Experiment and numerical simulation of sand particle erosion under slug flow condition in a horizontal pipe bend

Sand erosion is a common problem in oil and gas field development. An experimental facility was designed and used to study the sand erosion of pipe bend under slug flow. A detachable test pipe bend was designed to measure the weight loss at 36 discrete locations on the pipe bend before and after each experiment. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based erosion prediction method was developed to get a further understanding of the erosion. The relationships among the gas and liquid distribution, the sand movement and the erosion profile were analyzed to explain the erosion mechanism. The most severe erosion area of the pipe bend occurs at the axial angle of the elbow between 67.5 degrees and 90 degrees and at the circumferential angle of the elbow between 45 degrees and 90 degrees. The erosion profiles of the pipe wall are dominated by three particle collision mechanisms, namely, micro-cutting, plowing and impact deformation.