The Numerical Analysis of the Effect of Flow Properties on the Thermodynamic Effect of Cavitation

The temperature depression of liquids due to latent heat of vaporization causes vapor pressure depression and suppresses cavity growth. This phenomenon is called “thermodynamic effect of cavitation.” This effect is especially significant in cryogenic fluids such as LOX and LH2. Due to this effect, the performance of hydraulic equipment for cryogenic fluids, such as turbopumps of rocket engines, is not as bad as predicted. In this paper, the size of the cavity in cryogenic fluid is estimated numerically taking the thermodynamic effect of cavitation into consideration. A cavity is assumed to be a sheet cavity. From the results, the effects of the properties of liquid and Reynolds number on the thermodynamic effect of cavitation are investigated.