Observations on the dynamic performance of tunnel thrusters

This paper reports on a series of experiments performed with prototype tunnel thrusters to be implemented on autonomous underwater vehicles currently under development at the Advanced Marine Systems Laboratory at FAU. For these experiments, a new test stand designed to provide a favorable platform for dynamic experiments was utilized such that the response of each thruster could be observed over the full operating range, including: transient, steady-state, and flow reversal conditions. Experimental data is presented, and the results from these experiments are shown to provide an accurate representation of the overall performance and thrust capability of the thrusters tested. The results from these experiments are compared to simulations utilizing a proposed thruster model, and the ability of the model to predict the response is discussed