Analysis of Characteristics on a Compressed Air Power System Generating Supercavitation Drag Reduction for Underwater Vehicles

Yijian He () and Han Zhang
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Yijian He: School of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Han Zhang: School of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) powered by a compressed air power system is proposed to address challenges for battery/motor-powered vehicles under high-speed navigation, long endurance, and high mobility. These vehicles actively utilize supercavitation drag reduction by the exhausted gas from the compressed air power system. MATLAB/Simulink and FLUENT are used to establish theoretical models of the compressed air power system and ventilation supercavitation. The relationship between system power and navigation resistance is examined with different air flows, along with a comparison of endurance of different power vehicles at various speeds. The issue of the endurance-enhancing effect of supercavitation at high speed is investigated. The results demonstrate that increasing the air flow leads to higher power and reduced navigation resistance, and there is a balance between them. Furthermore, compared to the battery-powered vehicles with equal energy storage capacity, the compressed air power system shows 210.08% to 458.20% longer endurance times at speeds of 30 kn to 60 kn. Similarly, considering equal energy storage mass, it achieves 42.02% to 148.96% longer endurance times at high speeds (30 kn to 60 kn). The integration of supercavitation and air-powered systems can greatly enhance the endurance and maneuverability of the vehicle at high speeds while ensuring a compact system structure. The investigations could offer valuable ideas for the development and application of compressed air power systems for UUV at 30 kn to 60 kn or higher maneuvering.

Keywords: compressed air power system; supercavitation drag reduction; UUV; numerical simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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