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September 10, 2025Open Access

Design and Efficiency Analysis of High Maneuvering Underwater Gliders for Kuroshio Observation

ZTZhihao TianUniversity of Science and Technology Beijing BHBing HeTianjin University of Technology HZHeng ZhangNorth China Electric Power University

Key Points

The optimized five-blade propeller design achieved 69.01% water efficiency while minimizing noise and enhancing hydrodynamic performance.
Comparative assessments revealed that while additional blades can postpone cavitation, they can also complicate flow, impacting efficiency.
An integrated design framework utilized lattice Boltzmann method simulations and advanced acoustic propagation analysis to inform propeller specifications.
This research may significantly enhance future marine vehicle designs by balancing operational stealth and energy efficiency through intelligent propulsion systems.

Abstract

The Kuroshio Current’s flow velocity imposes exacting requirements on underwater vehicle propulsive systems. Ecological preservation necessitates low-noise propeller designs to mitigate operational disturbances. As technological evolution advances toward greater intelligence and system integration, intelligent unmanned systems are positioning themselves as a critical frontier in marine innovation. In recent years, the global research community has increased its efforts towards the development of high-maneuverability underwater vehicles. However, propeller design optimization ignores the key balance between acoustic performance and hydrodynamic efficiency, as well as the appropriate speed threshold for blade rotation. In order to solve this problem, the propeller design of the NACA 65A010 airfoil is optimized by using OpenProp v3.3.4 and XFlow 2022 software, aiming at innovating the propulsion system of shallow water agile submersibles. The study presents an integrated design framework combining lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) simulations synergized with fully Lagrangian-LES modeling, implementing rotational speed thresholds to detect cavitation inception, followed by advanced acoustic propagation analysis. Through rigorous comparative assessment of hydrodynamic metrics, we establish an optimization protocol for propeller selection tailored to littoral zone operational demands. Studies have shown that increasing the number of propeller blades can reduce the single-blade load and delay cavitation, but too many blades will aggravate the complexity of the flow field, resulting in reduced efficiency and noise rebound. It is concluded that the propeller with five blades, a diameter of 234 mm, and a speed of 500 RPM exhibits the best performance. Under these conditions, the water efficiency is 69.01%, and the noise is the lowest, which basically realizes the balance between hydrodynamic efficiency and acoustic performance. This paradigm-shifting research carries substantial implications for next-generation marine vehicles, particularly in optimizing operational stealth and energy efficiency through intelligent propulsion architecture.

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