Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

LES of Venturi Cavitation

Animation of vortical structure colored by void fraction in a 3D LES of a venturi. A one-fluid, homogeneous cavitation model is coupled to a compressible LES with a dynamic Smagorinsky model. A manuscript has been submitted to the Journal of Fluids Engineering in Summer 2009 and reviews are pending. Improvements to the code made over the last year include new inlet condition model, new SGS turbulence model, new near-wall model, and preconditioning to extend the code's ability to handle higher Re flows and to improve accuracy and efficiency. Quantitative validation studies with experimental data are underway. Once validated, the simulations will be used to explore passive and active control of cavitation. The published paper can be found at the link below.

Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent-Cavitation Interactions in a Venturi Nozzle, J. Fluids Eng., December 2010, Volume 132, Issue 12, 121301 (11 pages)



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