Numerical study on cavitation reduction using PressurePores technology

The requirements in marine propeller design are rising in quantity and quality in recent decades. Besides hydrodynamic performance demand, the targets in reducing propeller cavitation and its side effects need to be considered such as underwater radiated noise and pressure pulses, to ensure comfort requirements and environmental regulations. Using numerical simulation, the present paper investigates the reduction of propeller tip vortex cavitation (TVC) as well as the effects on its performance by employing PressurePores technology. This study uses the Potsdam Propeller Test Case (PPTC) model with commercial code STAR CCM+. The CFD results are compared with the test results in the cavitation tunnel to validate the reliability of numerical simulation. In addition, cavitation mitigation of the propeller is estimated and an obtained average performance degradation is only 2% for different cases, in terms of pore diameters and drilling methods (cylindrical pore and conus pore). This research also provides the changes in pressure distribution, turbulent viscosity, and vorticity around the propeller to clarify the reason for cavitation reduction together with the hydrodynamic efficiency degradation of the propeller.