LITERATURE REVIEW

Swirl Recovery Vanes (SRVs) were designed based on a lifting-line model downstream
of the propeller where the rotational component can be redirected into the slipstream, thereby
producing extra thrust and enhancing the propulsive efficiency. The inflow velocities to the
propeller was simulated with a RANS solver. A parametric study was performed on the SRV
performance as a function of the vane count and radius. At the design point, the SRVs generated
a thrust of 2.6% of that of the propeller. It was concluded that the maximum SRV thrust could
be obtained with a vane count of 9 and vane radius equal to that of the propeller. For this case,
it was estimated that 4.1% of the propeller thrust could be produced by the SRVs and the
propulsive efficiency of the system (propeller=SRVs) improved accordingly. Results from the
computations are subsequently validated by a wind-tunnel experiment with the propeller–SRV
model. The thrust coefficient of the SRVs showed an approximately linear relation with the
propeller advance ratio, diminishing to 1.5% of the propeller thrust at a cruise condition of
J=1.0. It is thus shown that SRVs have the potential to increase the propulsive efficiency during
all flight phases considered.