Inhibition of nonlinear acoustic cavitation dynamics in liquid CO2

The authors present a model to study ultrasound-induced cavitation dynamics in liquid carbon dioxide (CO2), which includes descriptions for momentum, mass, and energy transport. To assist in the interpretation of these results, numerical simulations are presented for an argon cavity in water. For aqueous systems, inertia effects and force accumulation lead to a nonlinear radial motion, resulting in an almost adiabatic compression of the cavity interior. The simulations for liquid CO2 suggest that transport limitations impede nonlinear cavitation dynamics and the corresponding temperature rise. Consequently, in liquid CO2 the ultrasound-induced formation of radicals appears improbable. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.