Numerical Simulation of Cavitating Flows on a Foil by Using Bubble Size Distribution Model

A new cavitating model by using bubble size distribution based on bubbles-mass has been proposed. Both liquid and vapor phases are treated with Eulerian framework as a mixture containing minute cavitating bubbles. In addition vapor phase consists of various sizes of vapor bubbles, which are distributed to classes based on their mass. The bubble number-density for each class was solved by considering the change of the bubble-mass due to phase change as well as generation of new bubbles due to heterogeneous nucleation. In this method, the bubble-mass is treated as an independent variable, and the other dependent variables are solved in spatial coordinates and bubble-mass coordinate. Firstly, we employed this method to calculate bubble nucleation and growth in stationary super-heated liquid nitrogen, and bubble collapse in stationary sub-cooled one. In the case of bubble growth in super-heated liquid, bubble number-density of the smallest class based on its mass is increased due to the nucleation. These new bubbles grow with time, and the bubbles shift to larger class. Therefore void fraction of each class is increased due to the growth in the whole class. On the other hand, in the case of bubble collapse in sub-cooled liquid, the existing bubbles are contracted, and then they shift to smaller class. It finally becomes extinct at the smallest one. Secondly, the present method is applied to a cavitating flow around NACA00l5 foil. Liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen are employed as working fluids. Cavitation number, $\sigma$, is fixed at 0.15, inlet velocities are changed at 5, 10, 20 and 50m/s. Inlet temperatures are 90K in case of liquid nitrogen, and 90K and 1l0K in case of liquid oxygen. 110K of oxygen is corresponding to the 90K of nitrogen because of the same relative temperature to the critical one, $T_{r}$=$T/T_c^{+}$. Cavitating flow around the NACA0015 foils was properly analyzed by using bubble size distribution. Finally, the method is applied to a cavitating flow in an inducer of the LE-7A hydrogen turbo-pump. This inducer has 3 spiral foils. However, for simplicity, 2D calculation was carried out in an unrolled channel at 0.9R cross-section. The channel moves against the fluid at a peripheral velocity corresponding to the inducer revolutions. Total inlet pressure, $Pt_{in}$, is set at l00KPa, because cavitation is not generated at a design point, $Pt_{in}$=260KPa. The bubbles occur upstream of the foils and collapse between them. Cavitating flow in the inducer was successfully predicted by using the bubble size distribution.