Influence of particle turbulence model on a pipe elbow erosion prediction based on Euler-Euler approach

Abstract

Multiphase flows in pipes are widely used in oil and gas industries to transport solid-liquid or gas-solid mixtures. Erosion caused by solid particles impact and friction becomes a major challenge for equipment maintenance and safety, especially at pipeline singularities such as elbows. In this work, a CFD study on wall erosion in a 90° standard elbow is performed using a multi-fluid approach, also called Euler/Euler, for poly-dispersed fluid-particle flows. A model is proposed for the erosion prediction by taking into account particle agitation obtained from the Euler-Euler approach. A good agreement with experiments is observed. Then, effect of different particle turbulence models on the erosion rate are investigated.