Erodent Impact Angle and Velocity Effects on Surface Morphology of Mild Steel

Abstract

Erosion of the flow-lines due to sanding is a problem of practical significance in almost all areas of oil and gas and other closely related industries. The presented work was aimed at investigating the effects of sand impact angle and velocity on the erosion rate of the flow-lines. An in-house built sand blasting technique was used to erode the representative mild steel plates with accelerated sand stream. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and weight loss (WS) techniques were used to quantify the effect of impact angle and velocity on the erosion rate of the exposed surface. The experimental data revealed an increasing trend in erosion rate with rise in sand velocity and impact angle. The highest erosion rate of 8.58 ± 0.1 mm/year was calculated at an impact angle of 90̊ and velocity of 20 m/s. At smaller impact angles, magnitude of the sand impact force on the target surface was reduced and consequently the erosion rate. The overall erosion rate, investigated at the particle velocities of 10 m/s and 20 m/s, was decreased from 6.59 ± 0.18 to 1.88 ± 0.09 and 8.58 ± 0.1 to 2.91 ± 0.11, respectively, with a decrease in the impact angle from 90̊ to 30̊.