CFD-Exergy analysis of the flow in a small-sized Venturi

Abstract

The present study aims to compare cavitation models in predicting the flow in small-sized cavitating venturis. Three cavitation models, namely Schnerr and Sauer model, Zwart et al. Model and Singhal et al. Model have been compared under the mixture approach. Furthermore, the performance of this device has been assessed using the concept of exergy by quantifying the exergy losses accuring in its different parts. It is found that all models are capable of reproducing the physics of cavitation phenomena within the cavitating venturi. However, the Schnerr and Sauer model return higher values than the others model. It is also observed that most of the exergy losses occur in the converging and diverging parts of the venturi due to higher pressure and velocity gradients in these regions.