THRUST OPTIMIZATION OF WATERJET IMPELLER FOR SPEED BOAT USING CFD ANALYSIS

Abstract

The development of high-speed craft (HSC) can be partly attributed to the application of water jet propulsion systems. Without them, water transportation at high and low tides and long distances would be much more difficult. In addition, the cost of such operations would be much higher. The thrust created in a waterjet propulsion system is the key to the watercraft movement. Among many, one of the propulsion system's fundamental parameters is the propeller's blade number. This study investigated the optimized impeller design that produces the highest thrust and best pump efficiency using CFD analysis. The 3D models of impellers with three, four, and six blades have been designed. Fluid flow in a transient condition has been set as the primary boundary condition. Based on the numerical analysis, it has been found that increasing the impeller blade number increases the thrust, head, and overall system efficiency. The transient study shows that an impeller with six blades produces the highest thrust force value. Furthermore, the efficiency of the impeller was 95%, which is the highest among all the other designs.