Isolated propeller performance experiments with TUD reference propeller
Test objective
Wind-tunnel experiments were performed with an isolated propeller setup to generate validation data for numerical simulations of isolated propellers.
Wind-Tunnel Facility
The experiments were performed in the Open-Jet Facility (OJF) at Delft University of Technology. This low-speed, closed-return open-jet wind tunnel features an octagonal outlet of 2.85 m width and height. The maximum outlet velocity is 30 m/s, with a turbulence level of about 0.5%. The setup was installed on a ground plane, which minimized the local expansion of the jet and thus led to the most uniform inflow conditions possible.
Wind-Tunnel Model
The tests were performed with a 6-bladed propeller model with diameter of 0.4046 m. The propeller features six carbon-fiber blades, and has a variable pitch setting. Measurements were performed with pitch setting of 20, 30, and 45 degrees at 70% of the radius.
A custom-made rotating shaft balance was connected to the propeller hub to allow for force measurements during operation. The propeller was driven by an air turbine, with the exhaust flow expelled into the test section. The whole setup was supported by a streamlined strut mounted to the wind-tunnel floor.
Test conditions
Measurements were taken for sweeps of the propeller advance ratio at constant freestream velocity. The full range of thrust conditions was considered, ranging from zero thrust to maximum thrust. To identify scaling effects, 5 different freestream velocities were considered, corresponding to Reynolds numbers based on the propeller diameter of 280,000; 420,000; 560,000; 700,000; and 840,000. Repeated measurements were taken in separate runs to allow for assessment of the repeatability of the measurements.
The largest part of the test program was performed with symmetric inflow conditions, with the angle of attack and sideslip both set to 0 degrees. For the pitch setting of 45 degrees, measurements were also taken at nonzero sideslip angles ranging from -2 up to 24 degrees.
Data
The data set will be uploaded to our institutional repository. Until that time, the data will be hosted on a cloud service. The link to the data will be added to this page shortly.
The data have been discussed in the following publications:
- Li, Q., Öztürk, K., Sinnige, T., Ragni, D., Wang, Y., Eitelberg, G., and Veldhuis, L. L. M., “Design and Experimental Validation of Swirl Recovery Vanes for Propeller Propulsion Systems,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 56, No. 12, 2018, pp. 4719--4729. doi: 10.2514/1.J057113
- van Arnhem, N., Vos, R., Veldhuis, L. L. M., “Aerodynamic Loads on an Aft-Mounted Propeller Induced by the Wing Wake,” AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum, AIAA Paper 2019-1093, Jan. 2019. doi: 10.2514/6.2019-1093