Kort nozzle

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The Kort nozzle is a shrouded, ducted propeller assembly for marine propulsion. The hydrodynamic design of the shroud, which is shaped like a foil, offers advantages for certain conditions over bare propellers.

Kort nozzles or ducted propellers can be significantly more efficient than unducted propellers at low speeds, producing greater thrust in a smaller package. For Bollard pull it may produce as much as 50% greater thrust per unit power than a propeller without a duct. Tugboats are the most common application for Kort nozzles as highly loaded propellers on slow moving vessels benefit the most.

The additional shrouding adds drag, however, and Kort nozzles lose their advantage over propellers at about ten knots (18.5 km/h).

Kort nozzles may be fixed, with directional control coming from a rudder set in the water flow, or pivoting, where their flow controls the vessel's steering

Origins

Luigi Stipa [1] and later Ludwig Kort (1934) demonstrated that an increase in propulsive efficiency could be achieved by surrounding the propeller with a foil shaped shroud in the case of heavily loaded propellers. A "Kort Nozzle" is referred to as an accelerating nozzle and is generally a MARIN 19a profile or a MARIN 37 profile.

See also

• Azipod
• Kitchen rudder
• Pleuger rudder