Investigation of transient cavitation flows in a side channel pump under the influence of specific vortex

The single-stage side channel pump suffers from cavitation seriously, even under atmospheric pressure. Previous research considers the phenomenon to be blamed on the complex vortexes. These vortexes also have different directions and different functions. Therefore, this paper proposes a multidimensional specific vortex extraction method to study the relationship between vortexes and cavitation. Under the inception of cavitation, the vapor cavities attach to the boundary of the inlet pipe. Under atmospheric pressure, both attached cavitation and vortex cavitation coexist within the flow passages in the impeller. However, vortex cavitation becomes predominant in the side channel. The existence of large, continuous vapor cavities also serves as a critical indicator that the pump is entering a severe cavitation phase. This paper explores the underlying causes of the rapid deterioration in cavitation performance and proposes effective mitigation strategies.