Although the optimization of a thruster for our vessel has not started jet, here are some pictures of the reference design I already investigated. The propeller is a four-bladed Ka4-70 in a nozzle 19A by MARIN – a combination for which a lot of reliable experimental data can be found. The aim of the reference simulation is finding the correct CFD setup to generate results in good agreement with the experiments. Based on this setup, a geometry variation and optimization will be conducted to find the thruster that suits our needs best.
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The pictures show a streamline plot with the thrusters surface colored according to the pressure distribution and three pressure plots at cuts, normal to the direction of inflow, through the propeller plane as well as at a distance of one and five radii downstream.
