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Chemical Engineering vocabulary · Fluid Flow, Pumps and Piping

Cavitation

Meaning in chemical engineering, with examples

/ˌkævɪˈteɪʃən/nounCommon term

In chemical engineering, cavitation means: The forming and violent collapse of vapor bubbles in a liquid when local pressure falls below its vapor pressure, usually at a pump inlet or across a valve.

In Turkish: kavitasyon

How it is used

A common pump and valve problem. Operators recognize it by a noise like gravel in the pump, vibration and falling discharge pressure. It damages impellers and valve trims. The fix is usually more NPSH: higher suction level, lower temperature or less suction pressure drop.

Example sentences

  1. The pump sounds like it's full of gravel; that's cavitation from the low tank level.

  2. Cavitation has eaten away the edges of the impeller vanes.

Common collocations

  • pump cavitation
  • cavitation damage
  • cause cavitation
  • prevent cavitation
  • NPSHShort for net positive suction head: the margin between the pressure at the pump inlet and the liquid's vapor pressure, expressed as meters of liquid.
  • pumpA machine that moves a liquid through pipes by adding pressure to it. Most plant pumps are centrifugal; others are positive displacement types such as gear or diaphragm pumps.
  • vapor pressureThe pressure of the vapor above a liquid when the two are in balance at a given temperature. It rises with temperature, and the liquid boils when it equals the surrounding pressure.
  • pressure dropThe loss of pressure as a fluid flows through a pipe, valve, filter, bed or piece of equipment, caused mainly by friction.

More terms: Fluid Flow, Pumps and Piping

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