Effects of the stator prewhirl angle on the unsteady force under uniform and turbulent inflow for a pump-jet propulsor: a numerical study

Abstract

The spatial non-uniformity and temporal non-steadiness of the rotor inflow condition impact the unsteady force differently. The interaction between the rotor and the stator of a pump-jet propulsor can induce strong pressure pulsations and vibrations. Therefore, the effects of the stator prewhirl angle on the propulsion performance and the unsteady force of a pump-jet propulsor under uniform and turbulent inflow were numerically investigated in this study. The Shear-Stress Transport (SST) k–ω turbulence model was employed in conjunction with the sliding mesh technique to determine the propulsion performance and unsteady force under uniform inflow. The turbulence-generating grid and the Fourier synthesis methods were employed to produce inflow turbulence with a spatial flow structure and temporal pulsation. These methods were combined with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) to obtain the unsteady force under turbulent inflow. This research could help improve the stator design of pump-jet in terms of unsteady force spectra.