CFD Evaluation of sand erosion wear rate in pipe bends used in technological installations

Abstract

In this paper are presented the results of the CFD analysis evaluations performed by the authors to determine the erosion rate in pipe bends used in technological installations that circulate fluids together with a small percentage of solid particles under the form of sand. The pipe bends that were analysed have different curvatures and diameters and the same wall thickness. The CFD analysis is focused on determining the areas where the erosion occurs together with the erosion rate values. The main area where erosion occurs is at the pipe bend extrados. The differences that have been noticed are influenced by the pipe bend type, as the maximum erosion rate increases as the bend curvature increases. The research will continue with designing an experimental test rig for erosion testing to compare the CFD and experimental program results.