Challenges of numerical simulations of cavitation reactors for water treatment – an example of flow simulation inside a cavitating microchannel

Pipp, Peter (author), Hočevar, Marko (author), Dular, Matevž (author)

The research on the potential of cavitation exploitation is currently an extremely interesting topic. To reduce the costs and time of the cavitation reactor optimization, nowadays, experimental optimization is supplemented and even replaced using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This is a very inviting opportunity for many developers, yet we find that all too often researchers with non-engineering background treat this "new" tool too simplistic, what leads to many misinterpretations and consequent poor engineering. The present paper serves as an example of how complex the flow features, even in the very simplest geometry, can be, and how much effort needs to be put into details of numerical simulation to set a good starting point for further optimization of cavitation reactors. Finally, it provides guidelines for the researchers, who are not experts in computational fluid dynamics, to obtain reliable and repeatable results of cavitation simulations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: cavitation, computational fluid dynamics, numerical simulation, Venturi channel, microchannel
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 10 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 77, art. 105663
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-128620
• UDC: 532.528:519.6:004.942
• ISSN on article: 1350-4177
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2021.105663
• COBISS.SI-ID: 70757891
• Publication date in RUL: 21.07.2021

PIPP, Peter, HOČEVAR, Marko and DULAR, Matevž, 2021, Challenges of numerical simulations of cavitation reactors for water treatment – an example of flow simulation inside a cavitating microchannel. Ultrasonics sonochemistry [online]. 2021. Vol. 77,  105663. [Accessed 2 June 2025]. DOI 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2021.105663. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=128620

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Ultrasonics sonochemistry
• Shortened title: Ultrason. sonochem.
• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann, Elsevier
• ISSN: 1350-4177
• COBISS.SI-ID: 707668

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: kavitacija, računska dinamika fluidov, numerična simulacija, venturijeve cevi, mikrokanal