Cavitation can be the extreme result of water hammer. The momentum pressure wave generated by velocity head coming to rest is coverted to pressure in the form of say some kind of a sine-shaped wave. That wave can basically be superimposed on the steady state pressure profile of the pipeline. The wave is a high pressure region moving down the pipe, usually followed by a low pressure region. Cavitation only results when the trough of the momentum generated pressure wave reaches values below that of the fluid's vapor pressure.
When a valve in a pipe with high velocity liquid flow (water in this case) is rapidly closed, pressure upstream of the valve increases as water compresses against the face of the closed valve. Downstream, pressure is reduced as the water momentum continues to move the water away from the face of the valve. Often the differential pressure across the valve is enough to slide the valve and pipe in the axial direction, which may create some noise from the pipe bumping into a support or guide. If the pressure is reduced below the vapor pressure of the water, that space in that region is filled with water vapor. When the energy of momentum is finally expended, pressure in the vapor space can return to levels higher than vapor pressure, which collapses the vapor pocket very rapidly. As the vapor space collapses in half a milisecond or so, any surrounding liquid water is very rapidly accelerated into the former vapor space. That is the cavitation and accompanying noise that can be caused by water hammer whenever the pressure reduction is severe. Since accelerations occur over such a short time, high velocities and correspondingly high momentums are created which amplify the pressures created when those come to rest.
It is not necessary to have cavitation to break the glass bottle, as just the initial high pressures created by the water coming to rest against the bottom of the bottle might be enough to break the glass, however if there was a low pressure region created at the top of the bottle as downward accelerating water tended to leave that area, and it dropped below vapor pressure, creating a vapor space, the later collapse of that vapor space, as reflected high pressure wave returning off the bottom of the bottle reached that area, would set up a very high pressure wave that would soon be transmitted to the bottom of the bottle. If the glass didn't break the first time, the second wave from the vapor pocket collapse could certainly do it.
If I have a high pressure water pipeline, say pressure at the valve is at 900 psig at steady state flow, and I close the valve, velocity upstream coming to rest against the valve may be raise the pressure by say 200 psi, then downstream, I would expect the pressure to drop by 200 psi. Resulting transient pressures would be 1100 and 700 psig respectively, no vapor pocket created, but there would still be the 1100 psig transient pressure to deal with. If the pipeline was designed for 1000 maximum allowed operating pressure, relief valves are typically set for 10% higher, you could expect some relief valves mmight go off. If stopping the velocity head resulted in +/- 500 psi, the high pressure would reach 1400 psig, probably enough to burst most pipelines, if the relief valves were not in the right place, or sized too small to release transient flowrates developed from those 1400 psig high pressure and the 400 psig low pressure regions, even though no cavitation was ever experienced anywhere in the pipeline.
"People will work for you with blood and sweat and tears if they work for what they believe in......" - Simon Sinek
A carbonated beverage in the bottle acts the same as bleeding a little air into the inlet of a cavitating centrfugal pump which softens or cancels the cavitation going back into solution.
It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)
Beer barrel connection to an inlet fitting at the pump suction sounds like it could be a good way to dispose of excess CO2. "Drink beer. Save a pump"???
"People will work for you with blood and sweat and tears if they work for what they believe in......" - Simon Sinek
How many of you have already tried to perform this trick? How many cut themselves and ended up at the doctor? I intend to try this myself. But, please be careful and wear appropriate gloves.
I tried this so many times in college and never was successful - but I was using bottles w/beer in them. I'd seen it done at parties but had never been able to do it myself. Usually the person doing the trick would point the bottle away from his body and smack it, causing the bottom to blow out (straight down). I never saw the top of the bottle break as a result.
