Maelstrom Water Jet Pump Testing

Under contract with the US Navy, Marine Design Dynamics conducted testing and analysis of developmental “Maelstrom” Water Jet Propulsion Pump at the University of Michigan’s Hydrodynamic Laboratory.

The Maelstrom Jet Pump tested is a 9” diameter housing supporting an internal impeller blade system. The blade system design is what makes this pump unique from conventional water jets. The system consists of 3 sets of 4 blades mounted consecutively to the inside face of a cylinder. The blades exhibit an organic geometry and each set is a different configuration. The impeller blades and cylinder are mounted inside the housing on two sets of water-cooled, continuous bearings. Two struts are mounted to the jet pump housing, supporting the jet pump in the mounting arrangement. The struts provide a means for the belt drive to enter and exit the pump housing, where it engages the cylinder to drive the impeller.

In the testing process, the jet pump was powered by a single 30 horsepower, 3600 RPM motor which turned a wheel gear that engaged the drive belt. The 30 horsepower motor and wheel gear size were selected to develop 4000 RPM at the pump.

Four different test series were run, including bollard thrust, drag resistance, forward thrust at speed, and dry runs.