Erosion wear analysis of solid particles in liquid-solid two-phase flow of right-angle bend pipe

Internal flow law of right-angle bend pipe is analyzed base on the CFD method. Calculation results show that flow separation occurs at the 90° corner and in downstream horizontal pipeline and obvious secondary circulation in the downstream horizontal pipeline. Erosion model provided by the Erosion and Corrosion Joint Research Center of Tulsa University (E/CRC) is introduced on the basis of flow field calculation to conduct the research on erosive wear of the right-angle bend pipe, in which spatial distribution characteristics of solid particles as well as maximum erosion rate and overall quality loss of upstream and downstream pipe walls are analyzed to show good consistency between calculation results and experimental data. Spatial distribution characteristics of solid particles depend on fluid flow characteristics and the most serious wear occurs at the bent pipe corner and inside wall surface of downstream pipeline. Flow rate, particle concentration and particle diameter have a significant effect on the maximum erosion rate, of which the flow rate follows an exponential growth relationship so that flow rates of upstream and downstream pipe walls respectively reach the index of 2.5 and 2.3.