a potential 36% reduction in rotational speed at constant thrust, leading to an estimated 4-dB reduction in the total radiated acoustic power. It is believed that the BDSP concept will be simple to manufacture, rugged, and easy to retrofit into existing marine propulsors. This technology has direct application to torpedoes, unmanned underwater vehicles, maneuvering thrusters, submarines, and other propeller-driven devices.