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LES investigation of the tip vortex cavitating flow with special emphasis on the interaction between cavitation and vorticity by a modified cavitation model

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Abstract

Cavitation within the tip vortex (TV) flow remains a challenging issue in the design of high-speed and low-noise hydraulic machinery. In this paper, the TV cavitating flow around an elliptical hydrofoil is calculated by using large eddy simulation (LES) combined with a modified Schnerr-Sauer (S-S) cavitation model. The original S-S cavitation model is modified by taking into account the typical effect of vortex flow. The partial pressure term which can describe the vortex quantitatively and qualitatively is confirmed as ρmω 2x r 2c , and is considered into the R-P equation of the modified S-S cavitation model. Comparison between the numerical and experimental results shows good agreement in the form and evolution of cavities, including attached cavities (AC) and tip vortex cavities (TVC). The vorticity transport equation is utilized to investigate the dynamic mechanisms of the vortex development around the TVC. Further analyses indicate that cavitation in the TV flow influences the pressure in the core of the cavity and the local flow patterns. Typical vortex structures in the TV cavitating flow include TV, secondary vortex (SV) and wake vortex (WV). The direction and magnitude of the rotation effect can be described by axial vorticity which is drawn on the iso-surface of Q = 1 × 105 s−2. The development of the TV cavitating flow can be divided into two stages: Stage I, the development and fusion of TV, SV, stage II, the dissipation of SV. The stretching term dominates the evolution of TV, and the dilatation term is the main reason in the mergence process of SV.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Postdoctoral Research Foundation of China (Granr No. 2020M680380), the Natural Science Foundation Project of Chongqing, Chongqing Science and Technology Commission (Grant No. cstc2021jcyj-msxmX1046) and the Beijing Institute of Technology Research Fund Program for Young Scholars (Grant No. XSQD-202003008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China

    Xin-ran Liu, Xiao-yang Zhao & Tai-ran Chen

  2. Beijing Institute of Technology Chongqing Innovation Center, Chongqing, 401120, China

    Tai-ran Chen

  3. Vehicle Engineering Department, Army Academy of Armored Forces, Beijing, 100072, China

    Tao Wang

  4. China Ship Research and Development Academy, Beijing, 100085, China

    Xiao-yang Zhao

Authors
  1. Xin-ran Liu
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  2. Tao Wang
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  4. Tai-ran Chen
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Correspondence to Tai-ran Chen.

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Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval: This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52009001).

Biography: Xin-ran Liu (1997-), Male, Ph. D.,

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Liu, Xr., Wang, T., Zhao, Xy. et al. LES investigation of the tip vortex cavitating flow with special emphasis on the interaction between cavitation and vorticity by a modified cavitation model. J Hydrodyn 35, 594–606 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42241-023-0045-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42241-023-0045-8

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