Dynamics and noise emission of vortex cavitation bubbles

Abstract

The growth and collapse of a cavitation bubble forming within the core of a line vortex was examined experimentally to determine how the dynamics and noise emission of the elongated cavitation bubble is influenced by the underlying non-cavitating vortex properties. A steady line vortex was formed downstream of a hydrofoil mounted in the test section of a recirculating water channel. A focused pulse of laser light was used to initiate a nucleus in the core of a vortex, allowing for the detailed examination of the growth, splitting and collapse of individual cavitation bubbles as they experience a reduction and recovery of the local static pressure. Images of single-bubble dynamics were captured with two pulse-synchronized high-speed video cameras. The shape and dynamics of single vortex cavitation bubbles are compared to the original vortex properties and the local static pressure in the vortex core, and an analysis was performed to understand the relationship between the non-cavitating vortex properties and the diameter of the elongated cavitation bubble. Acoustic emissions from the bubbles were detected during growing, splitting and collapse, revealing that the acoustic impulse created during collapse was four orders of magnitude higher than the noise emission due to growth and splitting. The dynamics and noise generation of the elongated bubbles are compared to that of spherical cavitation bubbles in quiescent flow. These data indicate that the core size and circulation are insufficient to scale the developed vortex cavitation. The non-cavitating vortex circulation and core size are not sufficient to scale the bubble dynamics, even though the single-phase pressure field is uniquely scaled by these parameters. A simple analytical model of the equilibrium state of the elongated cavitation bubble suggests that there are multiple possible equilibrium values of the elongated bubble radius, each with varying tangential velocities at the bubble interface. Thus, the details of the bubble dynamics and bubble–flow interactions will set the final bubble dimensions.