MAR3040 07 Lifting Line Procedure

MAR3040: Further Ship
Hydrodynamics
Lifting Line and Wake Adaptation Procedure
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lecture you will be able to:
• Understand the development of the lifting line theory
• How the lifting line can be used to develop an algorithm to optimise the
loading distribution across a propeller’s blade
Lifting Line Model Revisited
• No need to explicitly consider induced drag, provided induced velocities and

their angle of attack are properly accounted for
• A series of bound (attached) vortices are distributed along a line,

representing the propeller blade
• These vortices characterise the lift (or thrust) force on the blade
• Blade has a finite aspect ratio, therefore free vortices are shed in the
slipstream of the propeller, like a revolving helical surface
• Provided the strength of each “bound” vortex is calculated, the strength of

the “free” vortices can be calculated using Biot-Savart law
Lifting Line Model Revisited (Cont.)
Slipstream of the propeller (which is made of the free vortices) lies on a helical
surface, which can be “regular” or “contracted”
• “Regular” slipstream is a helical path on a circular cylinder
• Observed when propeller is lightly or moderately loaded (ie thrust/blade area is

low)
• “Contracted” slipstream is helical path on a concave cone
• Presence of radial component of induced velocity will force slipstream to contract
• Happens with heavily loaded propellers

Lifting Line Representation of Propeller
Lifting Line Model Revisited
(Cont.)
• Each free vortex leaving the lifting line should follow a
helical path, the pitch of which is the hydrodynamic pitch
angle of the blade section
• Calculation of hydrodynamic pitch angle is critical!
• From axial momentum theorem, induced velocities at a

distance from the blade will be greater than at the blade
Design Algorithm for Moderately Loaded
Propeller Based on LLT
• Slipstream will be “regular” on light to medium loaded propeller
• Slow merchant ships, light loading ≤ 0.45
• Medium speed, moderate loading 0.45 < < 0.65
• Assume vortices leave lifting line and move downstream on cylindrical surface
with constant diameter, and constant pitch (Corresponding to )
• Design problem (Optimising propeller’s loading distribution by adjusting pitch of

each radius) reduces to the calculation of Γ , and such that the design
conditions are satisfied
• Need to define design conditions!

Propeller Based on LLT (Cont.)
• Have basic design already from, say − diagrams, ie have diameter,
optimum pitch, rate of rotation, design speed
• Now further optimise pitch distribution to absorb a given delivered

power
• Question is: Design an optimum propeller to absorb a delivered power,

at a rate of rotation in uniform stream of speed for a diameter
• Note that the varying wake has not been accounted for yet!
Preliminary steps:
• Let = , then it can be shown that:
tan = = constant
Where tan is the pitch ratio (ie ) of the surface on which the resultant
velocity lies
• Now problem is to find Γ , and at each radius
• Knowing the above enables us to calculate thrust, torque etc at each radius,
then sum up these sectional values and obtain totals.
BUT
• Γ , depends on , depends on and which also depend on Γ
• Iterative procedure is necessary
Iterative Process:
1. Assume initial pitch ratio distribution of tan for each section (or )
2. Calculate induced velocities and as a function of and
3. Calculate sectional circulation distribution, Γ in terms of velocities ,
and the lift coefficient
4. Calculate sectional torque
5. Integrate to obtain calculated

6. Compare calculated with design
If calculated − design > 1% adjust and go to step 2, else finish
Criteria for Minimum Energy loss
HOWEVER
• Algorithm of previous slide presents an arbitrary solution, since any

distribution of tan could be given values which satisfy the design
conditions
THEREFORE
• Need criteria which removes ambiguity, leading to optimised radial loading

distribution
• This criteria is called the “Condition of Minimum Energy Loss” (ie

minimisation of energy lost into slipstream)
Criteria for Minimum Energy loss (Cont.)
• Betz (1919) applied Prandtl’s wing theory to propeller in uniform stream
• Free vortex sheets in ultimate wake (far downstream) should lie on a regular
helical surface
• tan = constant (True Betz

condition)
• From Betz’s Minimum Energy

Condition it follows that the radial
distribution of circulation for
minimum energy loss will be elliptical
Inclusion of Wake (Non-Uniform Hull
Flow) into Lifting Line Model
• So far propeller has been operating in uniform flow, now need to account for
the hull’s interaction
• Need to know radial variation of wake fraction and thrust deduction fraction
• Generally we know wake fraction, but not enough about thrust deduction
fraction
• Experience shows that effect of wake is most dominant in optimisation
procedure
• Lerbs presented criteria for minimum energy loss accounting for radial wake
variation
tan 1−
tan =
1−
• , tan and tan are constant

Flow) into Lifting Line Model (Cont.)
tan 1−
tan =
1−
tan
• represents the Betz minimum energy condition, and Lerbs introduces the
1−
semi-empirical wake term of 1−
Flow) into Lifting Line Model (Cont.)
Lifting line at section looks like:
Wake Adaptation Algorithm using Lifting
Line
Including non-uniformity of flow (wake) earlier algorithm becomes:
1. Assume a value for
2. Calculate for each section at
3. Calculate and
4. Calculate Γ and
5. Obtain calculated
6. Compare calculated with design , if necessary adjust and iterate
from step 2
Wake Adaptation Algorithm using Lifting
Line (Cont.)
• By using the algorithm on the previous slide we will obtain at each

design radius ( ), the calculated lift coefficients, and
hydrodynamic pitch angles
• This is used in the following lectures to design the blades (We only have a
lifting line at the moment, no blades)
Conclusions
Now you will be able to:
• Understand the development of the lifting line theory
• How the lifting line can be used to develop an algorithm to optimise the
loading distribution across a propeller’s blade
Now that we have the optimised loading distribution, we need to obtain the
sectional geometry that will provide this
This is covered in the next lecture

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MAR3040: Further Ship

By the end of this lecture you will be able to:

• Understand the development of the lifting line theory

• No need to explicitly consider induced drag, provided induced velocities and

• A series of bound (attached) vortices are distributed along a line,

• Provided the strength of each “bound” vortex is calculated, the strength of

• “Regular” slipstream is a helical path on a circular cylinder

• Observed when propeller is lightly or moderately loaded (ie thrust/blade area is

• “Contracted” slipstream is helical path on a concave cone

• Presence of radial component of induced velocity will force slipstream to contract

• Happens with heavily loaded propellers

• Calculation of hydrodynamic pitch angle is critical!

• From axial momentum theorem, induced velocities at a

• Slow merchant ships, light loading ≤ 0.45

• Medium speed, moderate loading 0.45 < < 0.65

• Design problem (Optimising propeller’s loading distribution by adjusting pitch of

• Need to define design conditions!

• Now further optimise pitch distribution to absorb a given delivered

• Question is: Design an optimum propeller to absorb a delivered power,

4. Calculate sectional torque

5. Integrate to obtain calculated

• Algorithm of previous slide presents an arbitrary solution, since any

• Need criteria which removes ambiguity, leading to optimised radial loading

• This criteria is called the “Condition of Minimum Energy Loss” (ie

• tan = constant (True Betz

• From Betz’s Minimum Energy

• , tan and tan are constant

1. Assume a value for

2. Calculate for each section at

6. Compare calculated with design , if necessary adjust and iterate

• By using the algorithm on the previous slide we will obtain at each

Now you will be able to:

• Understand the development of the lifting line theory

This is covered in the next lecture

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