Method for the prediction of the installation aerodynamics of a propfan at subsonic speeds

A subsonic flow panel code has been modified to handle the effects of a propeller wake. The effects of the propeller were modelled by a system of ring vortices of constant strength. Principles based on the blade element theory, the vortex theory and the momentum theory were used to evaluate the axial velocity increase, the swirl velocity and the pressure increase across the propeller. Theoretical calculations are compared to experimental results at Mach numbers up to 0.70 over a range of angles of attack. The discrepancies between the theory and the experimental results are analyzed. Suggestions for improvements to enhance the accuracy of the theoretical prediction are indicated.