Dr subhash technical campus Centrifugal pumps

Centrifugal Pumps - Cavitation

• When the pressure falls below the vapour pressure of
• the liquid at a given temperature, boiling occurs and
• small bubbles of vapour are formed. These bubbles will grow in the low-pressure area and implode when they are transported to an area of pressure above vapour pressure. The term given to this local vaporisation of the fluid is Cavitation.

• The collapsing of the bubbles is the area of Cavitation we are concerned with, as extremely high pressures are produced, which causes noise and erosion of the metal surface.