Research on the cavitation in viscous oil and its pressure effect based on rotating hydrofoil

With the rapid development of aerospace, armored equipment, and construction machinery, viscous oil fluid components are developing toward miniaturization and integration as basic components, resulting in more complex oil flow conditions inside the components, making cavitation phenomena more likely. In this paper, a numerical calculation model of cavitation in viscous oil around the hydrofoil was constructed, the initial cavitation pressure threshold and characteristic distribution of the cavitation flow field under various pressure conditions were determined, and observations of cavitation phenomena under various pressure were accomplished. The results show that the high-speed rotating hydrofoil in viscous oil produces attached cavitation at the head of the suction surface, and the cavitation phenomenon gradually increases with the decrease in the pressure. The data show that the initial pressure is 0.16 MPa for the hydrofoil with a rotational speed of 4000 rpm, the total cavitation volume reaches 1.8065 × 10−3 m3 when the pressure is reduced to 0.01 MPa, and the bulk interphase mass transfer rate reaches 10.0514 kg/m3/s. The results of the research reveal the initial conditions of the cavitation in viscous oil around the hydrofoil and its pressure effect, which provides data support for the component cavitation inhibition.