Ice protected ducted propeller

Abstract

The application discloses an anti-icing channel propeller and belongs to the technical field of ship and ocean engineering equipment. The anti-icing channel propeller comprises an inlet section, a first curved section, a curved connection section, a second curved section and an outlet section which are sequentially connected, a propeller is arranged in the outlet section, the shape of the first curved section is variable, a curvature adjusting device is arranged on the first curved section, the curvature adjusting device is used for adjusting the curvature of the first curved section, an inertia locking cavity is further arranged in the first curved section, and the inertia locking cavity is used for making high inertia ice blocks collide and break. Through the collaborative design of the curvature adjusting device and the inertia locking cavity, the application realizes smooth flow guiding in an ice-free area and active deformation interception in an ice area, thereby completely solving the structural conflict between propelling efficiency and anti-icing capability and greatly improving the all-weather survival capability and economic benefits of a polar ship.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ship and marine engineering equipment technology, and in particular to an anti-icing ducted propulsion device. Background Technology

[0002] When navigating in ice-covered areas, existing polar vessel propulsion systems mostly employ straight-tube ducts or open-type propellers. Drift ice can easily be sucked directly into the propeller along the straight water flow channel, resulting in rigid collisions with the high-speed rotating propeller blades. This can cause blade deformation and breakage, and even overload damage to the propulsion motor, severely impacting the ship's survivability in polar regions. Currently, the main anti-icing method is to install protective grilles or nets at the duct inlet. However, its objective drawbacks are quite obvious: First, it is prone to clogging, as ice fragments easily adhere to the grille, reducing the inlet cross-section and significantly decreasing thrust (resulting in a "sea sucker" phenomenon); second, it generates cavitation noise, as the grille disrupts the inlet flow field, causing severe cavitation and noise from the propeller; finally, its passive protection effect is limited, only blocking large ice blocks, offering limited protection against small, hard ice fragments, and once the grille is damaged, the destructive force of the sucked-in fragments is even greater. Currently, while solutions exist for designing ducts in a fixed S-shape to block ice from directly impacting the path, these solutions have significant limitations: fixed, curved channels inevitably generate fluid resistance when navigating in ice-free, conventional waters, sacrificing the ship's normal propulsion efficiency. Furthermore, relying solely on the rebound of the fixed pipe walls to reduce the kinetic energy of large ice masses remains limited. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to provide an anti-icing ducted propulsion device, which aims to solve the problem that existing anti-icing ducted propulsion devices cannot achieve optimal results in both ice protection and ship propulsion efficiency.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an anti-icing duct propulsion device, comprising: an inlet section, a first curved section, a curved connecting section, a second curved section, and an outlet section connected in sequence. A propeller is disposed in the outlet section. The shape of the first curved section is variable. A curvature adjustment device is disposed on the first curved section for adjusting the curvature of the first curved section. An inertial locking cavity is also disposed inside the first curved section for causing high-inertia ice blocks to collide and break.

[0005] Optionally, the curvature adjustment device includes a drive mechanism fixed outside the first curved section, and the output end of the drive mechanism is connected to the outer wall of the first curved section.

[0006] Optionally, the first curved section includes, from the outside to the inside, a curvature adjustment support cavity, a flexible transition layer, and a working wall.

[0007] Optionally, the driving mechanism is a hydraulic cylinder.

[0008] Optionally, the inner diameter of the first curved section is D, the radial depth of the inertial locking cavity is 0.05D to 0.15D, the length of the first curved section is L, and the axial length of the inertial locking cavity is 0.1L to 0.5L.

[0009] Optionally, the angle between the inlet angle of the inertial locking cavity and the main channel of the first curved section is 15° to 45°.

[0010] Optionally, a base plate is also fixed to the bottom of the anti-icing duct propeller.

[0011] The ice-resistant ducted propulsion proposed in this invention, through the coordinated design of a curvature adjustment device and an inertial locking cavity, achieves smooth flow guidance in ice-free areas and active deformation interception in ice-covered areas, thereby completely resolving the structural conflict between propulsion efficiency and ice-resistant capability, and significantly improving the all-weather survivability and economic benefits of polar vessels. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an anti-icing duct propulsion device provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A partial sectional view showing the coordination between the curvature adjustment device and the first curved section; Figure 3 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the inertial locking cavity and a schematic diagram of the fluid trajectory. In the figure, 1 is the inlet section; 2 is the first bend section; 201 is the curvature adjustment support cavity; 202 is the flexible transition layer; 203 is the working wall; 3 is the bend connection section; 4 is the second bend section; 5 is the outlet section; 6 is the propeller; 7 is the curvature adjustment device; 8 is the inertia locking cavity; and 9 is the substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0014] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0015] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "fixed" can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0016] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the meaning of "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions; for example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0017] Please see Figures 1 to 3 This invention provides an anti-icing duct propeller, which may include: an inlet section 1, a first bend section 2, a bend connecting section 3, a second bend section 4, and an outlet section 5 connected in sequence. A propeller 6 is provided in the outlet section 5. The shape of the first bend section 2 is variable. A curvature adjustment device 7 is provided on the first bend section 2 to adjust the curvature of the first bend section 2. An inertia locking cavity 8 is also provided inside the first bend section 2 to cause high-inertia ice blocks to collide and break.

[0018] In this embodiment, when the ship is navigating in conventional waters, the anti-icing duct propeller is in open water control mode. At this time, the curvature adjustment device 7 on the first curve section 2 will not be activated, making the first curve section 2 smooth and maximizing the propeller's propulsion efficiency. When the ship is navigating in polar glacial waters, the anti-icing duct propeller is in ice zone control mode. At this time, the curvature adjustment device 7 on the first curve section 2 is activated, making the first curve section 2 convex, ensuring safety during polar navigation. At the same time, due to the presence of the inertial locking cavity 8, ice blocks will not directly collide with the propeller 6, further ensuring the safety of ship navigation.

[0019] This invention aims to overcome the limitations and energy losses inherent in existing fixed S-shaped ice-blocking ducts. While fixed, curved channels can physically block large ice floes from hitting the ship, the unchangeable curved channels continuously generate fluid resistance during ice-free open-water operations (such as summer), wasting the ship's propulsion power. This invention aims to break this static physical impasse by introducing an environmentally adaptive dynamic structure, enabling on-demand switching of the channel morphology.

[0020] This invention also addresses the limitations of relying solely on pipe wall rebound for ice prevention. In extreme icing regions, high-inertia, high-mass ice blocks, after impacting the duct inner wall, are highly susceptible to rebound and re-mixing into the main fluid, potentially causing secondary damage to the propeller due to turbulence. This invention aims to provide a secondary kinetic energy strangulation mechanism that combines active induction with complete locking, thoroughly separating and crushing highly dangerous ice blocks from the main fluid.

[0021] In summary, the present invention, through the coordinated design of curvature adjustment device 7 and inertial locking cavity 8, achieves smooth flow guidance in ice-free areas and active deformation interception in ice-covered areas, thereby completely resolving the structural conflict between propulsion efficiency and anti-icing capability, and significantly improving the all-weather survivability and economic benefits of polar vessels.

[0022] Furthermore, in some possible implementations, the curvature adjustment device 7 includes a drive mechanism fixed outside the first curved section 2, the output end of which is connected to the outer wall of the first curved section 2.

[0023] In this design, by setting the curvature adjustment device 7 as a drive mechanism outside the first curved section 2, the shape of the first curved section 2 can be changed through the drive mechanism, thereby achieving a smooth or convex state for the first curved section 2 to adapt to the changes in the shape of the propeller in different navigation environments.

[0024] Please see Figure 2 In some embodiments, the first curved section 2 includes, from the outside to the inside, a curvature adjustment support cavity 201, a flexible transition layer 202, and a working wall surface 203.

[0025] Specifically, the first curved section 2 has a multi-layered composite structure. The innermost layer is the working wall 203, which directly contacts and guides the flowing water and ice. A flexible transition layer 202 is provided outside the working wall 203. This transition layer primarily buffers external impacts and adapts to the local curvature deformation of the working wall 203 under different operating conditions. The curvature adjustment support cavity 201 is divided into several independent support cavity segments, its function being to provide a dynamic structural support framework for the entire deformation area.

[0026] Furthermore, the drive mechanism can be a hydraulic cylinder.

[0027] In this embodiment, the drive mechanism is set as a hydraulic cylinder, which can provide stable deformation power for the first curved section 2.

[0028] Please see Figure 3 In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the first curved section 2 is D, the radial depth of the inertial locking cavity 8 is 0.05D to 0.15D, the length of the first curved section 2 is L, and the axial length of the inertial locking cavity 8 is 0.1L to 0.5L.

[0029] Within the inertial locking cavity 8, a secondary trajectory control cavity is formed. The radial depth of this cavity is limited to between 0.05D and 0.15D, which is the inner diameter of the first curved section 2, while its axial length is limited to between 0.1L and 0.5L, which is the length of the first curved section 2. This specific spatial ratio is used to restrict the movement trajectory of the ice block within the confined cavity, forcing the ice block to make high-frequency contact, tumbling, or breaking with the cavity wall.

[0030] Please see Figure 3 The angle between the inlet angle of the inertial locking cavity 8 and the main channel of the first curved section 2 is 15° to 45°.

[0031] Specifically, the inertial locking cavity 8 has a tangential inlet, and its inlet angle forms an angle of 15° to 45° with the main channel of the first bend section 2. This angle is designed to guide the ice blocks thrown out by centrifugal force in anti-icing mode to slide smoothly into the inertial locking cavity 8, while effectively preventing a large influx of normal propulsion fluid.

[0032] Please see Figure 1 In some possible implementations, a base plate 9 is also fixed to the bottom of the anti-icing duct propeller.

[0033] The anti-icing duct propeller is fixed to the base plate 9, which ensures the stability of its overall structure.

[0034] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the patent. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the description and drawings of the present invention, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An anti-icing duct propeller, comprising an inlet section (1), a first bend section (2), a bend connecting section (3), a second bend section (4), and an outlet section (5) connected in sequence, wherein a propeller (6) is disposed within the outlet section (5), characterized in that, The shape of the first curved section (2) is variable. A curvature adjustment device (7) is provided on the first curved section (2). The curvature adjustment device (7) is used to adjust the curvature of the first curved section (2). An inertial locking cavity (8) is also provided inside the first curved section (2). The inertial locking cavity (8) is used to cause high-inertia ice blocks to collide and break.

2. The anti-icing duct propeller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The curvature adjustment device (7) includes a drive mechanism fixed outside the first curved section (2), and the output end of the drive mechanism is connected to the outer wall of the first curved section (2).

3. The anti-icing duct propeller according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first curved section (2) includes, from the outside to the inside, a curvature adjustment support cavity (201), a flexible transition layer (202), and a working wall surface (203).

4. The anti-icing duct propeller according to claim 3, characterized in that, The driving mechanism is a hydraulic cylinder.

5. The anti-icing duct propeller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the first curved section (2) is D, and the radial depth of the inertial locking cavity (8) is 0.05D to 0.15D; the length of the first curved section (2) is L, and the axial length of the inertial locking cavity (8) is 0.1L to 0.5L.

6. The anti-icing duct propeller according to claim 5, characterized in that, The angle between the inlet angle of the inertial locking cavity (8) and the main channel of the first curved section (2) is 15° to 45°.

7. The anti-icing duct propeller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the anti-icing duct propeller is also fixed with a base plate (9).

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