Abstract
Erosion is the gradual removal of material due to solid particle impingement and results in a failure of pipeline materials. In this study, a series of erosion tests were carried out to investigate the influence of particle speed and impact angle on the erosion mechanism of API X100 pipeline steel. A dry erosion machine was used as the test equipment, while the particle speed ranged from 20 to 80 m/s and impact angles of 30° and 90° were used as test parameters. The eroded API X100 steel surface was characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The weight loss and erosion rate were also investigated. The results showed that at a 90° impact angle, a ploughing mechanism was occurring on the tested specimens, while material removal through low-angle cutting was the dominant mechanism at lower impact angles. Embedment of alumina particles on the target steel surface, micro-cutting, and low-angle cutting were observed at low impact angles. Therefore, the scratches, cuttings, and severe ploughings observed on some failed oil and gas pipelines could be attributed to the erosion mechanism.
Highlights
Petroleum products are transported from one region to another through complicated pipeline networks [1,2]
The results of API X100 steel specimens subjected to alumina solid particles at four different speeds of 20, 40, 60, and 80 m/s, and impact angles of 30° and 90° are presented
The weight loss and erosion rate of API X100 steel increases with increasing particle speed for the impact angles considered in this study
Summary
Petroleum products are transported from one region to another through complicated pipeline networks [1,2]. Each parameter behaves in a manner peculiar to each process and is often complex due to interrelated variables involved [18,19,20,21,22,23,24] Among these parameters, particle velocity and impact angle play critical roles in the erosion process [25,26,27,28]. Matsumura et al [29] conducted erosion tests of pure iron and 304 stainless steel in order to investigate the effect of surface damage at different impact angles due to impinging silica sand particles. The peak erosion rate was found to be Metals 2016, 6, 232; doi:10.3390/met6100232 www.mdpi.com/journal/metals
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