Application and experimental validation of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based erosion prediction model in elbows and plugged tees

This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based erosion prediction model and its application to oilfield geometries specifically elbows and plugged tees. This comprehensive procedure consists of three major components: flow simulation, particle tracking, and erosion calculation. The effect of the particle rebound model on the particle trajectories as well as erosion pattern in the elbow and plugged tee is also investigated. Experimental erosion tests were performed in both an elbow and a plugged tee to evaluate the simulation results. The results from the model show good agreement of the erosion trend with the erosion data for elbow and plugged tee geometries. Experiment confirms that a stochastic rebound model is required in simulations to give a reasonable estimate of erosion rate and pattern in a plugged tee. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.