Research on erosion characteristics of a novel cavitation nozzle under nonsubmerged condition

Abstract

When a cavitating jet enters the atmosphere directly, its cavitating effect weakens rapidly, and the erosion energy it produces cannot be fully utilized. Regarding the problem that existing cavitation nozzles are only used in submerged condition, methods to improve the erosion ability of cavitation jets under nonsubmerged condition are studied. The nozzle is visually simulated using Fluent software, and the results show that the dynamic submerged environment at the outlet effectively expands the nearby low-pressure cavitation area. The enhancement effect of the annular cavitation nozzle on the jet cavitation effect in the atmosphere domain is verified by measuring the impact force curve of the jet and through erosion tests on brass surface. Cleaning and derusting tests show that the annular cavitation nozzle has stronger derusting ability than the high-pressure nozzle under nonsubmerged condition and under the same pressure, demonstrating that the cleaning and derusting effect mainly comes from the collapse of cavitation bubbles.