Cavitation Demonstration

Introduction

Cavitation science is a part of liquid physics which studies the motion of liquids near or beyond
the limit of vaporization.. Cavitation can occur in two ways. Hydrodynamic Cavitation is the
kind of cavitation which occurs in flowing liquids while acoustic Cavitation is induced by an
oscillating pressure field in a liquid almost at rest but the principles which govern the two are the
same.
In general, vaporization happens if velocities of liquid are high, causing pressure to drop below a
critical value at which the liquid continuum is broken at one or a few points. Cavitation is the
occurrence of vapor cavities inside a liquid. It is well known that in static conditions a liquid
changes to vapor if its pressure is lowered below the so-called vapor pressure. In liquid flows,
this phase change is generally due to local high velocities which induce low pressures. The liquid
medium is then broken at one or several points and voids appear, whose shape depends
strongly on the structure of the flow.

Apparatus

The TecQuipment centrifugal pump test rig (includes centrifugal pump,

venturi meter, suction and delivery pressure gauges and pump drive shaft
torque mearing system)

Strobe light

Procedure
1. The pump was turned on.
2. Delivery valve was fully opened and suction valve was closed.
3. Strobe light was set to pump frequency and directed to the observation area
of the equipment.
4. Suction valve was partially opened to demonstrate cavitation.
5. After observation for few seconds the pump was turned off quickly to
minimize the damage.

References

What is Pump Cavitation?. 2016. What is Pump Cavitation?. [ONLINE] Available

at:http://blog.craneengineering.net/what-is-pump-cavitation.
Q&A: Pump Cavitation Diagnosis & Control | Flow Control Network. 2016. Q&A: Pump
Cavitation Diagnosis & Control | Flow Control Network . [ONLINE] Available
at:http://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/qa-pump-cavitation-diagnosis-control/.
TPO - Treatment Plant Operator Magazine | Understanding Pump Cavitation. 2016. TPO
- Treatment Plant Operator Magazine | Understanding Pump Cavitation . [ONLINE]
Available
at:http://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2013/02/understanding_pump_cavitation.

Pump Cavitation and NPSH Neutrium. 2016. Pump Cavitation and NPSH Neutrium.
[ONLINE] Available at: https://neutrium.net/equipment/pump-cavitation/.

Paulo Davim J.,Wear of Advanced Materials, Google books