Evaluation of the Turbulence Model Influence on the Numerical Simulations of Unsteady Cavitation.pdf

O. Coutier-Delgosha1 e-mail: coutier@enstay.ensta.fr R. Fortes-Patella e-mail: regiane.fortes@inpg.fr LEGI-INPG, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France J. L. Reboud e-mail: reboud@enise.fr ENISE-LTDS, 58, rue Jean Parot, 42023 St. Etienne, France Evaluation of the Turbulence Model Influence on the Numerical Simulations of Unsteady Cavitation Unsteady cavitation in a Venturi-type section was simulated by two-dimensional compu- tations of viscous, compressible, and turbulent cavitating flows. The numerical model used an implicit finite volume scheme (based on the SIMPLE algorithm) to solve Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, associated with a barotropic vapor/liquid state law that strongly links the density variations to the pressure evolution. To simulate turbulence effects on cavitating flows, four different models were implemented (standard k-? RNG; modified k-? RNG; k-v with and without compressibility effects), and numeri- cal results obtained were compared to experimental ones. The standard models k-? RNG and k-v without compressibility effects lead to a poor description of the self-oscillation behavior of the cavitating flow. To improve numerical simulations by taking into account the influence of the compressibility of the two-phase medium on turbulence, two other models were implemented in the numerical code: a modified k-? model and the k-v model including compressibility effects. Results obtained concerning void ratio, velocity fields, and cavitation unsteady behavior were found in good agreement with experimental ones. The role of the compressibility effects on turbulent two-phase flow modeling was analyzed, and it seemed to be of primary importance in numerical simulations. @DOI: 10.1115/1.1524584#Introduction Cavitating flows in turbomachinery lead to performance losses and modifications of the blades load. These consequences can be related to the quasi-steady cavitation effects, mainly depending on the time-averaged shapes of the vaporized structu