Numerical prediction of effective wake and propeller cavitation for the KVLCC2-SP819 system using a BEM/RANS coupling method

초록

In this study, a series of numerical schemes is applied to predict the effective wake and the propeller cavitation characteristics of the SP819 propeller installed on the KVLCC2 hull. The open-water performance of SP819 is first analyzed using a boundary element method (BEM), after which a coupled BEM/Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach is employed to capture the hull-propeller interaction and to predict the effective wake under ship-behind conditions. The predicted effective wake fields serve as key inputs for unsteady BEM simulations to model the transient cavitation dynamics. The results demonstrate that the presented coupling approach effectively reproduces both the steady open-water characteristics and the unsteady hydrodynamic responses of the propeller operating in a non-uniform inflow. The influence of the spatially varying wake on blade circulation, wake alignment, and force fluctuations is captured, showing that the periodic passage of blades through the wake-deficit and accelerated inflow regions governs the inception, growth, and collapse of sheet cavitation. The coupled BEM/RANS predictions show reasonable agreement with experimental measurements from the Samsung Ship Model Basin and with full-blown three-dimensional RANS simulations in terms of propeller loads and the temporal evolution of sheet cavitation under both wetted and cavitating conditions. It thus serves as a useful approach for predicting propeller performance under realistic propeller-hull interaction conditions in a computationally efficient manner, particularly at the early design stage of modern marine vessels. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

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