Bubble Tracking Simulation of Cavitating Flow in an Atomization Nozzle

Numerical simulation of transient cavitating flow in a axisymmetric nozzle was conducted in order to investigate the detailed motion of cavitation bubble clouds which may be dominant to atomization of a liquid jet. Two-way coupled bubble tracking technique was assigned in the present study to predict the unsteady cloud cavitation phenomena. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) was used to predict turbulent flow. Calculated pressure distribution and injection pressure were compared with measured ones. Then, calculated motion of cavitation bubble clouds was carefully investigated to understand the cavitation phenomena in a nozzle. As a result, the following conclusions were obtained: (1) Calculated result of pressure distribution along the wall, the relation between injection pressure vs. flow rate, and bubble distribution agreed with existing experimental result. (2) Cavitation bubble clouds were periodically shed from the tail of vena contracta, which usually formed by the coalescence of a few small bubble clouds. (3) Collapse of cavitation bubbles due to the re-entrant jet was observed in the numerical simulation.