Modeling and simulation of cavitation in hydraulic pipelines based on the thermodynamic and caloric properties of liquid and steam

The present paper focuses on a homogeneous cavitation model based on the thermodynamic equilibrium model of liquid and steam, which has significant importance for the development of modern hydraulic tools and injection systems. Subsequent to the derivation of the mathematical model a numerical method is described. Computations are carried out for a variety of test cases. The results are compared with analytic solutions, experimental data, and simulations obtained with a different numerical scheme. The investigation proves the ability of the method to predict cavitation in hydraulic pipelines in a reliable and successful manner. The lucidity of the procedure enables a simple extension of the model and the numerical method to higher space dimensions as well as applications in the context of complex hydraulic systems.Received: 2 May 2002, Revised: 7 July 2003, Accepted: 5 August 2003, Published online: 18 February 2005[/PUBLISHED]Correspondence to: A. Meister