Dynamical Nuclei Measurement: On the Development and the Performance Evaluation of an Optimized Center-Body Meter

Abstract

This work is concerned with the development of a center-body venturi for nuclei measurements of novel design, the Venturix. Our project aims to: 1. Define a specially tailored geometry for cavitation nuclei measurement. This design study takes into consideration the following main aspects: the venturi mean flow in subcavitating regime, the viscous effects, the bubble dynamics. 2. Evaluate the performance of the meter: After testing the proposed design concepts, the venturi operating characteristics, in particular its operational limits, are assessed. Finally, the performance of the acoustic method used for detecting and counting the active nuclei in the venturi is discussed.