Prediction of podded propeller cavitation using an unsteady surface panel method

The unsteady sheet cavitation of podded propeller was predicted by using a surface panel method. The interaction between propeller and pod was treated with the iterative calculation of induced velocity potential, and the method of induced velocity potential can save a great deal of storage and computation time compared to the method of induced velocity. The induced velocity potential of unit singularity on every pod panel to every key blade panel and of unit singularity on every key blade panel and its wake panel to every pod panel were calculated when the key blade is at every angle position. Based on the wake model of the conventional single propeller, a new wake model of podded propeller was constructed. The propeller is analyzed only on the key blade in order to save computation time and memory space. The method can be used to calculate the hydrodynamics performance and cavitation of propeller in uniform and non-uniform inflows. It can give the unsteady force and cavitation shape of propeller. The propeller cavitation range determined by the present method agrees with the observation results of cavity image given in cavitation tunnel well, and this proves the practicability of the method.