A numerical investigation of the viscous 2-D cavitating flow over a wall - mounted fence

Two-dimensional flow over a wall-mounted fence with a finite length cavity detaching from the fence is investigated using computation fluid dynamics. The effect of boundary layer thickness to height ratio on cavity characteristics, general flow topology and upstream wall pressure distribution is investigated. The viscous analysis was undertaken at a Reynolds number, based on fence height, of 800,00 using a commercial RANS code with the standard k-ε turbulence model. Results are compared with an inviscid potential flow model to assess the effect of viscosity. A non-linear boundary element method was used to solve the wetted surface/cavity inviscid potential flow problem.