Cavitation occurs when bubbles form and implode in pump systems or around propellers due to a combination of temperature and pressure constraints. This causes physical damage to parts of the pump or propeller and can create a loud rocking noise. There are two types of cavitation: classical suction and exhaust cavitation. Both are caused by pressure changes necessary for vaporization.
Cavitation occurs in liquid when bubbles form and implode in pump systems or around propellers. Pumps put the liquid under pressure, but if the substance’s pressure drops or its temperature rises, it starts to vaporize, just like boiling water. In a small, sensitive system, however, the bubbles cannot escape, so they implode, causing physical damage to parts of the pump or propeller.
A combination of temperature and pressure constraints will cause cavitation in any system. However, no manufacturer or industrial technician wants to use pumps that continue to be affected by this problem, as it will permanently damage the chambers of the device. The vaporization actually causes a loud rocking noise because the bubbles are imploding and causing the liquid to move faster than the speed of sound.
Inside each pump is a propeller that draws liquid from one side of the chamber to the other. The liquid normally continues out through a valve so it can do another job in a different part of the machine. Sometimes, this device is called an impeller. Even if the total chamber remains under the same pressure and the materials are thermoregulated, cavitation is able to occur right near the surface of the propeller.
A propeller rotates through a liquid and actually creates localized pressure differences along the blades. This can also occur underwater on a submarine or on a ship’s propeller. Bubbles appear in low pressure areas but then immediately want to implode with such force that they form dents and pits in the metal. A helix exposed to these bubbles resembles the surface of the moon, with small craters scattered about.
There are two types of this phenomenon that can occur at different stages of pumping, but both are results of the same phenomenon. Classical suction or cavitation occurs around the impeller as it draws liquid through the chamber. The movement of the propeller creates the pressure changes necessary for vaporization.
Exhaust cavitation or recirculation is the result of pressure variation at the outlet point, the exhaust valve. The valve is unable to pass all of the liquid as fast as it should, so the varying speeds of the streams create minimal variations in the uniform pressure. Even these small variations are enough to create the ideal circumstances for this problem.
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