Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Erosion in Tee junction for Multi-phase

Abstract

The safe operation of industrial plants is significantly hampered by sediment erosion-corrosion since it can cause component degradation and even component failure. Researchers and the manufacturing industries still don't completely understand the fundamental causes of sand erosion, nevertheless. A protracted time of neglecting erosive wear damage might result in significant losses. The main goals of this research project cover a wide range of topics. The first goal is to pinpoint the variables that affect sand erosion so that the erosion process may be fully understood. Additionally, the research aims to identify the T-pipe and Y-pipe erosion-prone regions, quantify, and numerically evaluate erosive wear, look at how it affects surface roughness, and examine the microscopic mechanisms of sand erosion for T-pipe. To achieve this, erosion studies involving solid-liquid flow were performed on carbon steel T-junctions. Four different particle sizes ranging from 100, 200, 300, and 400 µm were used together with three different flow velocities of 5.5, 10, and 20 m/s. A Multi-layer paint modeling (MPM) method was used to pinpoint erosion-prone locations. Optical profilometry was used to analyze surface roughness and evaluate microscopic erosive wear-related damage in the T-junction. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis and microscopic mechanisms of sand erosion were studied using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was observed that the erosive wear in the Y-pipe is primarily induced by the high-angle impacts of the erodent and the no rebound of particle cause erosion-induced damage. Mass loss and thickness reduction investigations were performed to calculate erosive wear. Studying additional factors including the impact of sand fines, the impact of viscosity on erosion behavior can help explore the unexplored ground. These research gaps can be filled, leading to a better understanding of erosion mechanisms and erosion mitigation techniques. However, it is critical to recognize the current constraints and difficulties that can appear during testing and analysis, as doing so will inform future work and present chances for advancement in this field of study.