Numerical simulations of a cavitating propeller in uniform and oblique flow

The numerical predictions of a cavitating model scale propeller working in uniform and oblique flow conditions are presented. The cavitating phenomena are numerically reproduced using a homogeneous (mixture) model where three previously calibrated mass transfer models are alternatively used to model the mass transfer rate. The turbulence effect is modelled using the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) approach. The simulations are performed using an open source solver. The numerical results are compared with available experimental data. For a quantitative comparison the propeller thrust is considered, while for a qualitative comparison, snapshots of cavitation patterns are shown. The thrust values obtained with the three different mass transfer models are very close to each other, however differences in the predicted cavitation patterns are observed. Moreover, some discrepancies between the numerical results and experimental data are reported.