NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY HW210 TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

ASSIGNMENT 2 - 2008/ 09 SEMESTER 1 FINAL REPORT

EFFICIENT PROPULSION FOR SUBMERSIBLE PROPULSORS

Group Members : Chen Qing Ng Kah Meng Ong Teng Ho Rohit Jha Tran Tuan Anh Tutorial Group : TB07

Abstract by Chen Qing A housing is a structure which is normally enclosing the propeller and functions to control the water flow through it. In order to identify the most efficient underwater propulsion system, this research is to investigate the effects of different housing designs on propulsion. The experiment was conducted by attaching four housings of different designs to a model boat one by one and calculating the speed of the boat to compare the propulsion efficiency of the boat under various conditions. It was found that the speed of the boat without a housing was faster than that with a housing due to the significant drag force experienced by the housing. Another important finding was that the speed of the boat with a housing enclosing its propeller was faster than that with a housing attached to the underside of the boat while not enclosing the housing. The research shows encouraging results in terms of the capability of the housing to improve propulsion efficiency by means of concentrating and accelerating the propulsive flow of water through it. Future research should aim to design the housing which minimizes drag force exerted by water and turbulent flow within it in order to further enhance the propulsion efficiency.

Abstract by Ng Kah Meng The project aimed at finding a way to improve the efficiency of the propulsion system of marine vessels. It was solely focused on the modification of the propulsion system by the additional of a housing enclosing the propellers of the marine vessel. The concept of using the housing to contain and focus the propulsive flow generated by the propeller to improve propulsive thrust was experimented. A downscaled experiment using model boats was done to replicate actual marine vessels. The experiment tested on 3 basic housing designs, a cylindrical, a semi-cylindrical and a conical shaped housing to indentify its benefits. The speed of the boat was obtained from measure of time taken by the boat to travel 4m. Experimental results showed the benefit of wake ingestion due to the attachment of the housing. Yet, drag force due to the housing slowed the boat more than the speed increment gained from the housing. Consideration of drag force were not taken into account originally, hence the housings were not design at reducing drag forces. Better designed housing using sturdier materials can possibly benefit the propulsion of marine vessels significantly. Conical shaped housing was discovered to increase the possibility of cavitations effects and result in turbulent flow of propulsive fluid within the housing. This project show the possibility of the benefits of having a housing attachment to propellers and the importance of the consideration of drag force, cavitations, propulsive flow within the housing.

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Abstract by Ong Teng Ho To achieve ideal propulsion underwater, structure like objects like housings can be attached to propellers to improve its efficiency. This is supported by the theories of Bernoullis equation by Daniel Bernoulli and Continuity equation by Sir Issac Newton. The aim of the study is to prove that various designs of housing attachment allow the fluid to be focused and thus adhere to the above mentioned theories. In the experiment, the focus of fluid which is termed wake ingestion is proven to improve the efficiency of the propulsion. The main scope is to study the effects of housings on propulsion. The initial assumption of the experiment is that the effect of drag force and cavitations are negligible. A model boat and 4 uniquely designed housing were used for the experiment. Speed was calculated through the average time taken by model boat to travel across a distance of 4m with and without the attachment of different designs of housing. The direct relationship between the speed and efficiency provides the conclusion that greater speed would yield greater efficiency. Further investigations were carried out to determine the effects of drag force and cavitations by varying the positions at which the housings are being attached. Through the further investigation, wake ingestion was able to offset the drag force thus showing a faster speed when the housing A was placed enclosing the propeller. However, cavitations and drag forces affects the results significantly. The initial assumptions that drag forces and cavitation were negligible failed to hold despite the downscaling of this study. It is important for future researchers to investigate the effect of drag forces and cavitation. The last part of the experiment was inconclusive due to the inability to design a perfectly streamline housing to minimize the effect of drag force. It is also important to focus on the streamline shape of the housing or boat in future investigation.

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Abstract by Rohit Jha Boats and submarines always require an effective propulsion system such that less fuel and resources are used. Enclosing the propeller blades in a housing may result in an increase in the efficiency of the propulsion system. Our research aims at determining the effects of additional housing on propulsion (excluding the effect of the ratio of the dimensions of the housing, its weight, or the material used in its designing).A model boat, with an attached propeller, is used with four housings of different radii and designs. The boat was made to cover a distance of 4 meters using different propellers each time and was timed using a stopwatch so as to calculate the speed attained by the boat each time. Without any housing the boat reached a speed of 0.796ms-1.Surprisingly, the speed of the boat reduced as opposed to the hypothesis of efficiency increase. With housing A, the speed of the boat was 0.734ms-1 .With housing B, the speed of the boat was 0.513ms-1. With housing C, the speed of the boat was 0.513ms-1 .And with housing A+B, the speed of the boat was 0.686ms-1.This anomaly occurred due to factors like cavitations, turbulent flow of water, bubble formation and drag experienced due to the size of the housing attached. When performed under a controlled environment, the original effects of wake ingestion resulting from Newtons Laws and Bernoullis Principle could be seen and the boat was showing efficiency. Although the effect of wake ingestion was proved in the experiment but it was overshadowed by the cavitations, turbulent flow of water inside the housing, increased drag forces and imperfect streamlining of the housing.

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Abstract by Tran Tuan Anh Over the past centuries, people had useful inventions such as: steam engine, paddlewheel, screw propeller to improve the efficiency for sea transportation. Many variations of the screw propellers and other forms of propulsion have been developed. Our research aims to identify the most efficient propulsor system that provides the optimum propulsion with the minimum energy used. In this project, the effects of additional housing enclosing the propeller were investigated. The attachment of the housing aims to concentrate, focus and accelerate the propulsive flow of the water expelled from the propeller through the concept of Newtons Law of continuity and Bernoullis principles. Three different housing designs were chosen for study. Additional housings were attached to the boat at different positions: enclosing propeller, underside of boat and top of the boat. In our experiment, the effects of drag force and additional weight due to additional housings play a role in slowing down the speed of the boat. The speed of the boat without the housing enclosing its propeller was clearly faster than the speed of the boat with the attachment of the housings. Among the three housings, the conical shape housing gave the most propulsion. With the cylindrical shape housing attached at different positions, the boat that housing attached at top of the boat has highest speed. The data obtained showed that the effect of wake ingestion was beneficial to the efficient propulsion of the boat and that our controlled experiment was a success. The expectation of the conical housing providing the most propulsion was proven otherwise. Because of the limitation of our research, the benefit of wage ingestion is being overshadowed by the effects drag force. Further researches should aim to design housing that reduces the drag forces and make the housing more streamline to enjoy more benefit from the effects of wake ingestion.

Table of Content Title Abstract by Chen Qing Abstract by Ng Kah Meng Abstract by Ong Teng Ho Abstract by Rohit Jha Abstract by Tran Tuan Anh Table of Contents List of Illustrations Glossary 1. Introduction 1.1. Historical Background 1.2. Rationale 1.3. Research Objectives 1.4. Scope of Research 2. Literature Review 3. Methods and Materials 3.1. Materials 3.2. Methods 3.2.1. Investigation of Housing A, B and C 3.2.2. Further Investigation of Effects of Housing A 3.2.3. Further Investigation of Effects of Housing (A+B) 4. Findings and Discussions 4.1. Further Discussions of Housing A 4.2. Further Discussions of Housing (A+B) 5. Conclusion References Appendix A Appendix B Page i ii iii iv v vi vii viii 1 1 2 3 3 6 7 8 8 9 10 12 14 16 19

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List of Illustrations Name of Illustrations Fig 1.1a: Pump-Jet Fig 1.1b: Kort Nozzle Fig 2.1: Peter Woodford Propeller Design Fig 2.2: Formation of Cavitation Fig 2.3: Example of a Housing enclosing a screw propeller Fig 3a: Cylindrical Shape Housing A Fig 3b: Conical Shape Housing B Fig 3c: Housing C Fig 3d: Housing A+B Fig 3.2: Positions of the Housings Fig 4: Charts of Various Housings Fig 4a: Phenomena of Cavitation Fig 4.1: Chart of Housing A Fig 4.2: Smooth Effect of Housing A+B Fig 4.2a: Chart of Housing A+B Figure A: Illustration of Continuity Equation Figure B: Illustration of Bernoullis Equation Figure Bi: Table for section 3.2.1 Figure Bii: Table for section 3.2.2 Figure Biii: Table for secion 3.2.3 Page 1 1 3 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 10 11 12 14 14 Appendix A Appendix A Appendix B Appendix B Appendix B

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Glossary D Discharged cavitations: A form of cavitations, visible by the formation of bubbles. It normally appears in marine propulsors when pump discharge pressure is extremely high. P Propellers: A device having a revolving hub with radiating blades, for propelling an airplane or ships. Propulsors: A mechanical device that provides propulsion. Often it is an improvised version of propellers with housing enclosing the propellers, such as turbines of airplanes or jet-pumps, impellers systems of marine vessels. T Tubular Flow: V Venturi Effect: The fluid pressure that results when an incompressible fluid flows across a pressure gradient. This effect is derived from a combination of Bernoullis equation and continuity equation. W Wake ingestion: Wake is a region of turbulent flow due to a body moving relative to the fluid. To ingest the wake is to contain the wake and focus its direct of flow. The flow of fluid within a tube or cylindrical pipe.

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1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Historical Background Pioneering ships relied on oarsmen and sails for propulsion through the sea. In 1769, Scottish inventor, James Watts development of the steam engine provided an alternative source of energy for sea transportation. The marriage of the steam engine and the paddlewheel provided ships with a new source of propulsion that do not tire or rely on the direction of the wind. Paddlewheels are the pioneer form of mechanical propulsion of ships. In the latter half of the 19th century, the screw propellers succeeded the paddlewheels as they provided a more efficient propulsion system. Over the past centuries, many variations of the screw propellers and other forms of propulsion have been developed. Variations of the propellers such as the Pump-jets (Fig 1.1a) and Kort Nozzle (Fig 1.1b) propulsors provided great benefits over the bare screw propellers [1] [2]. Pump-jet is a ducted propeller system that creates jets of water for propulsion [3]. The benefits provided vary from greater energy efficiency to noise reductions and better maneuverability [1] [2].

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump-jet Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kort_nozzle

Fig 1.1a: Pump-Jet Fig 1.1b: Kort Nozzle

1.2 Rationale The development of engines has gone a long way from the steam engine in the 18th century and it is evident in the ships of today. However, many ships still use similar screw propeller designs that date back to the 19th century.

Furthermore, the present bare screw propeller blades differ in shapes and angles positioned. No universal rule has been determined for the design of the propeller that gives the most efficient propulsion. As the design of propellers seems to have reached a standstill, it is time to look at other ways of enhancing the efficiency of marine propulsion system. In the 1700s, Daniel Bernoulli did many researches on the forces present in moving fluids. From his researches, he has many equations relating fluids and forces named after him, e.g. Bernoullis equation. One of the simplified versions of Bernoullis equation enables us to work upon enhancing the efficiency of the propulsion underwater. It states the relationship between kinetic energy of the fluid versus the pressure exerted by the fluid [4]. Another important theory is the conservation of mass by Sir Issac Newton which yields the equation of continuity also known as venturi effect [4]. A detailed explanation on their equations can be obtained in the appendix A. Through their equations, we can expect that by altering the speed of fluid flow using various structures known as housings enclosing the propellers, we can improve the efficiency of the propulsion underwater. 1.3 Research Objectives Our research aims to identify the most efficient propulsor system that provides the optimum propulsion with the minimum energy used. To achieve this aim, the effect of wake ingestion providing more efficient propulsion plays a significant role in the research [5], thus we have to identify the relationship between propellers and different housings enclosing them. The concept of having a propeller enclosed in a housing is similar to the designs of the pump jet propulsors.

1.4 Scope of research In the research, tests will be made to determine the effects of different housing designs enclosing the propeller. This is to determine the benefits of additional housing (similar to those on water jet) attachment on propulsion. We will not be investigating the ratio of the housing relative to the size of the boat, materials of the housing as well as the weight of the housing. The projects limitations are the inability to experimentally investigate the effects of cavitations. However, during the process of the experiment, the results were not as expected. Thus further modification of the experiment procedures were done to investigate the cause of such results. Due to the above reason, the effects of drag force, weight and phenomenon of cavitations were briefly discussed in the later section of the report. 2. Literature Review This literature review will focus on the different studies relating to the improvement of efficiency on submersible propulsion system. From the various studies, we have identified that the efficiency of submersible propulsion system has a dependent relationship with the design of the propeller as well as the different housing attached to the propeller. Studies on cavitations and drag force are included in this section to provide knowledge on the cause and effect of such phenomena. A marine propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust for propulsion. A propeller is made up of two or more twisted blades about a central shaft. The blades act as rotating wings and produce force through application of both Bernoullis principle Fig 2.1: Peter Woodford propeller design
Casing for the propeller

Propeller blade

and Newtons third law. A new design of propeller was Source: Peter Woodford[6]

3 Fig 3.Peter Woodfords Propeller Design

invented by Peter Woodford using the concept of minimizing the slippage between the central hub and the outer edge of blades [6]. He also claimed that ideal propulsion occurs when the fluid displacement ratio between the input and output per revolution of the propeller is one [6]. From these concepts, he designs his propeller by reducing the exposure of blades. He supported his design with 16 claims covering the purpose and the mechanism of the propeller. However, without statistical results, it is rather hard to justify that his design is workable. Despite that, his work is relevant to this research as it highlights the significance of slippage in ideal submersible propulsion system. It is important to note that the reduction of the exposure of blades does improve the efficiency of submersible propulsion Another theory that has dependent relationship on governing the efficiency of propulsion underwater is the pitch of the propeller. The propulsion system is claimed to be at its maximum power output only when it is at its optimized pitch [7]. The deforming effect of composite materials causing the pitch of propeller to vary has significant effect of the propulsion of the propellers [7]. Ching-Chieh Lin, Ya-Jung Lee and Chu-Sung Hung did an experiment on verifying the effects of pitch of propellers with regards to its respective efficiency. However, in their experiment, small models of propellers were used. This leads to slight inaccuracy in their experimental results as compared to the theoretical results. From their work, we can infer that the propellers used in our field of study must be at their optimized pitch. Due to the shortcoming in their experiment, we would be using a propeller that has a comparable relative size to the model of boats used in our own field of study. This is to ensure fairness and accuracy in our experiment conducted. Cavitation is a phenomenon which occurs when marine propeller blades are rotated at a sufficiently high speed developing very low pressures along the curved section side or reverse of each blade[8]. The cause of cavitations

are also very sensitive to the formation and transportation of vapor bubbles, the turbulent fluctuations of pressure and velocity, and the magnitude of noncondensible gases, which are dissolved or ingested in the operating liquid[9]. The flow over a marine propeller blade is inherently unsteady due to the rotation of the blade through the spatially varying wakes of the hull and/or appendages [10]. In conventional propellers, the efficiency is around 70% [10]. Of the 30% lost efficiency,15% is approximately attributed to induced drag, while the remaining 15% is lost due to viscous
Source: Mathematical Basis and Validation of the Full This is shown in Fig 2.2. HousingCavitation Model cover designed to contain is a protective

or

frictional

drag[10].

Fig 2.2: Formation of cavitations

or support a mechanical component. A boat propeller mounting and steering mechanism including an upper housing adapted to be mounted inside the hull of a boat and serving as a mounting and support means for a relatively rotatable lower housing[11]. With the attachment of an additional housing to the boat propeller blades results in an additional increase in cavitation and frictional drag. The additional housing results in the net increase in the weight of the boat and thereby increasing the drag forces. Our experiment deals with the effect on the efficiency of propulsion by housing the propeller blades. Housing is a kind of a funnel-shaped cylindrical hollow protective cover designed to contain or support a mechanical component, which in our case are the propeller blades. A housing for the propeller of a conventional gasoline or diesel powered marine engine is provided attachable to a Fig 2.3: housing enclosing a screw propeller
Source: G. P. C. Canevari, NJ, "Efficiency ship Propeller [11]

bracket mount on the engine [11]. The housing completely encloses the engine's propeller and drive shaft and defines a tubular flow path for the water engaged by the propeller with the flow path being generally coaxial with respect to the propeller's rotation axis [13]. Thus, the experiment would be looking at the aspect of increasing efficiency by means of using 4 different designs of housing enclosing the propellers. 3. Research Methods and materials 3.1 Materials This experiment will be conducted at a swimming pool and the following materials are required: a) A motorized model boat with an exposed propeller. This is to allow for the housing to be easily attached and enclosing the propeller as required for the experiment. b) Four housings of different designs are made using plastic and represented as housing A, B, C and (A+B). Housing A shown in figure 3a, is a normal cylindrical shaped like housing whose radius remains the same along its central axis.

Fig 3a: Cylindrical shape housing A

Fig 3b: Conical shape housing B

c) On the contrary, radius of housing B, as shown in figure 3b, is not constant and decreases along its central axis which resembles a conical flask. Housing C, shown in figure 3c, is a combination of two curved

inward pieces each attached on one side of the propeller. Housing (A+B) as shown in figure 3d is a combination of housing A and B by connecting housing B at the end of housing A. All these housings were attached using a combination of sticky tack and superglue.

Fig 3c: Housing C d) d)

Fig 3d: Housing A+B

Measuring tape is required to measure and mark down 4m

distance travelled by the boat. The distance 4m was chosen after several tests by comparing the travel time of the boat without housing attached against the different distance. It was determined that 4m is the shortest distance for a clear distinction between the timings taken with and without the housings. A shorter distance reduce the possibility of experiment errors taken while the boat is in motion e) Stopwatch was used to measure the time taken for the boat to travel the 4m distance. 3.2 Methods The basic method of this experiment is to record down the time taken for the model boat to travel across a distance of 4m. With the time taken, we can then calculate the average time and the speed of the boat. This allows us to identify the propulsion efficiency of the boat under various conditions.

The boat travelled 4m and the timing was recorded. This was repeated 3 time to obtain the average timing. The average speed of the boat was calculated and used as a reference for comparisons in later sections. 3.2.1 Investigation of housing A, B and C The attachment of housing A or C enables control of water flow such that water flow within the housing would be likely to behave streamline, whereas housing B exercises focusing effect on the flow of water as it passes through the housing. Housing A was attached to the propeller, and similarly, the time taken by the model boat to travel a distance of 4m was recorded. A set of 3 readings were recorded and the average of these 3 readings and the speed were calculated for analysis purposes. The same procedures also applied to housing B and C. Due to inability to yield the expected result, further investigations were carried out to analyse on the cause of such experimental results. 3.2.2 Further investigation of effects of housing A Three considerable effects might be exerted by housing A on the propulsion efficiency of the boat, which are wake ingestion, drag force and additional weight of the boat due to housing A. In order to analyze these three Position Z: Top of boat effects separately, housing A was successively attached to three different positions on the boat as shown in Figure 3.2 and these positions are denoted as position X, Y and Z. Position Y: Underside of boat

Position X: Enclosing Propeller Fig 3.2: Positions of the Housing 8

(i) With housing A attached enclosing the propeller (position X), all three considerable effects, wake ingestion, drag force and additional weight were introduced. The boats travelled 4m for three times and three timings were recorded, followed by calculation of the average timing and the speed of the boat. (ii) The attachment of housing A to the underside of the boat while not enclosing the propeller (position Y) led to additional drag force and additional weight of the boat due to the housing while excluding the effect of wake ingestion. (iii) Placing housing A on top of the boat (position Z) resulted in only additional weight due to the housing while excluding the effect of additional drag force and wake ingestion. The above 3 cases were carried out to investigate the effect of wake ingestion, drag force as well as weight of the additional housing on the efficiency of the boats propulsion underwater. 3.2.3 Further Investigation of effects of housing (A+B) The function of housing A is to control the flow of water in hopes of obtaining streamline water flow before focusing it using housing B. The same procedures adopted for investigation of housing A was also applied to housing (A+B). The data obtained from above procedures 3.2.1, 3.2.2 and 3.2.3 are presented in Appendix B. Findings and discussions derived from the data are elaborated in details in the next section.

4. Findings and Discussions The findings are recorded in the form of timings. Through equation 1 listed below, it was converted to speed to further aid the discussions. Speed has a direct relationship with efficiency. Thus a higher speed would mean that the efficiency is greater. Speed = Distance Time -------------- (Equation 1)

Speed of t he boat w t h vari ous housi ngs i at tached 1. 000 speed( ms) / 0. 800 0. 600 0. 400 0. 200 0. 000 N on Fig 1.1 A B C Type of H ousi ng 0. 796 0. 734 0. 513

0. 597 speed of t he boat

A: Cylindrical shape B: Conical shape C: 2 piece housing

Fig 4: Chart of various housings The speed of the model boat to travel a distance of 4m with and without a housing attached to its propeller is shown in Fig 4. From Fig 4, the speed of the boat without the housing enclosing its propeller is 0.796ms-1, clearly faster than the speed of the boat with the attachment of the housings. This result differs from the original expectation of the outcome; it is expected that the housing would focus flow of the propulsion and thus increase the speed of the boat. Not only did the speed of the boat slow down with the housings attached, the expectation of housing B giving the most propulsion among the 3 housings was also proven otherwise as shown from the experiment.

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The unexpected result is possibly due to the over-simplification of the experiment. The initial assumption was that the focusing of the propulsive stream would significantly increase the speed of the boat relative to the drag force acting on the housing. Instead, the drag force acting on the housings played a significant role in slowing down the speed of the boat. This resulted in the decreased speed of the boat when the housing is attached to the propeller. The effect of the drag forces will be further elaborated in the later section and shown with experimental data. Yet, the drag forces cannot account for the slower speed of 0.513 ms-1 obtained from using housing B as compared to a speed of 0.734 ms-1 by housing A as shown in Fig 4. The concept of the Venturi effect where fluid flowing through a constricted space will result in a gain of velocity is Signs of Cavitation challenged. Once again, it is (Bubble Formation) important to go in depth to account for this unexpected the result. housing The was possibility of a turbulent flow of the water within explored and suggested from the slower speed obtained from housing B. Furthermore, under deeper Fig 4a: Phenomena of Cavitation investigation of housing B, sign of cavitation (Fig 4a) occurring within the housing was seen. Initial suggestions were that cavitation was unlikely to occur due to the slower speed of the propulsion stream compared to commercial propellers of actual marine vessels. However, the decreasing radius of the housing creates a high pressure condition within the housing that results in the turbulent flow of water that circulated inside the housing instead of dispelling it through the narrow end. This high pressure also causes a condition termed discharge cavitation that can be observed from the creation of the bubbles in the housing as

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shown in Fig 4a. The above mention reasons thus account for the slower speed resulting from the using of housing B as compared to housing A. The soft plastic bottle used to create housing C resulted in some discrepancy in the timing taken for the boat to travel the distance of 4m. The speed of the model boat when housing C is attached is slower compared to the model boat without any housing attached. Bernoullis principle states that fast moving fluid will create an area of lower pressure that will result in suction. The result of housing C conforms to Bernoullis principle as the housing is often being pulled closer toward the propeller when the boat is in motion. This results in vibrations and deformation of the original shape of the housing when the boat is in motion. The vibration and inconsistence shape of the housing were the main cause inconsistent timings for housing C. On a similar note, an online account [1] of a homemade Kort Nozzle propeller resulted in the warping of the material used when the engine is pushed into higher speed. The housing warped sufficient enough for it to be caught by the propeller and be smashed to bits. For future consideration of housings for propeller, it is important to determine the rigidness of the material used for each propeller speed. This is to ensure that the vibrations caused will not decrease the efficient of the propulsor significantly or that it will not damage the housing or propeller. 4.1 Further Discussions of Housing A With the unsatisfactory results obtained from the housings, it is necessary to further investigate the reasons for the slowing of the boat to show the effect of wake ingestion.
Speed of t he boat w t h housi ng A at t ached at di f f er ent posi t i on. i 1. 000 speed( m s) / 0. 800 0. 600 0. 400 0. 200 0. 000 N on X Y Z Posi t i ons of housi ng 0. 796 0. 792

0. 734

0. 693

Speed of t he boat X: enclosing propeller Y: underside of boat Z: Top of the boat

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Fig 4.1: Chart of housing A

Fig 4.1 shows the average speed for the different test conditions to determine the effects of drag forces and additional weight of the boat due to housing A. The housing contributed additional weight to the model boat as well as caused additional drag force when the boat was in motion. The attachment of housing A to the underside of the boat at position Y while not enclosing the propeller will provide the condition for which the boat experiences the additional drag forces due to housing A without the effect of wake ingestion. From Fig 4.1, it can been seen that with the housing attached to the underside of the boat, the boat is slowed down to a speed of 0.693ms -1 as compared to the original speed of 0.796ms-1 without the housing. This showed that the effect of drag forces caused by the housing significantly slowed the boat. The other consideration of the slower speed of the boat with the housing was the weight gained due to the housing. Having the housing place on top of the boat at position Z gave the additional weight due to the housing while excluding the effect of the additional drag forces as well as wake ingestion. The average reading obtained was quite close to those of the boat without the housing, with the speed of the boat with the additional weight being 0.792ms-1 as compare to the original of 0.796ms-1. Therefore, the weight of the housing did not contribute to the slowing of the boat significantly. With the housing enclosing the propeller, the boat reached an average speed of 0.734ms-1, faster than the speed reached when it was not enclosing the propeller. This result shows the effect of wake ingestion providing more efficient propulsion. Yet, the effect of the wake ingestion was unable to offset and overcome the additional drag forces in this experiment, resulting in an overall slower speed of the boat as compared to without the housing. However, since effect of wake ingestion is proven to increase efficiency when housings are attached, this conforms to our initial hypothesis that this is

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another scope which is worth exploring upon looking for sources to obtain ideal propulsion. In our experiment, due to the lack of funds, the housing is crudely design without the consideration of the streamline shape to reduce drag forces. Proportion of the housing to the size of the boat is also inaccurate as compare to actual marine vessels as a model boat is employed for our experiment. These 2 reasons could possible attribute to a greater drag force that dwarfs the additional benefits of wake ingestion. A more accurate reading can only be obtained from the use of a properly design housing and well fund project that employs the use of an actual marine vessel. 4.2 Further Discussions of Housing (A+B) With the concept of the turbulent flow of water within housing B in mind, an on-site modification was made to the housing. To reduce the turbulent formation of water, it was suggested that the usage of housing A can control the flow of the water before focusing it using housing B. Hence, housing A & B is combined to obtain the smooth effect of fluid flow from the propeller as shown in Fig 4.2. Fig 4.2: Smooth effect of Housing A+B

Speed of t he boat w t h housi ng A+ at t ached at di f f er ent posi t i ons. i B 1. 000 speed( m s) / 0. 800 0. 600 0. 400 0. 200 0. 000 N on X Y Z Posi t i ons of housi ng 0. 796 0. 599 0. 671 0. 788 Speed of t he boat

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The time taken by the boat to travel 4m is recorded for the cases of the housing enclosing the propeller, not enclosing the propeller and the housing
Z: Top of the boat Y: each case, being place above water. Fig 4.2a shows the speed of the boat forunderside of boat X: enclosing propeller

respectively. Unlike the results obtain from housing A, the addition of the housing still provides a slower speed with the drag forces due to the housing Fig 4.2a: Chart of Housing A+B factored in. However, the implementation of housing A together with housing B provided a faster speed as compared to the use of housing B alone. Furthermore, there were no visual signs of cavitation throughout the experimentation with housing A+B. The use of housing A reduced the turbulent flow of water forming at the propeller, prevented cavitation and improved the speed of the boat. However, due to the last minute design of the housing, there were plenty of the imperfections within the housing that can result in a turbulent flow of water, especially at the joint of housing A & B. As a result, the analysis using Bernoullis equation and the continuity equation would not hold for this case. Thus the readings are unable to give us a conclusion on the effects on a narrowing housing providing for a better efficiency of propulsion. An in depth study into the flow of the water within the housing is required in further research to answer this question. 5. Conclusion The research started off with the aim of improving propulsive efficiency of submerged propulsion system with the concept of modifications made to the propulsion system through the use of a housing enclosing the propeller of marine vessels. The attachment of the housing aims to concentrate, focus and accelerate the propulsive flow of the water expelled from the propeller through the concept of Newtons Law of continuity and Bernoullis principles. It aimed to prove the benefits of wake ingestion.

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The experiment was carried out in a simplified method through the use of a model boat so as to focus mainly on the benefits of wake ingestion. At a slower speed, the effect of drag forces or cavitations was assumed to be negligible or absent. Having the benefits of wake ingestion proven, consideration for more intrinsic and detailed design of an actual marine propulsion system can be researched on. However during the experiment, the discovery was made that even in a downscaled model, many factors affect the efficient propulsion of the boat and they cannot be view independently. With a crudely designed housing attached to the boat, the speed of the boat is greatly reduced in all 3 cases of different housing attachment. Due to the non-streamline flow of the fluid around the housing, the drag forces acting against the boat is greatly increased. A controlled experiment of the speed of boat due the drag force acting against the housing was carried out. Its aim was to eliminate the drag forces present and concentrate the effects of wake ingestion. The data obtained showed that the effect of wake ingestion was beneficial to the efficient propulsion of the boat and that our controlled experiment was a success. The expectation of the conical housing providing the most propulsion was proven otherwise. The results seem to contradict the theories of Sir Issac Newton and Daniel Bernoulli. Further investigation showed that the flow of the water within the housing was far from being steady. The sign of cavitations indicated that the flow of the water within the housing was extremely turbulent. Thus, the use of Bernoullis equation is no longer applicable. Furthermore, the turbulent flow of water meant that the propulsion flow is being circulated within the housing instead of being expelled out. This results in a significant decrease in the efficiency of the propulsion. Further experimentation using the combined housings of A and B was used to reduce the turbulent flow within the housing. Though the speed of the

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boat was increased compared to the attachment of housing B alone, it was still significantly slower as compared to the case when no housing was enclosing the propeller. This gave rise to the realization of the importance of the study of the tubular flow of the water in the housing. The experiment was unable to show the benefits of a decreasing radius housing providing an accelerated propulsion flow due to the interference of turbulence. Future researches should investigate the tubular flow within the housing to provide a streamline flow such as to investigate this benefit. The benefit of wake ingestion was proven in the experiment, yet it is being overshadowed by the effects drag force. Limitations of funds and time resulted in housings that are not proportional to the size of the boat and this resulted in a significantly greater drag force faced. Working models of propulsion system with a housing enclosing the propeller such as the Kort Nozzle system are found on the marine vessels of today. They employ the concept of wake ingestion to give greater propulsion. As drag forces are related to the individual housing, a general relation between the benefits of wake ingestion and the drag force cannot be easily deduced. Such relationship will differ from one housing to another and should be investigated on individually. Further researches should aim to design housing that reduces the drag forces and make the housing more streamline to enjoy more benefit from the effects of wake ingestion.

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References 1. Gearhart, W. S., and Henderson, R. E., "Selection of a Propulsor for a Submersible System," Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 84-90, Jan.Feb. 1966 2. Leroy H. Smith Jr., Wake Ingestion Propulsion benefits, Journal of Propuslion and Power, vol 9, no. 1, pp. 74-82, Jan.-Feb. 1993. 3. Stan Zimmerman, Submarine Technology for the 21st Century, 2nd Edition. Canada: Trafford Publishing, pp. 112-114, 2000. 4. Tom Benson, Bernoulli and Newton, 2008 Available: http://www.grc. nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/bernnew.html, [Accessed: Sept 30, 2008] 5. Luigi Stipa, NASA Technical Report Server, 93R23681, 1932. Available: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?N=0&Ntk=AuthorList&Ntx=mode %20matchall&ntt=stipa, [Accessed: Aug 29, 2008] 6. Peter Woodford, UK Patent Application, GB 2419861, 10/05/2006. 7. Lin, C-C., Lee, Y-J., Hung, C-S., Optimization and Experiment of Composite 20/07/2008. 8. Clark, J. D. T. R., Algoa, TX, Marine propeller housing, 1995. 9. W. S. Vorus, Kress, Robert Frederick, "Marine propeller, ATTWOOD CORP (US), 1989. 10. A. K. Singhal, M. M. Athavale, H. Li, and Y. Jiang, "Mathematical Basis and Validation of the Full Cavitation Model", Journal of Fluids Engineering, vol. 124, 01/09/2002. 11. G. P. C. Canevari, NJ, "Efficiency ship propeller," United States: Exxon Research & Engineering Co. (Florham Park, NJ), 1982. 12. Ross, Robertson, "Boat propeller mounting and steering mechanism", United States: Ross, Robertson (Seattle, WA), 1975. Marine Propellers, Composite Structures (2008),

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Appendix A Sir Issac Newton discovered the theory behind conservation of mass. Through this conservation of mass, the continuity equation is derived. This continuity equation is essential to our experiment as one of our housing, housing B, is design based on this equation. The continuity equation is listed below, A1U1 = A2U2 where A denotes the cross sectional area and U denotes the velocity at which the fluids are being displaced.

U1

A1

A2

U2

Figure A: Illustration of continuity equation Figure A is a simple model that is widely used to illustrate the continuity equation. Since the cross sectional area at A1 is larger than A2, we can conclude from the continuity equation that the velocity U1 would be smaller as compared to U2. The simplified version of bernoullis equation for horizontal tube is stated below. P1 + U12 = P2 + U22 where P denotes the pressure of the fluid, denotes the density of the fluid and U denotes the velocity of the fluid.

P1 U1 A1 A2

P2 U2

Figure B: Illustration of Bernoullis equation In figure B, using the continuity equation, we know that U2 is higher compare to U1. It is important to note that the fluid across this conical shape structure is the same, which implies that the density, , is constant. Placing these known variables into the simplified version of Bernoullis equation, we can conclude that the pressure at P2 is much lower than the pressure at P1. This further implies that there will be a suction effect at P2 due to lower pressure. However, there are some restrictions towards the application of Bernoullis equation. These restrictions include steady flow of fluids, streamline fluids, friction losses are negligible and density of the fluid is constant. Thus if the flow of fluids are turbulent, the Bernoullis equation would be unable to hold true.

Appendix B In section 3.2.1 investigations of housing A, B and C, the raw data are listed in the table below. The travel time was taken for a distance of 4m travelled. Type of housing Non A B C 1st travel time (s) 4.99 5.49 7.92 6.25 2nd travel time (s) 4.98 5.37 7.8 5.93 3rd travel time (s) 5.1 5.48 7.68 7.92 Average travel time(s) 5.023 5.447 7.800 6.700 Speed (m/s) 0.796 0.734 0.513 0.597

Figure Bi: Table for section 3.2.1 In section 3.2.2 further investigations of housing A, the raw data are listed in the table below. The travel time was taken for a distance of 4m travelled. Positions of housing X Y Z 1st travel time (s) 5.49 5.81 5.06 2nd travel time (s) 5.37 5.79 4.98 3rd travel time (s) 5.48 5.72 5.11 Average travel time(s) 5.447 5.773 5.050 Speed (m/s) 0.734 0.693 0.792

Figure Bii: Table for section 3.2.2 In section 3.2.3 investigations of housing A+B, the raw data are listed in the table below. The travel time was taken for a distance of 4m travelled. Type of housing A B C 1st travel time (s) 4.99 6.73 2nd travel time (s) 4.98 6.79 3rd travel time (s) 5.1 6.51 Average travel time(s) 5.023 6.677 5.960 Speed (m/s) 0.796 0.599 0.671

5.81 6.13 5.94 Figure Biii: Table for section 3.2.3