How to Tackle Cavitation in Pump and Propeller Designs with CFD
Pumps | Propeller | Cavitation
Cavitation is a phenomenon in which rapid changes in pressure in a fluid lead to the formation of vapor-filled cavities or bubbles in places where the pressure is relatively low. It can lead to structural damage due to the bubbles imploding when subjected to higher pressure, but it can also cause instabilities and increased noise. Still, it is one of the most challenging topics CFD engineers must tackle. It occurs in many sectors, such as marine propellers, hydrofoils, torpedos, pumps, etc. Many publications cover the subject, sometimes from another point of view, starting from cavitation inception to its actual physical modeling, using pragmatic approaches or more sophisticated models. With this blog article, Cadence would like to share some of its know-how, summarizing state-of-the-art CFD technologies for cavitation prediction and covering different applications and CFD features to answer the engineer’s needs.