2/18/2019 Cavitation | ANSYS CFD

Cavitation
Cavitation is the formation of vapor bubbles within a liquid
when ow dynamics cause the local static pressure to drop
below the vapor pressure. The bubbles usually last a short time,
collapsing when they encounter higher pressure. This can cause
noise and vibration, structural wear and damage, leading to
reduced performance.

Cavitation can present problems with many products that are ANSYS Fluent
associated with uid ow including: simulation of oil
volume in a gerotor
Pumps (positive displacement) pump showing the
extent of cavitation
Fuel injectors
(red) on the gear wall.
Valves
Compressors
Turbochargers
Propellers (and other marine applications)
Spillways

However, cavitation can also be useful in controlled

applications:

Ultrasonic devices (shock wave lithotripsy)

Cavitation jets for cleaning surfaces
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Low drag torpedoes and marine hulls Cavitation | ANSYS CFD

Cavitation needs to be identi ed and diagnosed early in the

design process to get the design right the rst time. But it is
usually impossible to identify cavitation during physical testing
until it reaches high levels and the resulting noise and vibration
become apparent. Even then, it's hard to con rm that it is the
root cause of the problem. Many computational uid dynamics
(CFD) software packages have difficulty in predicting cavitation
because they are not able to account for the motion of
structural components; are not able to couple ow analysis
with other physics, which is often needed for accurate
cavitation simulation; and offer no, or perhaps only a limited
selection of, cavitation models. Without accurate prediction,
users cannot effectively optimize designs and set operating
parameters and limits, potentially exposing their products to
unexpected vibration and damage.

Accurate simulation of cavitation can enable your engineering

team to quickly evaluate alternative product and process
designs to increase efficiency, reliability, safety and durability in
a competitive, time-critical environment. ANSYS CFD solutions
provide the building blocks needed to accurately and quickly
analyze cavitation. ANSYS dynamic or moving mesh capabilities
make it easy to accurately model moving elements such as
impellers or vanes that are commonly found in applications
where cavitation is a concern. With ANSYS CFD solutions, you
can easily predict interactions between uids and structures,
which is an important characteristic of many cavitation
applications. Finally, ANSYS provides the most accurate
multiphase modeling, including numerous choices of cavitation
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and turbulence submodels that maximize accuracy by
matching the model to the application for the best t.
Cavitation is a critical computational uid dynamics app that
you have to get right.

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2/18/2019 Cavitation | ANSYS CFD

Five Critical CFD Applications You Have to Get Right

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