Ship Hydrodynamics - Lecture - Notes - Part - 1 - Modern - Propulsion - Systems
Ship Hydrodynamics - Lecture - Notes - Part - 1 - Modern - Propulsion - Systems
(PROPULSION)
LECTURE NOTES OF
PROPULSION
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1. PROPULSION SYSTEMS
Propulsion is the act or an instance of driving or pushing forward of a body, i.e. ship,
by a propeller (in our case a screw propeller).
1661 Toogood and Hayes of Britain claimed patent for using helical
surfaces (Archimedean screws) as a propeller
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1802/04 C. Steves the American used a kind of screw propeller similar to
today’s screws to propel a 7.5 m twin screw steamer.
1836 P. Smith, the English farmer achieved the first practical application.
He used single bladed screw of two turns made by wood.
1839 Smith equipped 237 ton of ship Archimedes with screw props
having a great success and this led to Paddle propulsion systems to
screw propulsion system
1845 Great Britain was the first screw propeller acrossed the Atlantic
1970-1990’s Fuel crisis and environmental effects (low noise and vibrations) had
an impact on propeller shape and stern configurations as well as the
developments of unconventional propellers
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b) Modern Propulsion Systems
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iii- Contra-rotating propellers
This kind of propellers has two coaxial propellers sited one behind the other and
rotating in opposite directions.
They have the hydrodynamic advantage of recovering part of the slip stream
rotational energy which would otherwise be lost to a conventional single screw
system. This leads to an energy saving about 15% in power.
Improved efficiency but higher drag and cost
It is usually applied to small outboard units operating at around 1500 to 2000
RPM due to the mechanical problems associated with longer line shafting
systems of larger vessels.
Two propellers are not mounted coaxially but are each located on separate shaft
systems.
The system has rarely been used in practice
Although the propulsion efficiency of this system is higher than a single
propeller, this system causes vibration and cavitation
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v- Controllable pitch propellers (CPP)
The choice of a CPP to a FPP is due to flexibility of its control rather than
propulsion efficiency at service condition.
CPP provides an extra degree of freedom in its ability to change blade pitch.
It is especially used for ferries, tugs, trawlers, and fisheries due to better
manoeuvrability than FPPs.
Manufacturing cost is very high and it requires more maintenance and
repairment.
This system has found considerable application on a wide variety of small high
speed craft, although it is also used for larger ships.
The operation principle of waterjet is that water is drawn through a ducting
system by an internal pump adding energy and the water is expelled aft at high
velocity. The unit’s thrust is primarily generated as a result of momentum
increase given in the water.
The system is preferred to a conventional propeller. Because a conventional
propeller experiences cavitation at very high speeds (45 knots), but in the
waterjet unit the pump should not cavitate.
It has a good manoeuvrability
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vii- Cycloidal propellers
The system is also called vertical axis propellers which comprise a set of
vertically mounted vanes, six or eight in number, rotating on a disc mounted in
a horizontal or near horizontal plane.
The system has considerable advantages when manoeuvrability or station
keeping is an important factor in the ship design.
A separate rudder installation on the vessel is not required.
The system provides with guards to help protect the propulsor from damage
from external sources.
Vertical axis propellers are fitted in tugs or other cases where low speed
manoeuvrability is desired.
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viii- Paddle wheels
The system provides ship propulsion without the aid of either propellers or
paddles.
The fundamental principal of electromagnetic propulsion is that of interaction
between a fixed coil inside the ship and an electric current is passed through the
sea water from electrodes in the bottom of the ship.
A force is produced orthogonal to the magnetic field and to the current as a
result of Fleming’s right-hand rule.
It provides noise and vibration free hydrodynamic propulsion so that it is found
some applications in navy vessels.
One of the major problems in this propulsion system is the difficulty to maintain
superconducting coil zero resistance property, which is required, to be kept at
the temperature of liquid helium (-268 C).
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x- Azimuth podded propulsion system