Numerical Study on Tip Vortex Cavitation Inception on a Foil

In this paper, the inception of tip vortex cavitation in weak water has been predicted using a numerical simulation, and a new scaling concept with variable exponent has also been suggested for cavitation inception index. The numerical simulations of the cavitating flows over an elliptic planform hydrofoil were performed by using the RANS approach with a Eulerian cavitation model. To ensure the accuracy of the present simulations, the effects of the turbulence model and grid resolution on the tip vortex flows were investigated. The turbulence models behaved differently in the boundary layer of the tip region where the tip vortex is developed, which resulted in different pressure and velocity fields in the vortex region. Furthermore, the Reynolds stress model for the finest grid showed a better agreement with the experimental data. The tip vortex cavitation inception numbers for the foil, predicted by using both wetted and cavitating flow simulation approaches, were compared with the measured cavitation index values, showing a good correlation. The current cavitation scaling study also suggested new empirical relations as a function of the Reynolds number substitutable for the two classic constant scaling exponents. This scaling concept showed how the scaling law changes with the Reynolds number and provided a proper scaling value for any given Reynolds numbers under turbulent flow conditions.

Numerical investigation into effects of gas concentration and bubble collapse on tip vortex cavitation noise of NACA16-020 wing

In this study, the effects of gas concentration and bubble collapse on tip vortex cavitation noise of NACA16-020 wings are investigated using coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method based on sequential application of Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver, bubble dynamics model and acoustic analogy. The bubble dynamics model used in the preceding study (Ku et al., 2020) is modified by including the gas pressure terms and the bubble collapse model, which depends on the timing and threshold of bubble collapse, the number, initial radius and location of divided bubbles. The validity of the modified bubble dynamics model is confirmed through its application to a benchmark problem where single bubble is triggered by laser. Then, the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method based on the modified bubble dynamic model is applied for the prediction of tip-vortex cavitation noise of NACA16-020 wing. The predicted results of the tip vortex pattern and acoustic pressure spectrum are compared with the measured results, which shows closer agreements between two results than those in the previous study.

Tip Vortex Cavitation and Induced Noise Characteristics of Hydrofoils

Tip vortex cavitation is one of the most classical themes in fluid mechanics. Although many experimental and theoretical studies have been performed, unsolved problems still remain. In particular, the trailing vortices at the tip of the hydrofoil directly affects the hydrodynamic and acoustic performance of submerged objects such as the marine propeller, rudder and various foil-shaped appendages of the ship. In this study, the experimental results from the measurements of the vortex cavitation from the tip of two different three-dimensional hydrofoils are presented. Experiments have been carried out in Chungnam National University-Cavitation Tunnel (CNU-CT). By high speed imaging technique, the development process of vortex cavitation is observed in detail. Based on the high-speed images, physical features of the cavity inception and the swirling motion of the tip vortex cavity flow are examined. In addition, the induced noise characteristics in the vortex development process are examined by unsteady pressure measurements. The forces exerted on the hydrofoil were also measured using a dynamometer with a view to verify the scaling relation between the inception cavitation number and the non-dimensional parameters namely, the coefficient of lift, CL and the Reynolds number, Re. The results further shed light on the cause of the intense noise induced by tip vortex cavitation.