MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF THE AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OF A PROPFAN WITH A SWIRL RECOVERY VANES

Anton Koshel

Abstract


This article presents a study of the effect of the parameters of a propfan’s swirl recovery vanes on its thrust.
The subject of the study is the dependencies between the thrust of the propfan’s swirl recovery vane and the parameters of the swirl recovery vane. The object of the study is an eight-bladed propeller fan with a swirl recovery vane. The aim of the work is to assess the influence of the swirl recovery vane’s parameters on the overall thrust performance of the propfan in cruise flight mode. The method used to study a propfan with a swirl recovery vane involves simulation of the airflow around the propfan using computational fluid dynamics methods. To achieve this aim, the following tasks were solved:an analysis of current trends in propfan development was conducted, and it was determined that the use of a swirl recovery vanes is one of the promising ways to improve the efficiency of propfans. Scientists and engineers have extensively studied the performance of propfans with a swirl recovery vane; however, the effect of the guide vane’s parameters and configuration on both the total thrust of the propeller fan and the thrust of the swirl recovery vane alone remains insufficiently explored. Mathematical modelling of the propfan operation in cruising mode was carried out, and the operating parameters of the propfan and the flow parameters at the outlet of the propfan rotor row were obtained. Based on the flow parameters at the outlet of the propfan rotor row, a series of swirl recovery vanes of various configurations were designed. Mathematical modelling of a propfan with various swirl recovery vane was carried out. Simulations conducted under cruise flight conditions have established the relationships between the thrust of the swirl recoveryvane and the overall efficiency of the propfan system as a function of the swirl recoveryvane’s parameters. By applying the most optimal solutions for the swirl recoveryvane in terms of thrust—specifically, using a design angle of attack of 0 degrees, a moderate elliptical shape in plan view, a solidity of 0.443 at a relative radius of 0.75, a sweep angle of 30 degrees, and a circumferential lean of 8 degrees on the pressure side can increase the total thrust of the propeller fan by 4.367%. The scientific novelty and practical significance of the results lie in the recommendations obtained for the design of power units with an air propeller and a propfan equipped with a swirl recoveryvanes.


Keywords


mathematical model, thrust coefficient, power coefficient, advance ratio, Mach number, propfan, open rotor, turbulence model, swirl recoveryvane

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.32620/aktt.2026.4sup1.04