Measurements of the stagnation pressure in the center of a cavitating jet

The stagnation pressure at a certain distance from the nozzle is important for the erosion/ cutting capacity of a submerged jet in dredging. The decay of the stagnation pressure with jet distance is well known in the case of non-cavitating jets. It is also known that cavitation causes the rate of decay to decrease. Under conditions of cavitation, a cone of bubbles forms around the jet, which decreases the momentum exchange between the jet and the ambient water and the associated entrainment. Despite the amount of research on cavitating jets, the literature does not provide a description for the entrainment in the case of a cavitating jet. Also, a useful description of the stagnation pressure decay of a cavitating jet is missing. To fill this lacuna, we carried out jet tests at various ambient pressures in both fresh and saline water. We present and analyse the results in this paper.Marine and Transport TechnologyMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin