Numerical Simulation of Submarine Self-Propulsion Based on Different Turbulent Simulation Models

Design requirements for submarines regarding resistance, maneuverability, stability and stealth tighten with each new generation. Fully understanding the hydrodynamics of the vessels is key if performance requirements need to be met. In this paper, the numerical simulation with three different turbulent models, Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) Realizable k-ε model, RANS SST (Menter’s Shear Stress Transport) k-ω model and the large eddy simulation (LES) are used to simulate the self-propulsion of DARPA SUBOFF submarine under V = 2.755m/s, and the simulation results are compared and analyzed. The comparisons show that the RANS method can be used to simulate the drag and pressure of submarine self-propulsion accurately. The surface pressure of LES is more accurate for fine flow field, the simulation of self-propelled parameters is less as accurate might because the mesh is not refine enough.