Cavitation Bubble Dynamics in Ammoniacal Fluids Transferred by Centrifugal Pumps

Abstract

An experiment with water and ammoniacal liquor at 27% and 34% concentrations of ammonia was carried out in order to determine the pressure dynamics during the formation of bubbles and their movement when causing cavitations in centrifugal pumps. The dynamics of bubbles was calculated numerically by applying the Rayleigh-Plesset equation using the bubble radius and the bubble build-up time. It is concluded that the pressure to form the bubbles at 22 ºC is 10,135.103 Pa for water and 45,468.103 Pa for the ammoniacal liquor at a concentration of 34 %. The radius of the bubbles found in ammoniacal liquor is in the range of 30 to 120 times the original bubble radius while the bubbles formed in water are only in the range of 15 times the original radius value.

Keywords

• bombas centrífugas
• cavitación
• formación de burbujas
• patrones de flujo
• licor amoniacal.