Effect of superficial air and water velocities on the erosion of horizontal elbow in slug flow

Abstract

During the development of oil and gas fields, it is common for elbow suffering from sand wear. In this study, the erosion performance of 316 L stainless steel at the elbow was analyzed using the slug flow erosion experiment loop. The experiment was conducted under slug flow with different superficial air and water velocities using a detachable elbow. After weighing the mass loss and analyzing the sample surface, the erosion rates in different parts of the elbow were quantified and the erosion regularity was analyzed. The results indicate that the increase in superficial air velocity has a greater impact on the erosion rate than that in the superficial water velocity. The maximum erosion damage occurs at the outer wall in the 67.5° position. With the increase in superficial air and water velocity, the number of scratches on the maximum erosion position reduces.