Other codes offer “Cavitation Models” but they vary widely in physical capabilities, ease-of-use, and robustness. In some cases these models are little more than marketing claims, based on the adage that “Anyone can tell the difference between something and nothing, but it takes knowledge to distinguish quality.”
The Cavitation Module developed by Simerics is the most comprehensive and robust in the industry. When comparing it to other codes, the client is urged to consider whether they have the following critical capabilities which are available in the Simerics Cavitation Module:
Comprehensive Physics:
- Model the rate of formation and collapse of vapor
- Model transport and expansion/compression of vapor as an ideal gas
- Includes the effects of Non-Condensable Gas (NCG) , e.g. air.
- Models the transport and expansion/compression of NCG as an ideal gas
- Can model variable fractions of NCG
- Can model both free and dissolved gas and the transfer between the two
- Volume fractions of gas affect the fluid properties
Robustness
- Can handle severe aeration and cavitation (e.g. off design)
- Converges to a valid solution with minimal “baby sitting” by the user
- Automated convergence logic
- Can accommodate severe initial conditions
- No need to simplify the physics, e.g. assigning unrealistic densities or viscosities to the gas
Speed
- Compare how long it take to get a solution (critical for enabling more realistic transient simulations).
When be compared with other software, Simerics welcomes the opportunity to do a head-to-head comparison. Please contact us for more information if you have an application related to aeration/cavitation.