Influence of Free-State Ice Size and Initial Position on Coupled Hydrodynamic Performance of Ice Propeller

Abstract

In order to simulate the effect of free-moving ice on the hydrodynamic performance of the propeller, a non-contact model of ice-impeller interaction was established by using the overlapping grid method. In the calculation process, the hexahedral mesh was used to conduct mesh division of the computational domain, and the dynamic fluid body interaction (DFBI) method was used to simulate the motion of ice blocks under the propeller suction effect. The accuracy of the numerical method is verified by the experimental study on the action of the ice under the influence of the ice propeller. On this basis, the influences of different parameters such as ice size, the initial radial position of ice, and the initial axial position on the hydrodynamic performance of the propeller are obtained. The results show that there are a certain accelerating area and a certain blocking area behind the moving ice block. The size of ice block has a direct influence on the hydrodynamic performance of the propeller.

Keywords

• ice-propeller interaction
• brushed ice
• free movement
• numerical simulation