Hydrodynamic performance of a ducted controllable pitch propeller with wavy leading edge

Marine ducted propellers are essential in applications demanding high thrust under heavily loaded conditions, such as towing, offshore support, and vessel manoeuvring. This study provides an experimental analysis of a marine ducted propeller equipped with a wavy leading edge (WLE) - a modification designed to improve hydrodynamic performance. The WLE is applied to both the propeller blades and the duct, with the goal of enhancing efficiency and thrust. The experiments are conducted in the Emerson Cavitation Tunnel (ECT) at Newcastle University, UK, using a ducted controllable pitch propeller (CPP). A series of open-water tests examined the performance across different combinations of wavy and conventional blade and duct configurations, along with three distinct pitch settings to capture a range of operational conditions. Results from the experiments indicate that the WLE on the propeller blades significantly improves overall efficiency, with an increase of up to 3.5 % at the design pitch and even greater gains at higher pitch settings. Additionally, applying the WLE to the duct demonstrated an improvement in bollard pull thrust. These modifications enhanced the overall propeller performance suggesting that wavy leading-edge designs could be a promising approach for optimizing the designed propeller performance in demanding marine applications.