Trials of a semi-Kaplan towboat propeller
py B Christopoulos and R. Latorre
IN the I9SUEI9GITS ducted! propellers
dint highice powered diesel tosthoats be
perate on U.S, inland witer
Bohs dhs was the stanlard until the
pest lecisle when the high cost af fuel
Piles in towboats fisted with heavy
fect engines
Actual tow boat performance is ill
hints qustatify using scale reel fests
rTnsecently. many developments i
fret tnchouts evolve fram «iperation
feadback, stalysis of logbooks and de-
loner inition in oxition prin
fiery toss ink stulies, This isthe main
fenwn Tor making extended measure
thts af the towbet fel consent
Recently the authors developed
cemicKaplan ducted prupeller for
se pensering a TMP hp towshoal, The semi
Kapka propeller is shown in F
This new propeller design resulted
twin the necessity of repowering tri
He senew towwbott-with 3 2400 hlyp
six rpm heavy fuel diesel engines,
the original towboat engines twimed §
sled ducted propellers which absorb
i shy a 215 spa. Since the 3136
7 reduetion pears were to be retaine
the new propellers woud fe turin
J slower ME rpm, This design
sitement is summarized in Table {
Howboat propeller design
ac wwsboat propeller design is based
othe methods developed it Ref [1]
LE The propellers were matched for
41 hp gowboat pushing a $ % @harge
sin -Ueep water, In-arder te insure
fc thrust, an-uncenseationsl
svi distribution was adopted whieh
wsked the blade tips of the semi-
Aapian propellers
cial results
ov vedify the performance improve:
ments estended towshoat trials were
sushnoted over IIS tips to stalin
ssbvsat speed! and fuel enasumption,
ho intial tests were done with the
viv Kaplan propellers installed, ‘The
slot was docked and 5 bladed pro
1s of conventional design were fit-
‘al These tests provided the basis for
% present comparison
Foe emi the axlvamtges 1 eaulily
: ea
[eee | ee
ea iss.om
The semi-Kaplan towboat propeller in-
stale
Mile
esleulated index Equivalent Bar
per qallon of Tel Aas adopted.
(1 +06 mR
EBMy =
where
= number of loaded barges
number af empty’ bat
R= tip distance a miles
salons of uel eonsamed
Table 2 summarizes comparison for
15 towboat trips going north bound
inst the iver current
(EBMig) we obtiined
EBM for the semi-Kaplan prey
The eorrespanling value i 3.15
lon vEBAT was tained for the conn
tional S bladed preipeller, This imeates
impeoement font fit
SemicKaaplan propeller
The higher speed when the tobi
is fitted ith the semi-Kaplan propellers
translates inte 3 akditions trips (Cairo,
Vlinois to Baron Rouge, Louis.) cor
Fespondling ta ineteased yearly rey
ceonie a USS 100.000, The reduced (2.7
versus 3.125 gallons) engine fuel costs
Fepresents & sivings of S200.0vear
Consequenily. fing the semi-Kaplan
propellers generates tocal from fel
Suvings und increased revemne of
SHMLOIM
aking
kon
Vibration levels
In ote to docament the vibrution
level. ibration signature analysis was
performed in the engine room, ‘The
measurements with the semi-Kaplin
propellers were made on two trips with
itferent toe arrangements and differ
ing barge numbers
Experience sith propellers with di
ferent kde numbers has shown that
the bhwle number affeets the unsteady
force levels In several eases it has been
lemonsitated that incressing the Hale
umber from 4 to 5 reduced the meas
tured hill vibration levels. [wats es.
pected tht she four bladed design with
large bhidle ance and ao skew would en=
jounter the abrupt avial wake changes
‘and Gansinit high vibration Heads into
Table 2. Cor parson of towboat tp
with semi Kaplan and conventional propa
‘Northbound against iver cumtant
Tontoat Fited with with Semixkaplan
Design «lade Propeller
Gives soa
Team ewe Speed
Saige. Rargewile Vinh
wai Gal
7 50) a2 Tae
4 352 oar a2
a sa 6363 583
a ia O37, Be
5 ne ret Suze
5 doa baa 38
7 nD nae 32
é 2a 0383 ao
0 bos asa
" bay 305
2 ban 12
5 ey 29
4 2303 35
5 one an
Loarded as tow valu of EBEg
£ Diregarded as high value oF COM
3 Rug: remating 2 tripe
“Wale Base
nase” OO
Tewinat Fited with Convantional
Slade Propeller
(oras.2r88h
TEM Eas Speed
farge- —Barmeeile¥'mph
ie oe
130 0300
2s 313
280, oer,
no 229"
ne 0.0
tea 038
Bo 5253
be 0302
na 0335
twa Dah
Ds"
Boat International September 1990the propulsion system. It was quite
pleasant to find that the engine room
mmewurements showed the blued
Semi-Kaplan vibration levels were
equivalent or slightly higher than those
measured shea the S-blided conven
tional propellers were fitted [3]
Sine these vibration levels are quite
sensitive to small changes in the propel:
ler pitch expecially at the tip, there i
a passibility fo “tine” the semi-Rayphan
propeller clesign hy slight sejustinent to
the piteh distibation, This was outside
the seupe tthe repowering prajct. Dt
should he considered when using a
Semi-Kaplan towbout propeller
Discussion and conclusions
The extended trials of the semi-Kaplan
propeller shown in Table 2 indicate in
provements. in hoth. specel and ef
Siency. This is equivalent & 3 I
provement. when compared with eon
\entional towhoat propellers, ‘Phe semi
Kali design is sik simpler to mane
facture
This projeet demonstrated 3 possible
coonomic gain trom careful propeller
design. [tis anticipated there will be fa
ture developments using. this semi
Kapkan design in rises toxboats
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to May. ML
Linapie for typing the manuseri
References
[-Christopoulous. BL. Latorre.R,
‘Mower Toombul and Propelion.”
SNAME MAEINW TECHNOLOGY
Vol. 1. No. 3, 1983, pp. 29-226,
Rtatomre, R..'Shallow River
Pushboat Preliminary Design.” Ameti
‘ean Society of Civil Lngingers Jonrnal
fof Waterway. Port Coustal. and Ocean
Fingering. Vol. LIT No.4. DISS. pp
3. Christopoulos, B.. Latorte, R.. “De-
Sign sind Trials oft New Riser Tawshost
Propeller.” ta be published (1990).