Cavitation flow simulation for a centrifugal pump at a low flow rate

A computational model on the basis of the combination of the full cavitation model and the modified re-normalization group (RNG) k- turbulence model are used to simulate the cavitating flow in a centrifugal pump at a low flow rate. A filter function is introduced for the RNG k- turbulence model in order to consider the compressibility in the cavitating flow. The calculated values of the net positive suction head available (H NPSHa) agree well with the experimental measurements. The cavities in the impeller are obtained and their evolvement with H NPSHa are revealed.