Aerodynamics and Far-field Noise Emissions of a Propeller in Positive and Negative Thrust Regimes at Non-zero Angles of Attack

This paper studies the effect of operation at non-zero angles of attack on the aerodynamic performance and far-field noise emissions of an isolated propeller operating at positive and negative thrust conditions. To achieve this, scale-resolved lattice-Boltzmann very large eddy simulations coupled with the Ffowcs Williams & Hawkings analogy have been used. The results show that when the propeller operates with a 10◦ angle of attack at the positive thrust condition, the blade loading increases on the advancing side and decreases on the retreating side, leading to a 9.6% increase in integrated thrust (when computed along the propeller axis) and a negligible increase (0.1%) in propeller efficiency. Conversely, at the negative thrust condition, the operation at 10 deg angle of attack results in a 7.9% decrease in thrust magnitude and an 11.1% reduction in energy-harvesting efficiency. In this condition, the positively cambered blade sections exhibit dynamic stall at the 10◦ angle of attack, resulting in broadband fluctuations of up to 10% of the mean loading. As a result of the opposite change in absolute blade loading in the negative thrust condition compared to the positive thrust condition at the 10◦ angle of attack, the change in the noise directivity is also the opposite. Whereas in the positive thrust case, the noise increases in the region from which the propeller is tilted away (i.e., below the propeller at a positive angle of attack), in the negative thrust case, it is the other way around. This study highlights the need to account for non-zero angles of attack in propeller design and optimization analyses.