Energy analysis of transient flow with cavitation by considering the effect of water temperature in viscoelastic pipes

Abstract Numerous studies on the pressure fluctuations and cavity volume variations of a transient cavitation flow in viscoelastic pipes are available in the literature. However, the effect of water temperature on the cavity volume and energy conversion has been studied less often. This paper employs the discrete vapor cavity model using quasi-steady friction and quasi-two-dimensional friction models to calculate the cavity volume for different water temperatures and investigates the effects of water temperature on the appearance of the first cavitation at the downstream valve, and on the pressure damping in a tank-piping-valve system using an integrated energy analysis approach. The results show that the differences between the pressure and energy variations of the transient cavitation flow simulated using different models were minimal under different water temperature conditions. Moreover, as the water temperature increased, the appearance time of the cavity is postponed, and the volume of the cavity decreases. The energy dissipation increases continuously with an increase in the volume of the cavitation and water temperature in viscoelastic pipes. This study provides valuable insights into the variation pattern of the cavity and the effect of vapor cavities on the rise and decay of the pipeline pressure in different situations.