Blade Cup Method for Cavitation Reduction in Marine Propellers

Energy efficiency has become more important in every industry and daily life. Designing and building a more efficient marine vehicle can lead to lower fuel consumption and a longer lifetime for the components of the vehicle.

Erosion caused by cavitation reduces the service life of the propeller and the related components in the propulsion and maneuvering system. Reducing cavitation leads to a longer life for these components. This paper aims to explain and investigate propeller blade cup as a cavitation reduction method for marine propellers. A cavitating no-cup propeller is created and analyzed then the cupped version of this propeller is generated and analyzed to compare with the no-cup propeller. Cavitation results of these propellers are investigated. In addition, the thrust, torque, and efficiency of the propellers are compared.