Along with the advancement of the maritime power strategy, the research,
development, and application of deep-sea space stations are becoming
increasingly important. However, since deep-sea space stations mainly rely on
acoustic communication, they cannot exchange information with ground stations
quickly and accurately. To improve data transmission efficiency, this paper
proposes using a high-speed shuttle UUV instead of acoustic communication. In
this context, an efficient propulsion system is critical as it enables the UUV
to achieve high speed and maintain stability. A propeller meeting the 110.9 N
thrust requirement is designed using the chart design method, and the
110BL230-630 brushless DC motor is selected based on motor–propeller matching.
This motor has a rated speed of 3000 rpm, rated power of 3000 W, and torque of
9.6 Nm. The performance curve of the NACA0012 airfoil is analyzed to select an
appropriate rudder surface. The rudder area (4067 mm^2) is designed in
accordance with DNV rules, with the following parameters: tip chord length 40
mm, root chord length 40 mm, and half-span 70 mm. CFD analysis is conducted on
the designed propeller and the UUV equipped with the integrated propulsion
system. The predicted performance of the P4119 propeller (hydrodynamic parameter
deviation ≤ 1%) and the SUBOFF hull (resistance relative error ≤ 3.04%) confirms
the accuracy of the CFD method for calculating propeller open-water performance
and UUV drag. Through comparative analysis, the optimal rudder–propeller spacing
is determined to be 60 mm, as this spacing yields the highest propulsion
efficiency.