The Effect of Suction Pressure and Flow Rate on the Dynamic Characteristics of a Cavitating Inducer

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental work on dynamic characteristics of a cavitating inducer. In the present study, the focus is placed on the cavitation compliance K and the mass flow gain factor M, which are necessary for stability analysis of a propulsion system of liquid propellant rockets. Our experiment revealed that the magnitude of K and M increased as the inlet pressure and the flow rate decreased: the volume of the cavity increased. It also clarified that K had no significant phase delay and M had the phase delay of about 90 degrees, regardless of the inlet pressure and the flow rate.