Effects of Different Inlet Pressures on Impingement Characteristics of Aluminum

Abstract

In this paper, the inner walls of oil pipes were cleaned using cavitation water jet technology after tertiary oil recovery. To improve cleaning efficiency and reduce damage caused by jet impingement, aluminum samples were used instead of oil pipe dirts. Scanning electron microscopy, 3D microscopy, and an electrochemical workstation were used to study the surface morphology, depth of impinging pits, and corrosion resistance of the aluminum samples after impingement with the cavitation water jet. According to the results, there were no obvious changes on the surface of the aluminum samples after impinging at inlet pressures lower than 13 MPa, but if the inlet pressure approached 15 MPa, the area of impinged pits on the surface of aluminum, the depth of impingement pits, and the mass loss of aluminum samples significantly increased, and the corrosion resistance of the oil pipe wall changed less after impingement. This proved that the impinging efficiency of the cavitation water jet was significantly improved and the degree of damage of the oil pipe wall was low near 15 MPa. If the inlet pressure was greater than 15 MPa, the impinging rate obviously increased, but the damage degree of the oil pipe wall was more serious.