Influence of turbulence models in the prediction of cavitation occurrence

In the present paper the effect of turbulence models on cavitation occurrence is evaluated by means of numerical simulations on a NACA 66 (MOD) profile. Cavitation will be assessed through the employment of the widely applied Singhal model, based on the use of the Rayleigh-Plesset equation for bubble dynamics description. Two different turbulence models are used to assess the effect of turbulence on cavitation. For this purpose, Scale Adaptive Simulations (SASs) and Transitional Shear Stress Transport (TSST) simulations are carried out on the NACA test case. Results are discussed for two distinct cavitation numbers comparing experimental data and simulations-obtained values of the non-dimensional pressure coefficients. Moreover, temporal trends and Fast Fourier Transformations (FFTs) will be evaluated for the physical quantities of interest, highlighting the main turbulence-induced fluctuating modes. A direct visualization of the cavity breathing phenomenon is then proposed for the severer cavitating condition case.