Numerical Investigation of Cavitation Models Combined with RANS and PANS Turbulence Models for Cavitating Flow Around a Hemispherical Head-Form Body

Accurate prediction of cavitating flows is essential for improving the performance and durability of marine and hydrodynamic systems. This study investigates the influence of different cavitation models—Kunz, Merkle, and Schnerr–Sauer—on the numerical prediction of cavitation around a hemispherical...

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Main Authors: Hyeri Lee, Changhun Lee, Myoung-Soo Kim, Woochan Seok
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/4/821
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author Hyeri Lee
Changhun Lee
Myoung-Soo Kim
Woochan Seok
author_facet Hyeri Lee
Changhun Lee
Myoung-Soo Kim
Woochan Seok
author_sort Hyeri Lee
collection DOAJ
description Accurate prediction of cavitating flows is essential for improving the performance and durability of marine and hydrodynamic systems. This study investigates the influence of different cavitation models—Kunz, Merkle, and Schnerr–Sauer—on the numerical prediction of cavitation around a hemispherical head-form body using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Additionally, the effects of turbulence modeling approaches, including Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and partially averaged Navier–Stokes (PANS), are examined to assess their capability in capturing transient cavitation structures and turbulence interactions. The results indicate that the Schnerr–Sauer model, which incorporates bubble dynamics based on the Rayleigh–Plesset equation, provides the most accurate prediction of cavitation structures, closely aligning with experimental data. The Merkle model shows intermediate accuracy, while the Kunz model tends to overpredict cavity closure, limiting its ability to capture unsteady cavitation dynamics. Furthermore, the PANS turbulence model demonstrates superior performance over RANS by resolving more transient cavitation phenomena, such as cavity shedding and re-entrant jets, leading to improved accuracy in pressure distribution and vapor volume fraction predictions. The combination of the PANS turbulence model with the Schnerr–Sauer cavitation model yields the most consistent results with experimental observations, highlighting its effectiveness in modeling highly dynamic cavitating flows.
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publishDate 2025-04-01
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series Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
spelling doaj-art-41ff0253bd7e4741956ce6f3345b89012025-08-20T02:18:14ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122025-04-0113482110.3390/jmse13040821Numerical Investigation of Cavitation Models Combined with RANS and PANS Turbulence Models for Cavitating Flow Around a Hemispherical Head-Form BodyHyeri Lee0Changhun Lee1Myoung-Soo Kim2Woochan Seok3Department of Marine Convergence Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Marine Convergence Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of KoreaAdvanced-Intelligent Ship Research Division, Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, Daejeon 34103, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Marine Convergence Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of KoreaAccurate prediction of cavitating flows is essential for improving the performance and durability of marine and hydrodynamic systems. This study investigates the influence of different cavitation models—Kunz, Merkle, and Schnerr–Sauer—on the numerical prediction of cavitation around a hemispherical head-form body using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Additionally, the effects of turbulence modeling approaches, including Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and partially averaged Navier–Stokes (PANS), are examined to assess their capability in capturing transient cavitation structures and turbulence interactions. The results indicate that the Schnerr–Sauer model, which incorporates bubble dynamics based on the Rayleigh–Plesset equation, provides the most accurate prediction of cavitation structures, closely aligning with experimental data. The Merkle model shows intermediate accuracy, while the Kunz model tends to overpredict cavity closure, limiting its ability to capture unsteady cavitation dynamics. Furthermore, the PANS turbulence model demonstrates superior performance over RANS by resolving more transient cavitation phenomena, such as cavity shedding and re-entrant jets, leading to improved accuracy in pressure distribution and vapor volume fraction predictions. The combination of the PANS turbulence model with the Schnerr–Sauer cavitation model yields the most consistent results with experimental observations, highlighting its effectiveness in modeling highly dynamic cavitating flows.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/4/821cavitationcavitation modelhemispherical head-form bodycomputational fluid dynamics (CFD)partially averaged Navier–Stokes (PANS)Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)
spellingShingle Hyeri Lee
Changhun Lee
Myoung-Soo Kim
Woochan Seok
Numerical Investigation of Cavitation Models Combined with RANS and PANS Turbulence Models for Cavitating Flow Around a Hemispherical Head-Form Body
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
cavitation
cavitation model
hemispherical head-form body
computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
partially averaged Navier–Stokes (PANS)
Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)
title Numerical Investigation of Cavitation Models Combined with RANS and PANS Turbulence Models for Cavitating Flow Around a Hemispherical Head-Form Body
title_full Numerical Investigation of Cavitation Models Combined with RANS and PANS Turbulence Models for Cavitating Flow Around a Hemispherical Head-Form Body
title_fullStr Numerical Investigation of Cavitation Models Combined with RANS and PANS Turbulence Models for Cavitating Flow Around a Hemispherical Head-Form Body
title_full_unstemmed Numerical Investigation of Cavitation Models Combined with RANS and PANS Turbulence Models for Cavitating Flow Around a Hemispherical Head-Form Body
title_short Numerical Investigation of Cavitation Models Combined with RANS and PANS Turbulence Models for Cavitating Flow Around a Hemispherical Head-Form Body
title_sort numerical investigation of cavitation models combined with rans and pans turbulence models for cavitating flow around a hemispherical head form body
topic cavitation
cavitation model
hemispherical head-form body
computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
partially averaged Navier–Stokes (PANS)
Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/4/821
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AT myoungsookim numericalinvestigationofcavitationmodelscombinedwithransandpansturbulencemodelsforcavitatingflowaroundahemisphericalheadformbody
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