Large-Eddy Simulation of Tip-Region Vortex Interactions for a Ducted Marine Propeller

The experiments by Oweis et al. [Journal of Fluids Engineering (2006)] studied the three-bladed, ducted propellers David Taylor Model Basin (DTMB) 5407 and 5206 operating in uniform flow at Re=0.7x10^6 to 9.2x10^6. Analysis of 3-D LDV and planar PIV in the tip region unveiled interactions of the primary tip-leakage vortex and secondary vortices related to the trailing edge vortex as they evolve downstream. Large-eddy simulation (LES) is used to study this propeller contrasting to available experimental data and previous computational work. Details of the flow field and the mechanisms behind the vortex interactions are discussed. The simulations use a novel, unstructured overset grid methodology, developed by Horne and Mahesh [J. Comput. Phys (2019) 376:585-596].