Numerical Study of the Propulsion System Effects on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of a WIG Craft

The main goal of this research is to study of interaction between the propulsion system and the WIG Craft main parts. Therefore, the effects of some parameters such as the propeller rotation direction and the propulsion system location on the aerodynamic quality of the WIG craft have been studied deeply. Using ANSYS-CFX Software, The SIMPLE algorithm has been utilized to consider the pressure-velocity coupling, additionally the k-ω SST model has been applied as a turbulence model to take the account of the flow separation. The numerical approach is verified by comparing its results with experimental data of a three-blade aerial propeller. These comparisons indicated that there was a good agreement between present numerical results and experimental ones. The results revealed that the propeller rotation direction has no significant effect on the aerodynamic quality of the WIG craft and at α=3o, the highest aerodynamic quality is achieved. Moreover, as the propulsion system approached closer to the WIG craft center line, the drag and lift forces on the horizontal tail are respectively enhanced and decreased, subsequently in this situation the longitudinal stability of the vehicle is decreased; whereas by changing the vertical position of the propulsion system, the drag and lift forces on the horizontal tail are correspondingly reduced and increased, Thus the longitudinal stability of the WIG craft is increased.