Numerical study on morphological characteristics of rotational natural supercavitation by rotational supercavitating evaporator with optimized blade shape

摘要

In view of the supercavitation effect, a novel device named the rotational supercavitating evaporator (RSCE) has been designed for the desalination. In order to improve the blade shape of the rotational cavitator in the RSCE for the performance optimization, the blade shapes of different sizes are designed by utilizing the improved calculation method for the blade shape and the validated empirical formulae based on previous two-dimensional numerical simulations, from which the optimized blade shape with the wedge angle of 45 degrees and the design speed of 5 000 r/min is selected. The estimation method for the desalination performance parameters is developed to validate the feasibility of the utilization of the results obtained by the two-dimensional numerical simulations in the design of the three-dimensional blade shape. Three-dimensional numerical simulations are then conducted for the supercavitating flows around the rotational cavitator with the optimized blade shape at different rotational speeds to obtain the morphological characteristics of the rotational natural supercavitation. The results show that the profile of the supercavity tail is concaved toward the inside of the supercavity due to the re-entrant jet. The empirical formulae for estimating the supercavity size with consideration of the rotation are obtained by fitting the data, with the exponents different from those obtained by the previous two-dimensional numerical simulations. The influences of the rotation on the morphological characteristics are analyzed from the perspectives of the tip and hub vortices and the interaction between the supercavity tail and the blade. Further numerical simulation of the supercavitating flow around the rotational cavitator made up by the blades with exit edge of uniform thickness illustrate that the morphological characteristics are also affected by the blade shape.