Numerical and Experimental Studies of Collapsing Cavitation Bubbles for Ballast Water Treatment

• Published in: Volume 7B: Ocean Engineering
• Main Authors: Chang-Wei, Kang, Tandiono, Tandiono, Xin, Lu, Turangan, Cary K., Osman, Hafiiz, Lim, Fannon, Lucas, Margaret, Tan, Matthew
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/168573/

In this paper, we report both experimental and computational studies of hydrodynamic cavitation generated by accelerating liquid through a series of constrictions. The detailed process of cavitation generation is visualized using a high-speed photography. The cavitation is initiated when a gas bubble moves towards the constrictions. The gas bubble initially accelerates, expands and then splits into smaller bubbles when it moves along the constriction. As these bubbles migrate into a large liquid compartment, they collapse violently to form a bubble cloud, owing to a sudden jump in liquid pressure in the compartment. The experimental observation is further confirmed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. We also present experimental evidence showing a significant reduction in gram-negative Escherichia coli concentration after it passes through the constrictions.