Implementation of a Special Procedure for Modeling the Tip Clearance Flow in a Panel Method for Ducted Propulsors Available to Purchase

A special procedure is presented to account for the influence of the flow through the tip gap of a ducted propulsor when the analysis of the ducted propulsor is performed using a boundary element method. Boundary element methods or panel methods have achieved a high /eve/ of refinement over the past decade and are now commonly used in the design and analysis of propulsors, including ducted propulsors. These methods have difficulty, however, directly representing the flow through the gap region between the tip of the propeller and the duct, which can significantly affect the prediction of the overall circulation and forces on both the duct and propeller. The method presented in this paper does not attempt to predict the details of the flow in the tip clearance region, but rather accounts for the effects of the gap flow on the global flow solution in order to obtain a more accurate prediction of the circulation and forces on the duel and propeller.