Experimental study on erosion of hydro-turbine grade steels due to solid particle impact

Abstract

The present work has been performed to understand the erosion of hydro-turbine steels due to the impact of suspended sediment using a high-speed pot tester. Experiments have been performed at five different velocities of 13-32 m/s and four different mean particle sizes of 143-362.5 μm for the sand concentration of 3000 ppm. The orientation angle of the wear specimens was varied from 15°to 90°using an angular disc. Correlations for cutting and deformation have been developed to estimate the total erosion wear. The erosion mechanisms are also studied by scanning electron micrographic analysis of the eroded surface. The velocity exponent for CA6NM steel is observed as 2.07 and 2.14 for cutting and deformation wear rates, respectively, significantly higher than that observed at low velocity ranges. The correlation developed may be further used for numerical estimation of erosion.