Numerical simulation of unsteady cavitating flow over a disc

Engineering interest in natural and ventilated cavities over submerged bodies has led researchers to study cavitation. Comparatively simple analytical methods have been used to model the developed cavitation for flows whose hydrodynamics are often dominated by irrotational and rotational inviscid effects. However, a range of more complex physical phenomena are often associated with such cavities, including viscous effects, unsteadiness, mass transfer, three dimensionality, and compressibility. In this article, a finite volume method is used to simulate the developed cavitation over a disc, using the Kunz cavitation model and considering large eddy viscosity as a turbulence model. Comparison between experimental data and computed cavity length shows the ability of the combined cavitation and turbulence models to predict cavity characteristics.