Experimental insights into sweep-induced mechanism of erosive wear in a straight pipe section with turbulent slurry flow

Reliable design and operation of slurry handling systems are critical in industries such as mining. This study examines erosion due to solid particle impacts in a straight pipe section, introducing the concept of “turbulent erosive wear”. Ultrasound particle image velocimetry (UPIV) is used to observe flow at the surface of a ductile target (copper). Experiments are conducted at flow velocities of 1.97 and 2.15 m/s, with particle sizes of 500 and 700 m. Sweep events are identified, and their frequency, intensity, and duration are analysed using wavelet analysis. The results show that velocity impacts of solid particles during sweeps correlate with the geometry of wear scars. Turbulent erosive wear is linked to a characteristic threshold value of impact velocity. This value provides a measurable parameter to enhance predictive modelling and material selection for pipeline design.