Numerical Simulation of Sub-cooled Cavitating Flow by Using Bubble Size Distribution

A new cavitating model by using bubble size distribution based on mass of bubbles is proposed. Liquid phase is treated with Eulerian framework as a mixture containing minute cavitating bubbles. Vapor phase consists of various sizes of minute vapor bubbles, which is distributed to classes based on their mass. The change of bubble number density for each class was solved by considering the change of bubble mass due to phase change as well as generation of new bubbles due to heterogeneous nucleation. In this method the mass of bubbles is treated as an independent variable, in other word, a new coordinate, and dependant variables are solved in Eulerian framework for spatial coordinates and bubble-mass coordinate. The present method is applied to a cavitating flow in a convergent-divergent nozzle, and the two-phase flow with bubble size distribution and phase change was successfully predicted.