Efficient propulsion for the Tethys long-range autonomous underwater vehicle

TLDR

The Tethys autonomous underwater vehicle is a 110‑kg platform engineered for long‑range, high‑endurance missions. The study targets a payload power draw of 8 W for 1,000 km at 1 m/s and 1 W for 4,000 km at 0.5 m/s by minimizing drag and maximizing propulsion efficiency, and presents the propulsion system design and preliminary test results. The authors designed a propulsion system, investigated propeller‑hull interactions, and measured its power consumption in Bollard pull tests and during vehicle flights. Preliminary measurements show power consumption and efficiency close to theoretical predictions.

Abstract

The Tethys autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a 110 kg vehicle designed for long-range, high- endurance operations. Performance goals include supporting a payload power draw of 8 W for a range of 1000 km at 1 m/s, and a power draw of 1 W for 4000 km at 0.5 m/s. Achieving this performance requires minimizing drag and maximizing propulsion efficiency. In this paper, we present the design of the propulsion system, explore the issues of propeller-hull interactions, and present preliminary test results of power consumption and efficiency. In recent underwater experiments, the propulsion system's power consumptions were measured in both Bollard pull tests and during the vehicle's flights. Preliminary results of power consumptions and efficiency are shown to be close to the theoretical predictions.