I have talked about propellers and propeller design before, here and here. In fact I proposed a new propeller design with a circular rim, but this revolutionary design takes it a huge step further.
Called a 'toroidal propeller', this design claims to eliminate tip vortices, consequently delivering a 20% increase in efficiency, and a huge decrease in noise. Tho the article seems to be more focused on the application of the design to drone propellers (because drones and quadracopters are new, hip, and cool), it does mention marine applications.
And speaking of marine applications, when you are below decks and a boat passes by, you are certain to hear him - his prop makes a lot of noise in the water, and it is conveyed to your hull where you hear it. Submarines have spent fortunes trying to eliminate prop noise because this noise carries a long way in the water and frustrates stealthy operation. Expect these props to be refitted to all current and new submarines.
For now, if you want one for your boat, expect to pay approximately 10X the cost of a conventional prop, but this cost should come down significantly over the next few years, as the design gets adopted widely.
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