ABSTRACT: The wake equalizing duct (WED) is one of the most commonly used energy saving devices for improving the propulsion performance of a ship; and reducing the propeller-excited vibrations and viscous resistance forces. During the last three decades considerable research and development activities have taken into place within this context. Most of these devices are used to improve propulsive efficiency, but some of them aims to improve other performance characteristics, such as cavitations, vibration, noise, maneuverability, etc. Marine propellers are the most common propulsion systems; nevertheless, it is possible to improve its propulsive performance using additional auxiliary propulsor devices (unconventional propulsors). Two versions of an existing ship in normal version and fitted with WED device were analyzed in order to demonstrate the influence on the WED device on the propeller cavitations . It was determined that the values for the pressure coefficient is 1.98 for without WED situation and 2.029 for WED situation. The difference is not so significant that, the conclusion is that WED device did not have influence over the cavitations of the propeller. Either optimization of dimension and form of WED did not help in reducing negative effects of cavitations. Not being a study in this paperwork, to decrease the cavitations we have other choices including a sound design of the propeller biased to improve the propeller behavior in cavitations. WED is clearly not a choice.

KEYWORDS: Propulsion Performance, Propeller, Wake Equalizing Duct (WED), Cavitation, WED Device, Propeller-Excited Vibrations, Viscous Resistance Forces

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