Drag Reduction by Rotation of Frontal Shell in Case of Axisymmetric Slender Body

Objectives: The reduction of drag is one of the primary considerations for the engineers since it facilitates the increase in speed with limited engine power. Drag reduction also provides energy saving which makes it an everlasting engineering study. This work is focused on utilizing the inevitable disadvantageous forces like Coriolis force and Munk-moments to favor the performance of the axisymmetric slender body with some modifications. Methods/Analysis: This conceptual study deals with the analysis of the drag force on a cylinder with rotating head, underwater at different conditions by utilizing the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation software ANSYS FLUENT. Certain fluid is made to flow over the axisymmetric body at various speeds, while the cylinder head is rotating at specific angular velocity. Findings: A common conclusion is drawn from the observations of contours of pressure drag, shear stress, turbulent kinetic energy and wake for spinning and non-spinning heads of the cylinder. The significant reduction in drag was observed with the combination of specific angular velocity of the rotating head and the axial velocity of the axisymmetric body. Novelty/Improvement: A novel concept of drag reduction by externally powered rotating frontal shell, with specific speed, is presented.