A pump experiencing cavitation will usually be extremely____________.

A pump experiencing cavitation will usually be extremely____________.

• A. Resilient
• B. Erratic
• C. Hot
• D. Noisy

Answer: (D)

Cavitation happens when the liquid around the impeller experiences a local drop in pressure below its vapor pressure, so tiny vapor bubbles form. As the pump continues to operate, those bubbles are carried into higher-pressure regions and collapse violently. That sudden collapse sends shock waves and turbulent jets through the liquid, which you hear as loud, distinctive noise and feel as vibration. Because the defining effect of cavitation is this rapid bubble formation and collapse, the most noticeable outcome is the pump becoming extremely noisy. Resilience isn’t what cavitation implies, and while cavitation can lead to inefficiency or vibration, noise is the hallmark you’d most likely notice first. Hotness isn’t the direct tell, since heat comes from energy losses rather than the cavitation process itself.

Cavitation happens when the liquid around the impeller experiences a local drop in pressure below its vapor pressure, so tiny vapor bubbles form. As the pump continues to operate, those bubbles are carried into higher-pressure regions and collapse violently. That sudden collapse sends shock waves and turbulent jets through the liquid, which you hear as loud, distinctive noise and feel as vibration. Because the defining effect of cavitation is this rapid bubble formation and collapse, the most noticeable outcome is the pump becoming extremely noisy. Resilience isn’t what cavitation implies, and while cavitation can lead to inefficiency or vibration, noise is the hallmark you’d most likely notice first. Hotness isn’t the direct tell, since heat comes from energy losses rather than the cavitation process itself.