High-fidelity CFD simulation and optimisation of ducted propellers

Abstract

This paper presents numerical analyses and optimisation of aerodynamics of ducted/un-ducted propellers, based on high-fidelity CFD methods with adjoint formulations. A ducted propeller test case by NASA is chosen as the validation case and baseline design. High-fidelity CFD simulations are performed using the in-house solver HMB3. An adjoint-based aerodynamic optimisation framework is proposed and applied to studies of the separate and coupled duct shape and blade twist designs for the ducted propeller, with blades resolved. A new parametrisation method for the duct shape is proposed, allowing variations in curve shapes and leading/trailing edge point positions. Sensitivities of the performance with respect to design variables of the duct shape and blade twist are solved using the HMB3 adjoint solver and are analysed in detail. Performance comparisons of the optimised designs are presented and detailed.