Journal of Pure and Applied Ultrasonics

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Design and Analysis of Ultrasonic Horn for Cavitation Generation in Liquid Sodium


Affiliations
1 Fast Reactor Technology Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, HBNI, Kalpakkam-603102, India
2 Materials Technology Division, Metallurgy and Materials Group, HBNI, Kalpakkam-603102, India
3 Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai-400019, India
 

A vibratory cavitation device is commonly used in the laboratory to study cavitation erosion damage of materials in liquids. These devices are designed and operated in conformance with ASTM-G32 code. The main component of this device is the horn which is used to generate cavitation in the test liquid. The horn operates at ultrasonic frequency and is powered by a piezoelectric crystal driven by an ultrasonic generator. This paper discusses the analysis and design of an ultrasonic horn operating at 20 kHz with peak to peak displacement amplitude of 50 microns at the free end. The free end of the horn is immersed in liquid sodium. The material selection and design of the horn is carried out for a maximum temperature of 550°C. The horn is also provided with features to facilitate sealing of the vessel containing the test liquid (sodium) while ensuring that the necessary amplitude is obtained at the free end without unduly stressing the horn. The analysis is carried out using FEM software and the results are compared with the measured values.

Keywords

Cavitation, Vibratory Device, Ultrasonic Horn.
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  • Design and Analysis of Ultrasonic Horn for Cavitation Generation in Liquid Sodium

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Authors

B. K. Sreedhar
Fast Reactor Technology Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, HBNI, Kalpakkam-603102, India
N. Chakraborty
Fast Reactor Technology Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, HBNI, Kalpakkam-603102, India
Shaju K. Albert
Materials Technology Division, Metallurgy and Materials Group, HBNI, Kalpakkam-603102, India
A. B. Pandit
Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai-400019, India

Abstract


A vibratory cavitation device is commonly used in the laboratory to study cavitation erosion damage of materials in liquids. These devices are designed and operated in conformance with ASTM-G32 code. The main component of this device is the horn which is used to generate cavitation in the test liquid. The horn operates at ultrasonic frequency and is powered by a piezoelectric crystal driven by an ultrasonic generator. This paper discusses the analysis and design of an ultrasonic horn operating at 20 kHz with peak to peak displacement amplitude of 50 microns at the free end. The free end of the horn is immersed in liquid sodium. The material selection and design of the horn is carried out for a maximum temperature of 550°C. The horn is also provided with features to facilitate sealing of the vessel containing the test liquid (sodium) while ensuring that the necessary amplitude is obtained at the free end without unduly stressing the horn. The analysis is carried out using FEM software and the results are compared with the measured values.

Keywords


Cavitation, Vibratory Device, Ultrasonic Horn.

References