Steady-state analyses of the incompressible flow past a single-stage s
tator/rotor propulsion pump are presented and compared to experimental
data. The purpose of the current study is to validate a numerical met
hod for the design application of a typical propulsion pump and for th
e acoustic analysis based on predicted flowfields. ii steady multiple-
blade row approach is used to calculate the flowfields of the stator a
nd the rotor. The numerical method is based on a fully conservative co
ntrol-volume technique. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations
are solved along with the standard two-equation k - epsilon turbulence
model. Numerical results for both mean flow and acoustic properties c
ompare well with measurements in the wake of each blade row. The rotor
blade has a thick boundary layer in the last quarter of the chord and
the flow separates near the trailing edge. These features invalidate
many Euler-prediction results. Due to the dramatic reduction of the tu
rbulent eddy viscosity in the thick boundary layer; the standard k - e
psilon model cannot predict the correct local flow characteristics nea
r the rotor trailing edge and in its near wake. Thus, a modification o
f the turbulence length scale in the turbulence model is applied in th
e thick boundary layer in response to the reduction of the turbulent e
ddy viscosity.