The present paper illustrates the main results of an experimental campaign conducted in the Thermal Cavitation. Tunnel of the Cavitating Pump Rotordynamic Test Facility (CPRTF) (it Centrospazio/Alta S.p.A. Experiments were carried out on a NACA 0015 hydrofoil at various incidence angles, cavitation numbers, and freestream temperatures, in order to investigate the characteristics of cavitation instabilities and the impact of thermal cavitation effects. Measured cavity length, surface pressure coefficients, and unsteady pressure spectra are in good agreement with the data available in the open literature and suggest the existence of a strong correlation between the onset of the various forms of cavitation and instabilities, the thermal cavitation effects, and the effects induced by the presence of the walls of the tunnel. Further analytical investigations are planned in order to provide a better interpretation of the above results

The present work investigates the dynamics of the one-dimensional, unsteady flow of a spherical bubble cloud subject to harmonic far-field pressure excitation. Bubble dynamics effects and energy dissipation due to viscosity, heat transfer, liquid compressibility and relative motion of the two phases are included. The equations of motion for the average flow and the bubble radius are linearized and a closed-form solution is obtained. The results are then generalized by means of Fourier synthesis to the case of arbitrary far-field pressure excitation. The flow displays various regimes (sub-resonant, trans-resonant and super-resonant) with different properties depending on the value of the relevant flow parameters. Examples are discussed in order to show the effects of the inclusion of the various energy dissipation mechanisms. Finally the results for the case of Gaussian-shaped far-field pressure change are presented and the most important limitations of the theory are briefly discussed. The simple linearized dynamical analysis developed so far clearly demonstrates the importance of the complex phenomena connected to the interaction of the dynamics of the bubbles with the flow and provides an introduction to the more realistic study of the same flows with nonlinear bubble dynamics.

Holographic and Coulter Counter detection techniques were jointly used to measure the concentration density distribution of cavitation nuclei in the ocean. Comparison of the two techniques indicates that Coulter Counter analysis measures particulate contents up to an order of magnitude smaller than indicated by the holographic method and may also produce a distorted concentration density distribution. Several possible explanations of the observed discrepancies are proposed and discussed, including fundamental differences between the in situ holographic samples and the collected samples examined with the Coulter Counter, differences between the unknown electrical conductivity of the measured particles in the sea water samples and the non-conductive polystyrene spheres used to calibrate the Coulter Counter, the rupture of aggregate particles in the flow through the Coulter Counter orifice, the effect of electronic noise on the Coulter Counter signal, and the influence of statistical sampling error

The characteristics of flow instabilities as well as the cavitation phenomenon in a centrifugal pump operating at low flow rates were studied by experimental and numerical means, respectively. Specially, a three-dimensional (3D) numerical model of cavitation was applied to simulate the internal flow through the pump and suitably long portions of the inlet and outlet ducts. As expected, cavitation proved to occur over a wide range of low flow rates, producing a characteristic creeping shape of the head-drop curve and developing in the form of nonaxisymmetric cavities. As expected, the occurrence of these cavities, attached to the blade suction sides, was found to depend on the pump's flow coefficient and cavitation number. The experiments focused on the flow visualization of the internal flow patterns by means of high-speed digital movies and in the analysis of the inlet pressure pulsations near the impeller eye by means of fast response pressure transducers. The experimental results showed that the unsteady behavior of the internal flow in the centrifugal pump operating at low flow rates has the characteristics of a peculiar low-frequency oscillation. Meanwhile, under certain conditions, the low-frequency pressure fluctuations were closely correlated to the flow instabilities induced by the occurrence of cavitation phenomena at low flow rates. Finally, the hydraulic performances of the centrifugal pump predicted by numerical simulations were in good agreement with the corresponding experimental data

Alta S.p.A. (Italy) and DELTACAT Ltd. (United Kingdom) are conducting a study, funded by the European Space Agency, into the development of hydrogen peroxide monopropellant thrusters using advanced catalytic beds. The present paper focuses on the design of two different demonstration thrusters with nominal ratings of 5 N and 25 N. Design requirements and specifications are presented, followed by the main results of a concept study, which was conducted to define the approximate dimensions needed. Some details about the specific design of the two prototypes and the choice of the main components are provided, with particular regard to the sensors and transducers to be used during the experimentation. Different catalytic bed configurations, including pure silver gauzes and pellets coated with manganese oxide or platinum, are going to be tested in the prototype thrusters, in order to find the optimum one for further industrial development. A dedicated test bench, designed and realized by Alta S.p.A. for tests on the thruster prototypes, is also illustrated.