AN OPTIMISATION PROCEDURE FOR PROPELLER SELECTION FOR DIFFERENT SHAFT INCLINATIONS

Abstract

In this paper, a propeller optimization model is presented to find the optimum propeller geometry and the gearbox ratio for different angles of the propeller shaft while minimizing the amount of fuel consumed at a given speed and complying with the proposed constraints' limitations. The developed model couples several simulation software where application programming interface (API) facilitates data processing to achieve the optimum design based on optimization procedures. A fishing vessel is selected as a case study to perform the numerical simulation. A comparison study is conducted between the optimized propellers at different inclination angles of the propeller shaft among different propeller blades. Bar chart and box and whisker plot are the two techniques considered to visualize the computed data. The results conclude that the optimized propeller with a high number of blades and a small inclination angle (2 degrees) can operate at the engine operating point as in a horizontal propeller shaft, which is considered the most efficient from the theoretical point of view.