Numerical investigations of cavitation control in pumps

The method for cavitation control presented in this paper is based on a slot near the leading edge of the impeller vane. This slot connects the suction side and the pressure side of the impeller vane. The pressure difference between both sides of the impeller vane drives a mass flux from the pressure side to the suction side. 2-D single-phase numerical calculations have been carried out for a cylindrical cross-section of a stationary vane of an axial pump to investigate the influence of different slot geometries. Further investigations have been done in the rotating frame of reference for an impeller of a radial pump of low specific speed. From these preliminary investigations it can be concluded that this method is most effective to reduce leading edge suction peaks in the partial capacity operating range.