An analysis of marine propulsors and their applications

Abstract

Increased interest on the part of the United States in the exploration and exploitation of the ocean environment has led to the assignment of diverse missions in this field to the military. Development of numerous vehicles and weapons systems and the propulsion units to propel them is required to accomplish these missions. In this paper, a general classification of propulsors is established and important performance parameters are defined. A variety of marine thrust devices is described and analyzed in detail, and a qualitative comparison of performance is made. General guidelines are offered for mating propulsors and vehicles for appropriate applications and particular mission requirements. The importance of drag reduction is recognized and various techniques are discussed in an appendix. Since this paper is intended to serve as a compendium on marine propulsors, an extensive bibliography has been incorporated.