Numerical analysis of erosion due to nanoparticles in a pipe elbow

Abstract

Flows of fluids laden with small particles in pipes are common in industry. An interesting and still unexplored issue is erosion of walls due to impact of particles. The main focus of our research was on nanoparticles. This type of particles have recently been tested as e.g. potential components of coolants. In this paper, attention was paid to erosion due to particles through pipe elbows. It was discovered that while smaller particle should result in essentially lower erosion rate, this does not always occur. Smaller particles tend namely to move faster towards the wall due to vortices, which may enhance the erosion.