Numerical Study of the Natural-Cavitating Flow around Underwater Slender Bodies

Abstract

Cavitating flow is of considerable importance in underwater high-speed applications because of the desirable drag reduction effect. A proper design of submerged bodies should not only produce a stable motion but also maximize the distance travelled underwater. Physical experiment and Computational Fluid Dynamics-CFD simulation can be used to investigate the cavitating flow dynamics and the interaction between the body and the surrounding flow. However, in the previous studies little specific data regarding body design have been documented. This study investigates numerically the behavior of the natural cavitating flow around submerged bodies. The bodies differ in cavitator shape and length. Steady-state simulations are carried out using the CFD approach. A two-phase mixture formulation, the turbulence k-ε model, and the Zwart—Geber—Belamri (ZGB) cavitation modeling are used. Comparisons with the published data are carried out. The behavior of the natural cavitating flow around different bodies is obtained. A modified value of the drag coefficient is proposed.