Comparative study of Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes and partially-averaged Navier–Stokes models for cavitation flows around a hemispherical head-form body

Cavitation causes the erosion of marine propellers and induces noise and vibration within the mechanical system. In this study, the results of Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and partially-averaged Navier–Stokes (PANS) models for detecting cavitation flows around a three-dimensional (3D) hemispherical head-form body were compared. These turbulence models can accurately depict the unsteady characteristics of cavitation flows. To investigate the effect of these turbulence models on flow characteristics, we analyzed the periodic shedding of the sheet and cloud cavitation. In addition to the shape of the cavity around the body, the pressure, velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulent viscosity were compared to identify the differences between the turbulent models. An open-source platform OpenFOAM was used for this analysis. The results revealed that the pressure coefficient in the PANS model was consistent with the experimental data. Furthermore, the PANS model provided an accurate depiction of the development process of sheet and cloud cavitation.