Numerical simulation of PPTC propeller tip vortex cavitation based on adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) method

With PPTC propeller used as the test case, the numerical simulation in non-cavitation conditions was first conducted together with the grid independence studies. Then the Schnerr-Sauer cavitation model was applied to simulate the cavitation on the propeller. Both the non-cavitation flow and the cavitation flow used the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) model. Through comparison of the calculation results with the experimental data, it can be found that the thrust coefficient and sheet cavitation on blades are consistent with the experiment data. However, the tip vortex cavitation cannot be fully simulated. Therefore, a new meshing strategy was proposed for combining spiral tube volume refinement and adaptive mesh refinement technology driven by vapor volume fraction. After applying this strategy to the simulation of tip vortex cavitation on PPTC propeller, the tip vortex cavitation could be captured successfully, and the complex rollup phenomena in nodes can be well captured. © 2022, Editorial Board of Journal of Ship Mechanics. All right reserved.