Erosion-Corrosion of 30°, 60°, and 90° Carbon Steel Elbows in a Multiphase Flow Containing Sand Particles

Erosion-corrosion in flow changing devices as a result of sand transportation is a serious concern in the hydrocarbon and mineral processing industry. In this work, the flow accelerated erosion-corrosion mechanism of 90°, 60°, and 30° long radius horizontal-horizontal (H-H) carbon steel elbows with an inner diameter of 50.8 mm were investigated in an experimental closed-flow loop. For these geometrical configurations, erosion-corrosion was elucidated for erosive slug flow regimes and the extent of material degradation is reported in detail. Qualitative techniques such as multilayer paint modeling and microscopic surface imaging were used to scrutinize the flow accelerated erosion-corrosion mechanism. The 3D roughness characterization of the surface indicates that maximum roughness appears in downstream adjacent to the outlet of the 90° elbow. Microscopic surface imaging of eroded elbow surfaces disseminates the presence of corrosion pits on the exit regions of the 90° and 60° elbows, but erosion scars were formed on the entry regions of the 30° elbow. Surface characterization and mass loss results indicated that changing the elbow geometrical configuration from a small angle to wide angle significantly changed the mechanical wear mechanism of the tested elbows. Moreover, the maximum erosive location was identified at the top of the horizontally-oriented elbow for slug flow.