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CAVITATION
Any device handling liquids is subject to cavitation, which can adversely affect the performance of hydraulic structures, turbomachinery, thrust in propulsion systems, or the accuracy of fluid meters. Cavitation also has useful applications, which include ultrasonic cleaning, homogenization of milk, enhancing of chemical processes through coagulation, formation of suspensions, and degassing of liquids. New applications of cavitation are of interest in several areas: pollution control, biomechanics,
and geomorphology, to name a few. Many hydraulic structures, hydraulic turbines, and high performance turbomachinery must often operate in the cavitating regime where, in many cases, unstable operation occurs because of cavitation-induced flow instabilities. CEGE researchers are contributing to a better understanding of unsteady cavitation phenomena. [16]
