Hydroacoustic Modelling of Podded Propulsion System : Underwater Radiated Noise Prediction Using ANSYS

Sammanfattning: Ocean noise pollution is an invisible but growing threat. There are many sources of sound in the ocean but human underwater radiated noise, in particular from shipping is one of the most prominent one. Ocean noise pollution can interfere or sometimes even directly harm marine life.  This thesis is in collaboration with Kongsberg Maritime which aims to develop an underwater radiated noise prediction method for the ELegance pod system. In particular, the focus is on the noise generated as a direct effect of the permanent magnet motor vibrations. Kongsberg wants to be able to calculate the underwater radiated noise for different pod geometries and engine configurations in order to find an optimal operating speed of the electric motor. The underwater radiated noise prediction is carried out using two methods. The first one is a 2-way coupled fluid-structure interaction harmonic response model, dealing with the vibrations. In addition, the flow induced noise is evaluated using CFD combined with Ffowcs-Williams Hawkings acoustic analogy.  The harmonic response model is used to calculate the sound in terms of a frequency response, which can be translated to revolutions per minute of the rotor. This allows Kongsberg to identify rotor speeds where the operation may or may not be optimal. The flow induced noise is investigated for a typical transit speed. The results show this noise is multiple orders of magnitude smaller than the sound caused by the vibrations. This together with the fact that the computational cost of CFD is large suggests that the flow induced noise is not something Kongsberg needs to consider at an early design stage. Neither the propeller nor cavitation is considered in this thesis, due to the limited computational resources but also that Kongsberg designs propellers that are vessel specific. These sources of sound become important when considering the full acoustic profile of a propulsion unit of this type.