Numerical Simulation of 3D Cavitating Flows: Analysis of Cavitation Head Drop in Turbomachinery

Abstract

The numerical simulation of cavitating flows in turbomachinery is studied at the Turbomachinery and Cavitation team of Laboratoire des Ecoulements Géophysiques et Industriels (LEGI), Grenoble, France in collaboration with the French space agency (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, CNES), the rocket engine division of Snecma and Numeca International. A barotropic state law is proposed to model the cavitation phenomenon and this model has been integrated in the CFD code FINE/TURBO ™. An analysis methodology allowing the numerical simulation of the head drop induced by the development of cavitation in cold water was proposed and applied in the case of two four-bladed inducers and one centrifugal pump. Global results were compared to available experimental results. Internal flows in turbomachinery were investigated in depth. Numerical simulations enabled the characterization of the mechanisms leading to the head drop and the visualization of the effects of the development of cavitation on internal flows.