A New Cavitation-Induced-Momentum-Defect (CIMD) Correction Approach to Track Cavitation Events

A new unsteady cavitation event tracking model is developed for predicting vapor dynamics occurring in multi-dimensional incompressible flows. The procedure solves incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for the liquid phase with an additional vapor transport equation for the vapor phase. The model tracks regions of liquid vaporization and applies compressibility effects to compute the local variation in speed of sound using the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM) assumptions. The variation of local cell density as a function of local pressure is used to construct the source term in the vapor fraction transport equation. The novel Cavitation-Induced-Momentum-Defect (CIMD) correction methodology developed in this study serves to account for cavitation inception and collapse events as relevant momentum source terms in the liquid phase momentum equations. Effects of vapor phase accumulation and diffusion are incorporated by detailed relaxation models. A modified RNG K-ε model, including the effects of compressibility in the vapor regions, is employed for modeling turbulence effects. Turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation contributions from the vapor regions are integrated with the liquid phase turbulence using relevant source terms. Numerical simulations are carried out using a Finite Volume methodology available within the framework of commercial CFD software code Fluent v.6.2. Simulation results are in qualitative agreement with experiments for unsteady cloud cavitation behavior in planar nozzle flows. Multitude of mechanisms such as formation of vortex cavities, vapor cluster shedding and coalescence, cavity pinch off are sharply captured by the supplemented vapor transport equation. Our results concur with previously established theories concerning sheet and cloud cavitation such as the re-entrant jet motion, cavity closure and the impact of adverse pressure gradients on cavitation dynamics.