Effect of the Leading Edge Design on Sheet Cavitation Around a Blade Section

An experimental study of the cavitation behaviour of two-dimensional hydrofoils simulating a section of an inducer blade has been performed in the CREMHyG large cavitation tunnel. Two leading edge shapes, chosen at the request of the SEP to approach rocket engine inducer designs, have been tested with respect to the development of sheet cavitation. Pressure distributions along the foil suction side and the tunnel walls have been measured for different cavit lengths. Cavity shapes have been provided by visualisations under laser sheet light and image processing. Laser anemometry (LDA) around the leading edge and total pressure measurements along the foil suction side have been performed to characterise the effects of cavitation on the liquid flow. A numerical model of cavitating flows has been improved using those experimental results. Numerical predictions have been performed, showing a good agreement with experiments on a large range of flow conditions.