Numerical & experimental investigation of flow through a cavitating venturi

Cavitating venturies are one of the simplest devices to use on a flow line to control the flow rate without using complex valve and measuring systems. It has no moving parts and complex electronic systems. This simplicity increases the reliability of the venturi and makes it a superior element for the military and critical industrial applications. Although cavitating venturis have many advantages and many areas of use, due to the complexity of the physics behind venturi flows, the characteristics of the venturies are mostly investigated experimentally. In this study, venturi flows are investigated numerically and experimentally. Two-dimensional axisymmetric cavitating venturi flows are computed using a commercial flow solver FLUENT. An experimental study is then performed to assess the numerical solutions. The effect of the inlet angle, outlet angle, ratio of throat length to inlet diameter and ratio of throat diameter to inlet diameter on the discharge coefficient, and the oscillation behavior of the cavitating bubble are investigated in details.