| Abstract | The paper presents results of an experimental study of the effects of geometric parameters on the propulsive characteristics of puller-podded propulsors in straight course open water conditions. The geometry variations of the pod that encases the motor and shaft of a podded propulsor have been guided primarily by the size of available motors. As motor design becomes more flexible, the relationship of various geometric parameters with respect to performance becomes an important design consideration. There are a number of geometric parameters that can be used to optimize the design of a pod and five were chosen for the current study (pod diameter, length and taper length, strut distance from the propeller plane, and propeller hub taper angle). Tests with 16 different pod-strut combinations were done using a custom designed pod dynamometer, which consists of a six component global dynamometer and a three-component pod dynamometer. The system was used to measure the thrust and torque of the propellers, and forces and moments on the full unit. The aim was to identify the most significant geometric parameters that affect propeller thrust, torque and efficiency as well as unit thrust and efficiency in the puller configuration. |
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