DPCFoam: an OpenFOAM solver for corrosion-thinning prediction caused by dissolved particles

Abstract

A new solver for corrosion-thinning prediction caused by dissolved particles named DPCFoam has been developed in the framework of the open source CFD toolbox OpenFOAM. This paper uses mass transfer control mechanisms to achieve particle dissolution and concentration diffusion processes. Moreover, experimental flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) data sets were gathered from the literature and a FAC model was proposed. Then, a genetic algorithm was adopted to obtain the optimal coefficients of the empirical FAC model. In addition, DPCFoam was developed by implementing the particle dissolution, concentration diffusion and wall corrosion-thinning prediction (both empirical and theoretical FAC models) processes based on C++’s class inheritance and template techniques. Finally, the dissolution model was validated with a case of the dissolution of alumina in cryolite melts, and an air cooler inlet pipe with water injection was used as a case to validate the DPCFoam solver. Satisfactory results show that DPCFoam can be used to predict the wall corrosion-thinning rate due to the dissolution of corrosive particles.