Propulsion module design and analysis for a hybrid driven underwater glider

A propulsion module has been developed to complement the traditional buoyancy driven gliders and be named hybrid driven underwater gliders (HDUG). And the maneuverability and adaptability to shallow coastal waters and current regions are significantly improved thanks to the configuration of the propulsion module. Currently, the propulsion module used in the hybrid gliders mainly include propellers (folding propellers, ducted propellers), water-jet propulsion module. This paper takes the "Sea Eagle-II" hybrid driven glider as an example, using MATLAB open source software-Openprop designed the folding propeller and ducted propeller. Based on the simulation of FLUENT, we compared and analyzed the drag performance in different propulsion configuration. And combined with the power consumption of the propulsion module to determine the best propulsion form for the Sea Eagle-II.