Numerical investigation of acoustic cavitation behavior and cavitation-induced thermal effects using lattice Boltzmann method

In the present work, a double distribution function (DDF) thermal lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is adopted to investigate the thermodynamics of cavitation bubbles under the acoustic field. Herein, an acoustic non-reflective boundary condition is applied to eliminate the effect of sound wave propagation. The present results are in good agreement compared with the analytical solution of the Keller and Miksis (KM) equations based on spherical cavitation bubbles under periodic excitation, confirming the effectiveness and capability of the adopted DDF LBM. Then, the influence of the amplitude and wavelength on the maximum temperature generated by single and double cavitation bubbles collapse is discussed. The results indicate a linear relationship between the maximum temperature and the amplitude, a nonlinear relationship with the wavelength, and an optimal wavelength that results in a moderate maximum collapse temperature. Additionally, a dynamic model of five linear bubbles is constructed to capture the shielding effect of external cavitation bubbles. It is found that due to outer bubble collapse and sound wave superposition, the temperature and pressure peaks generated during each bubble layer collapse are significantly higher than the preceding layers. The current simulation results are thoroughly validated by theory and experiments, underscoring the importance of controlling the wavelength and amplitude of acoustic waves in regulating cavitation thermal effects. •The DDF LBM effectively models the dynamics of acoustic cavitation bubbles.•Acoustic non-reflecting boundary conditions are used.•Sound wave wavelength and amplitude affect bubble collapse kinetics and thermodynamics.•Simulations show distinct behaviors in weak and strong bubble interactions.•Optimal wavelength makes Tmax moderate and controllable.