Reynolds number scaling of leakage vortex flow

To study the Reynolds number scaling of cavitation inception, a ducted propulsor simulation is developed and extensively validated with experimental results. The simulation is used as a tool for investigating the minimum pressure, circulation, and axial/tangential velocities in the vortex core, thus providing a means of correlating these quantities to Reynolds number. The simulation reveals that the leakage vortex exhibits little dependence on Reynolds number, while the trailing edge vortex appears to exhibit classical trends. Moreover, the trailing edge, albeit the weaker vortex, appears to be causing inception.