Numerical Cavitation Model with thermodynamic effects for process intensification in a Venturi Reactors

Abstract

Process intensification through cavitation in Venturi reactors holds significant potential for enhancing industrial efficiency. However, accurately predicting cavitation behaviour under thermal conditions remains challenging. This study presents a novel numerical model implemented in the OpenFOAM environment to simulate cavitation of high temperature water in Venturi reactors. The model employs a compressible Volume of Fluid (VOF) approach and incorporates a modified Schnerr-Sauer cavitation model. This approach accounts for thermal effects by integrating energy equations and temperature-dependent fluid properties. The model is validated against experimental data from Petkovšek and Dular (Petkovšek and Dular, 2017), focused on temperature profiles and cavitation lengths at different cavitation numbers. The model accurately predicted the intensity of thermal depression and the extent of the cavitation region. The study also examined unsteady behaviours such as re-entrant jet mechanisms, shedding frequencies, and temperature depression at different cavitation numbers.