Numerical Investigation of Sphere Cavitation Dynamics and Pressure-Wave Propagation for Underwater Noise Prediction using OpenFOAM

Paper in proceeding, 2026

Cloud cavitation involves highly unsteady vapor-cloud growth and collapse, generating intense pressure pulses and broadband acoustic emissions in marine and hydraulic systems. While incompressible simulations are widely used to predict cavitation dynamics, their ability to represent collapse-induced pressure-wave propagation remains limited. In this study, a comparative computational investigation of cloud cavitation around a sphere is performed using incompressible and compressible multiphase formulations, with validation against experimental benchmark data. The influence of compressibility on cavitation behavior, pressure fluctuations, and acoustic-spectrum characteristics is systematically examined. The results indicate that resolving localized collapse events is key to capturing high-frequency pressure fluctuations.