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Iga Lab
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The lab aims to improve the performance of fluid machinery by elucidating cavitation.
AboutAbout the lab
Unraveling cavitation
The Iga Lab studies the complex gas-liquid two-phase flows caused by cavitation.
Cavitation is a flow phenomenon in which the merging and splitting, expansion and contraction, and evaporation and condensation of bubbles in a liquid are intricately intertwined.
In the turbopumps of liquid rocket engines, vibrations known as cavitation instabilities occur, and cases have been reported in which they led to serious accidents.
By combining numerical analysis on supercomputers with experiments, the lab aims to improve the performance of next-generation fluid machinery systems.
Key terms
- Cavitation
- A phenomenon in which bubbles form and collapse in a liquid flow. In pumps, it can cause vibration and reduced performance.
- Turbopump
- A pump that delivers liquid by spinning an impeller at high speed. In rocket engines, it is used to feed propellant.
- Thermodynamic effect of cavitation
- An effect that appears when cavitation occurs in cryogenic liquids or high-temperature water, and that reduces the volume of the bubbles.
NewsLab news
A paper on boiling of liquid hydrogen by Associate Professor Okajima and colleagues was published in an academic journal
A doctoral student received the Young Researcher Outstanding Presentation Award at the Turbomachinery Society of Japan Matsue Lecture Meeting
A doctoral student received the Best Paper Award at IAHR-Asia 2025
A master's student received the Young Researcher Outstanding Presentation Award at the Turbomachinery Society of Japan Academic Lecture Meeting
A joint research institute with Ebara Corporation, in which Professor Iga participates, was established
ResearchResearch themes
The lab elucidates the complex gas-liquid two-phase flows caused by cavitation through both numerical analysis and experiments. It aims to apply the results to improving the performance of fluid machinery systems such as liquid rocket turbopumps.
*Illustrative imageSuppressing vibration in rocket pumps
In liquid rocket turbopumps, cavitation instabilities can occur that cause abnormal flow-rate oscillations and degrade pump performance. Using numerical analysis on supercomputers, the lab works on methods to predict, suppress, and control these instabilities, and on clarifying the mechanisms by which they arise.
*Illustrative imageHeat suppresses cavitation
When cavitation occurs in liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, or high-temperature water, the thermodynamic effect of cavitation appears, which reduces bubble volume and improves rocket pump performance. To make effective use of this effect and to build numerical analysis models, the lab conducts experiments in a high-temperature, high-pressure water cavitation tunnel.
*Illustrative imagePredicting cavitation by computation
Cavitation is a phenomenon in which many factors, including bubble merging and splitting, evaporation and condensation, vortices, and turbulence, are intricately intertwined. In numerical simulation, even the mean lift cannot currently be predicted for a single hydrofoil at a high angle of attack, and the lab works on improving models and analysis methods.
*Illustrative imageCavitation in oil
Cavitation occurs not only in water but also in hydraulic oil used in industrial machinery and transport equipment. Because the physical properties of water and oil differ greatly, the mechanism of onset is thought to differ as well; the lab investigates the characteristics of onset through both experiments and numerical analysis, aiming to build analysis models.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Iga Lab consist of faculty, technical staff, technical assistants, administrative assistants, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.
- ProfessorYuka Iga
- Associate ProfessorJunnosuke Okajima
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RelatedLabs similar to Iga Lab
Okajima LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringAdvanced Fluid Machinery Systems Research Field
Nagai-Ikami LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringSpace Thermal Fluid Systems
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Mabuchi LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringBiomolecular flow systems researchThe information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “M-1 rocket turbopump” Selevercin at English Wikipedia / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Suppressing vibration in rocket pumps: “Test Stand at the Rocket Engine Test Facility (GRC-1973-C-00785)” NASA Glenn Research Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Heat suppresses cavitation: “High Pressure Industrial Water Facility (92-693-4)” NASA Stennis Space Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Predicting cavitation by computation: “Bubble-rising” Atif Masood (FetchCFD) / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Cavitation in oil: “Marine diesel engine with hydraulic machinery” Cjp24 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (岡島 研究室): “Kochendes wasser02” user:Markus Schweiss / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (永井・伊神 研究室): “Mars 2020 spacecraft thermal vacuum test PIA23263- D G2775 (cropped)” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (徳増 研究室): “Wikimedia Foundation Servers-8055 13” Victorgrigas / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (馬渕 研究室): “Sargent Molecular Model Kit - DPLA - c6ac8da1cde224cf5fc86d78a495f6ba” E.H. Sargent and Company / Public domain (cropped)
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