Study of the Mechanism of Cavitation in Inner-Hole Rotating Cavitators

Abstract

Abstract To investigate the mechanism of cavitation, a mathematical model of the cavitation region and an expression for the gas volume fraction in the inner hole of a rotating cavitator are developed. Then, based on the realizable k-ε turbulence model and the Schner & Sauer cavitation model, the flow field is simulated numerically. With the help of pressure and streamlined distribution contours, velocity contours, and gas phase contours, the three stages of the cavitation process are simulated by the cavitation evolution model. Finally, the rate of heat generation is used as the experimental characterization of cavitation, and the cavitation mechanism is confirmed by experiments involving rotation speed and pressure. The results indicate that the cavitation effect can be measured by the generation of cavitation heat and that the influence of the rotation speed on the cavitation effect is more significant than that of the inlet pressure.