Effect of the Incline Angle of Propeller Boss Cap Fins (PBCF) on Ship Propeller Performance
Published at : 30 Oct 2019
Volume : IJtech
Vol 10, No 5 (2019)
DOI : https://doi.org/10.14716/ijtech.v10i5.2256
Abar, I.A.C., Utama, I.K.A.P., 2019. Effect of the Incline Angle of Propeller Boss Cap Fins (PBCF) on Ship Propeller Performance. International Journal of Technology. Volume 10(5), pp. 1056-1064
| Insanu Abdilla Cendikia Abar | Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Jl. Raya ITS, Keputih, Kec. Sukolilo, Kota Surabaya 60111, Indonesia |
| I Ketut Aria Pria Utama | Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Jl. Raya ITS, Keputih, Kec. Sukolilo, Kota Surabaya 60111, Indonesia |
In order
to understand the effect of modifying the traditional form of propeller hub
into the propeller boss cap fins (PBCF) form, a series of tests was conducted
to discover the best type. Analysis was made using the computational fluid
dynamic (CFD) approach, together with ANSYS CFX code. Two types of hub were
employed, namely convergent and divergent. Both types were made using slope
angles of 5, 10 and 15 degrees. Comparative analysis of the data was made,
combined with validation by published papers. The overall results indicate that
compared to a normal hub, the traditional convergent type has an increased
efficiency of around 1.4%, while the divergent type decreases efficiency by
approximately 1.2%. Furthermore, the PBCF convergent hub results in increased
efficiency of around 0.8%, whereas the divergent type decreases efficiency by
about 1.0%. This study is in good agreement with previous papers, with a
discrepancy of approximately 2%.
Energy saving devices; Hub vortex; Propeller boss cap fins
Propeller boss cap fins (PBCF) have been used since 1988 as an
innovative energy saving device in marine transportation, according to the
International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC). The addition of PBCF can improve
the efficiency of a ship's propeller. The other function of PBCF is to
eliminate the vortex phenomenon on the hub part of the rotor. It has been
evidenced by Dang et al. (2011), Kawamura et al. (2012), Cheng and Hao-Eng
(2014), Molland et al. (2014), and Sun et al. (2016) in research based on field
studies, lab trials and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations that PBCF
can eliminate the vortex and improve the efficiency of ships’ propellers.
Considering design parameters, PBCF will influence propeller efficiency
noticeably (Seo et al., 2016; Mizzi et al., 2017).
In the past few decades, research on PBCF geometry has been conducted to
discover which components of PBCF are highly sensitive to efficiency and the
hub vortex phenomenon. Several papers (Ghassemi et al., 2012; Druckenbrod et
al., 2015; Kimura et al., 2018) have found that variations in PBCF fin position
are highly influential on propeller efficiency and added hub configurations
indicate can affecting vortex in the hub cap area. This has led to the
indication that the shape of the hub geometry has an effect on the shape and
magnitude of the vortex, as stated by Katayama et al. (2015). The geometry of
the hub propeller is divided into three parts, convergent, straight and
divergent, with each type having a different vortex characteristic.
In addition, Katayama et al. (2015) undertook
research on the addition of updated PBCF using convergent hub types, and obtained
good efficiency. However, this does not apply to the research on the type of
divergent hub conducted by Lim et al. (2014),
who found decreased propeller system efficiency. These two issues are the basis
for this research.
CFD simulation
focuses on varying the inclined angle of the hub cap (convergent and divergent
types) and then converting it into PBCF. Furthermore, each type of hub cap has varying incline
angles of 5, 10 and 15 degrees. Comparison is made between each type of
conventional and PBCF hub in order to obtain the best results.
CFD has been fairly successfully used to
simulate and demonstrate the use of PBCF on propeller hub caps. The results are
excellent for the convergent hub, whilst the divergent one shows a
disappointing output. The convergent hub increases efficiency by around 1.4%
compared to conventional one, which rises further by approximately 0.8% after being
converting into PBCF. On the other hand, the divergent hub decreases efficiency
by around 1.2%, with a further decrease of approximately 1% after being converting
into PBCF.
In addition, the incline angle can influence the
increase or decrease in efficiency. The reason for this is attributed to the
decrease in the pressure area on the convergent hub and the increase on the
divergent one. This occurs because in the case of divergent hubs the pressure
drops and the shape of the flow is affected, resulting in the emergence of hub
vortices.
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