Under certain conditions liquids can change to the vapour phase; this is cavitation, and it imposes serious limitations on pumps and pipelines if damage is to be avoided.
Improved understanding of pump cavitation in recent years has enabled a limited amount to be permitted to obtain the maximum possible amount of suction, but in these circumstances it is very important to have some knowleddge of the relationship between the intake operating conditions and the cavitation field, and between the amount of cavitation and the extent of any material damage which can be expected.
The Avoidance of Cavitation Damage is concerned with the extensive field referred to by the term cavitation, which involves industrial activities and is of immense economic significance. At its simplest, it is about damage limitation and damage avoidance in pumps and their installations, and it is the first book made available in the English language which has this specific aim. It deals with conventional rotodynamic and self-priming side-channel pumps, as well as both reciprocating and rotary positive-displacement pumps.
The Avoidance of Cavitation Damage can be wholeheartedly recommended to all practising engineers concerned with the design or use of pumps – indeed, it should become a standard reference work for all concerned with pumps and their use.
