A new methodology for erosion prediction using Eulerian-Eulerian CFD models

The erosion of a surface caused by the impact of solid particles dragged by a fluid is a serious concern in the oil&gas industry. At present, the erosion prediction is performed using algebraic erosion models which express the volume of eroded material per impact as a function of the mass of the abrasive particles as well as of fluid dynamic parameters (such as the impact velocity and the impact angle of the eroding particle) and properties of the materials involved in the process. The fluid dynamic parameters are, in turn, evaluated using Eulerian-Lagrangian CFD models which interpret the fluid phase as a continuous mean and follow the trajectories of all the particles. However, the huge computational burden makes it difficult, or even precludes, to adopt this approach in many flows of engineering interest. An innovative methodology is proposed for estimating the parameters required as input by the erosion models using computationally cheaper Eulerian-Eulerian CFD models which solve for the average properties of the ensamble of particles. The good results obtained when predicting the erosion caused the by impingement of an abrasive jet against a surface make the application of this methodology to more complex flows very promising.