A numerical study on the correlation between the evolution of propeller trailing vortex wake and skew of propellers

The characteristics of the relationship between the evolution of propeller trailing vortex wake and skew angle are numerically examined based on four different five-blade David Taylor Model Basin (DTMB) model propellers with different skew angles. Numerical simulations are based on Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations combined with SST k−ω turbulence model. Results show that the contraction of propeller trailing vortex wake can be restrained by increasing skew angle and loading conditions, and root vortices fade away when the propeller skew angle increases. With the increase of the propeller's skew angle, the deformation of the hub vortex and destabilization of the tip vortices are weakening gradually because the blade-to-blade interaction becomes weaker. The transition trailing vortex wake from stability to instability is restrained when the skew increases. Furthermore, analyses of tip vortice trajectories show that the increasing skew can reduce the difference in trailing vortex wake contraction under different loading conditions.