The Cavitation Flow in the Jet Pump Cavitation Reactor and Its Sterilization of E. coli

In the present paper, experiments are conducted to investigate the effects of a jet pump cavitation reactor (JPCR) on the sterilization of e. coli. The basic performance of the JPCR is tested firstly. And then the sterilization influences of cavitation state and initial bacterial concentration are investigated. The results show that the cavitation in the JPCR has satisfying effects on e. coli sterilization. With the decrease of pressure ratio, flow ratio increases and reaches a maximum value, which is so-called limited operation cavitation stage. In this stage, severe cavitation occurs, which is used to sterilize e. coli in this paper. Generally speaking, as the treating time increases, sterilization rate increases slowly at first, and then surges. This hysteresis effect indicates that e. coil shows resistance in a short time with the explosure to cavitation. The unsteady cavitation oscillating in throat can provide a better sterilization effect. Moreover, with the decrease of initial bacteria concentration, the sterilization rate increase. Our work provides a new method of sterilization with great potentiality.