Slurry erosion surface damage under normal impact for pipeline steels. (August 2018) - Alam, Tahrim
Abstract: Slurry erosion is responsible for major failures in oil and gas transmission pipelines. In this study, slurry erosion behavior of AISI 1018, AISI 1080, API X80, API X100 and API X120 is investigated to determine the effect of slurry concentration on erosion rate and erosion mechanisms. The slurry concentrations employed were 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt.% while slurry velocity (12 m s −1 ) and angle of incidence (90°) were kept constant. It is found that erosion rate increases with increasing slurry concentration. SEM observations and EDS analysis were performed in order to determine the dominant erosion mechanisms. Heavy plastic deformation, brittle fracture of work hardened layer and microcutting are identified as dominant erosion mechanisms. API X120 and AISI 1080 steels showed better erosion resistance compared to the other steels investigated in this study. The features of the overall damaged region are related to the flow characteristics of the slurry. Highlights: Steel exhibits different erosion response based on their grades. Normalized erosion rate of the steels increases with increasing slurry concentration. Dominant erosion mechanism for alternative slurry erosion conditions was determined in this study. Different zones of eroded profile has been identified and presented.