Multiscale tow-phase flow modeling of sheet and cloud cavitation

• A multiscale model for traveling bubble and sheet to cloud cavitation is presented.
• Tracking subgrid free nuclei and wall nucleation fully recovers sheet dynamics.
• The model is validated against experiments on 2D and 3D NACA0015 foils.
• Cavity length and period of oscillation match very well observations.
• The evolution of sheet cavitation on a 3D oscillating hydrofoil is simulated.

A multiscale two-phase flow model based on a coupled Eulerian/Lagrangian approach is applied to capture the sheet cavitation formation, development, unsteady breakup, and bubble cloud shedding on a hydrofoil. No assumptions are needed on mass transfer. Instead natural free field nuclei and solid boundary nucleation are modelled and enable capture of the sheet and cloud dynamics. The multiscale model includes a micro-scale model for tracking the bubbles, a macro-scale model for describing large cavity dynamics, and a transition scheme to bridge the micro and macro scales. With this multiscale model small nuclei are seen to grow into large bubbles, which eventually merge to form a large scale sheet cavity. A reentrant jet forms under the sheet cavity, travels upstream, and breaks the cavity, resulting in the emission of high pressure peaks as the broken pockets shrink and collapse while travelling downstream. The method is validated on a 2D NACA0015 foil and is shown to be in good agreement with published experimental measurements in terms of sheet cavity lengths and shedding frequencies. Sensitivity assessment of the model parameters and 3D effects on the predicted major cavity dynamics are also discussed.