Hydrodynamic Study of a Coaxial Propulsion System with a Cycloidal-Helical Twin-Screw Configuration
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: To address the difficulty of reconciling propulsion capability with high maneuverability in underwater robot propulsion systems, a coaxial propulsion system with a cycloidal-helical twin-screw configuration is proposed. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the system are investigated using the dynamic mesh method in ANSYS Fluent, with a focus on the axial propulsion response under different axial spacings. Taking a single propeller as the baseline, the axial propulsion performance and flow field characteristics of the coaxial system are comparatively analyzed under different axial spacings. The results show that the axial propulsion performance exhibits a pronounced non-monotonic dependence on spacing. The optimal performance is achieved at a spacing of 0.8D, where the average axial thrust increases by 42.83% compared with the single propeller. A moderate improvement is observed at 0.7D, whereas no significant advantage is found at 0.6D, 0.9D, or 1.0D. Further analysis indicates that the performance enhancement mainly originates from the modulation effect of the upstream cycloidal propeller on the inflow of the downstream propeller, rather than the direct axial thrust contribution of the cycloidal propeller itself. The results provide a theoretical reference for the design and optimization of coaxial propulsion systems for high-maneuverability underwater robots.
Authors: Jiaying Wang, Han Yan, Yuyao Li, Zhixin Xu, Dan Xia
Institution: Southeast University
Language: English
Subfield: Ocean Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7203625935