A review of the research methods and applications of cavitation water jets

Cavitation water jet technology brings significant benefits to social and economic development through its efficient and environmentally friendly operation mode. In the petroleum sector, this technology has increased drilling efficiency by over 20% and has cumulatively created economic benefits exceeding 200 million yuan. In the field of environmental protection, its non-chemical cleaning method reduces ecological damage and extends the equipment maintenance cycle by 50%. In terms of wastewater treatment, cavitation combined with photocatalytic technology offers a low-energy-consuming green solution. These applications not only promote industrial upgrading, but also have a profound impact on energy conservation, emission reduction, and safe production, providing important technical support for sustainable development. Given the significant value of cavitation water jet technology, this paper first conducts an in-depth analysis of the generation mechanism and working principle of cavitation water jets. Based on this, a comprehensive review of the experimental and numerical calculation methods adopted in the technical research in recent years was conducted from three dimensions: observation and analysis of the cavitation water jet flow field, erosion measurement, and numerical calculation simulation. The current application status was also summarized. From the summary, it can be seen that the current research hotspots are mainly concentrated on the design of nozzle structure, the expansion of observation and measurement experimental methods, and the optimization of numerical calculation methods, etc. The research content of this article aims to provide useful references for the further study and practical application of cavitation water jet technology.