Simulação numérica da cavitação em turbomáquinas usando uma formulação Euler-Lagrange.

Abstract

Turbomachines are operational machines that transfer mechanical energy between a rotor and a fluid. This type of machinery is employed in many industries. One of the main components of a turbomachine responsible for the energy transference, either receiving the rotation of the shaft and transforming it into fluid energy in the case of a pump or transferring energy from the fluid to the shaft in the case of a turbine, is the impeller or rotor. The cavitation phenomenon involves two-phase flow: the liquid to be pumped and the vapor bubbles which are formed during pumping. The formation process of these bubbles is complex, but occurs mainly due to the presence of regions of very low pressure. The collapse of the bubbles can often lead to a deterioration of the material, depending on the intensity or speed of bubbles collapse. The main objectives of this work was to study the hydrodynamic behavior of the flow in the impeller channels of a turbomachine (radial flow turbopump) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD resources). An Euler-Lagrange approach coupled with the Langevin equation model, was employed to estimate the bubbles tracking trajectory. Results of the simulations show the details of liquid-vapor bubble flow in a curved channel, providing insights that help us in the cavitation prevent of this machines.