THE EFFECT OF CAVITATION

BY FRANK MAGAÑA AND MELVIN VIVAS

CAVITATION
VACUUM CAVITATION OR ASPIRATIONS IS A HYDRODYNAMIC EFFECT THAT OCCURS WHEN STEAM CAVITIES
ARE CREATED IN WATER OR ANY OTHER FLUID IN THE LIQUID STATE IN WHICH FORCES RESPOND TO
PRESSURE DIFFERENCES, SUCH AS WHEN THE FLUID PASSES THROUGH SPEED BY A SHARP EDGE, PRODUCING
A DECOMPRESSION OF THE FLUID DUE TO THE CONSERVATION OF THE BERNOULLI CONSTANT.

WHERE.
V = VELOCITY OF THE FLUID IN THE SECTION CONSIDERED.
= DENSITY OF THE FLUID.
P = PRESSURE ALONG THE CURRENT LINE.
g = GRAVITATIONAL ACCELERATION
z= HEIGHT IN THE DIRECTION OF GRAVITY FROM A REFERENCE DIMENSION.

TO APPLY THE EQUATION, THE FOLLOWING ASSUMPTIONS MUST BE MADE:

-VISCOSITY (INTERNAL FRICTION) EQUAL TO ZERO. THAT IS, IT IS CONSIDERED THAT THE CURRENT LINE ON
WHICH IT IS APPLIED IS IN A 'NON-VISCOUS' AREA OF THE FLUID.
-CONSTANT FLOW
-INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW, WHERE DENSITY IS CONSTANT.
-THE EQUATION IS APPLIED ALONG A CURRENT LINE OR IN A LAMINAR FLOW
IT MAY HAPPEN THAT THE VAPOR PRESSURE
OF THE LIQUID IS REACHED IN SUCH A WAY
THAT THE MOLECULES THAT COMPOSE IT
CHANGE IMMEDIATELY TO VAPOR STATE,
FORMING BUBBLES OR, MORE CORRECTLY,
CAVITIES. THE BUBBLES FORMED TRAVEL TO
AREAS OF HIGHER PRESSURE AND IMPLODE
(THE VAPOR RETURNS TO THE LIQUID STATE
SUDDENLY, "CRUSHING" THE BUBBLES
ABRUPTLY) PRODUCING A TRAIL OF HIGH
ENERGY GAS ON A SOLID SURFACE.
THE PHYSICAL PROCESS OF CAVITATION IS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME AS THAT WHICH OCCURS DURING
BOILING. THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO IS DUE TO PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE INSIDE
THE PHASE DIAGRAM. THE BOILING RAISES THE VAPOR PRESSURE OF THE LIQUID ABOVE THE LOCAL
AMBIENT PRESSURE TO PRODUCE THE CHANGE TO GAS PHASE, WHILE THE CAVITATION IS CAUSED BY A
DROP IN LOCAL PRESSURE BELOW THE VAPOR PRESSURE THAT CAUSES A SUCTION.
FOR THE CAVITATION TO OCCUR, THE "BUBBLES" NEED A SURFACE TO NUCLEATE. THIS SURFACE CAN BE
THE WALL OF A CONTAINER OR TANK, IMPURITIES OF THE LIQUID OR ANY OTHER IRREGULARITY, BUT
NORMALLY THE TEMPERATURE OF THE FLUID MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, WHICH WILL BE, TO A
LARGE EXTENT, THE POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THE CAVITATION.
ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS: HIGH DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE, LOW BACK PRESSURE AND HIGH FLUID VELOCITY.
CAVITATION IS A VERY FREQUENT PHENOMENON IN HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS WHERE THERE ARE CHANGES
IN THE SPEED OF THE LIQUID.
EXAMPLE: MOBILE PARTS.
- TURBINE BLADES.
-ROCKET BOMBS.
-HELICES OF BOATS.

NON-MOBILE PARTIES.
-STRANGULATION.
-ORIFICES.
-VALVES.
 NÚMERO DE CAVITACIÓN.
THE CAVITATION NUMBER (CA) IS A DIMENSIONLESS NUMBER USED IN FLUID MECHANICS. EXPRESSES THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DIFFERENCE OF THE ABSOLUTE LOCAL PRESSURE OF THE FLUID WITH RESPECT
TO ITS VAPOR PRESSURE AND THE KINETIC ENERGY PER VOLUME OF THE FLOW. IT IS USED TO CHARACTERIZE
THE CAVITATION POTENTIAL OF A FLUID: NEGATIVE NUMBERS OF CAVITATION, BELOW A CERTAIN THRESHOLD
(CALLED THE BLAKE THRESHOLD) ENSURE THE EXISTENCE OF CAVITATION IN THE FLUID.
NUMERICALLY IT IS DEFINED AS:

= IS THE DENSITY OF THE FLUID.

PIT IS THE LOCAL PRESSURE OF THE FLUID.
Pv = IT IS THE VAPOR PRESSURE OF THE FLUID.
V = IS THE CHARACTERISTIC SPEED OF THE FLOW.