Experiments and modeling of cavitating flows in venturi: attached sheet cavitation

Abstract

Correlated experimental and numerical studies were carried out to analyze cavitating flows and to describe the two-phase flow structures of attached sheet cavitation in Venturi geometries. New double optical probe measurements were performed and special data processing methods were developed to estimate void ratio and velocity fields for cold water flows. By applying a computational method previously developed in LEGI ( Laboratoire des Ecoulements Géophysiques et Industriels, Grenoble, France) based on the code Fine TM/Turbo and on a barotropic approach, several steady calculations were performed in cold water cavitating flows. Local and global analyzes based on comparisons between experimental and numerical results were proposed.