The paper aims to solves the limitations of the Goldstein body force method in a hydrodynamic simulation of a ducted propeller.

An analysis of the reason for the distortion of the duct hydrodynamic simulation is carried out based on the wing theory, and a correction method based on the mass flow and body force distribution model is proposed. The RANS method is then used to study the simulation accuracy of two kinds of improved body force method.

The results show that the average relative error of the total thrust coefficient of the two improved body force methods under open water conditions is about 5%. The average relative error of the resultant forward force of the two improved volume force methods behind the underwater vehicle are 1.8% and 11.6% respectively.

The simulation accuracy of a ducted propeller based on the improved body force method in open water and behind an underwater vehicle is greatly improved compared with the traditional method. The proposed method can accurately simulate the hydrodynamic performance of a ducted propeller, laying the foundation for the efficient dynamic maneuverability simulation of underwater vehicles.