On the unsteady cavitation characteristics of compressible liquid nitrogen flows through a venturi tube

Abstract

In this paper, the unsteady cavitating flows of liquid nitrogen (LN2) through a three-dimensional (3D) venturi tube in different thermal cavitation modes are modeled based on the mixture multiphase model with the LES method and Sauer-Schnerr cavitation model. A numerical framework considering compressibility and the thermal effects of cryogenic fluids is developed, and the modified temperature-dependent Tait equations of state provide the mathematical closure. The numerical results are compared with those from previous experiments that we have conducted, and it is indicated that the simulations and experiments agree well. Condensation shock wave propagation is observed to be initiated by the impingement of the collapse-induced pressure waves from the previously shedding cloud, and details of the process are presented. The impacts of the thermal effect on the cavitation dynamics, especially the evolution of cavitation patterns and dynamic interactions between cavitation and vortex, are analyzed. The numerical results show that the formulation of condensation shock generated at the rear of the cavity varies with temperature. In addition to the pressure waves caused by shed vapor collapse, the violent mass transfer process at the closure region of the cavity releases a substantial quantity of latent heat, initiating further condensation towards the cavity as liquid temperature decreases. The entropy production theory is derived and implemented, and different entropy production terms are established in unsteady LN2 cavitating flow with different thermal effects to understand the interactions between cavitation and entropy production. The present study provides insight into the interactions of cavitation-condensation shock in the LN2 cavitating flow and contributes to a better understanding of the influences of thermal effects on cryogenic cavitation dynamics.