Influence of solid-liquid two-phase flow conveying parameters on the elbow wear with and without the swirler

Abstract

Elbow wear is a considerable threat to the multiphase pipeline transportation industry. The swirler placed upstream of elbows could reduce wear. The dense discrete phase model (DDPM) was used to study the effects of different concentrations, particle sizes, and flow velocities on the wear of elbows with and without the swirler, and the formation mechanism of different wear morphologies was revealed. The mathematical models between conveying parameters and the MWR (maximum wear rate) were established, and the conveying parameters that were most suitable for using the swirler to reduce elbow wear were obtained. The bench test proved that the MWR of the horizontal-horizontal (H-H) elbow, horizontal-vertical (H-V) elbow, and vertical-horizontal (V-H) elbow could be reduced by 51.9%, 35.5%, and 23.2%.