Numerical study of erosion characteristics in U-shaped elbow and slurry pump

Abstract

Centrifugal slurry pumps and supporting combined piping systems (including U-shaped elbows and tees) are widely employed in deep-sea mining, the petrochemical industry, power metallurgy, and other industrial fields. The main aim of this research is to study the effects of conveying parameters and particle properties on the collision and erosion characteristics in a U-shaped elbow and the 100SHL4147 slurry pump. Investigation through the computational fluid dynamic–discrete element method is carried out on the collision mechanisms and erosion characteristics under different flow conditions. The collision and erosion characteristics are numerically investigated based on the analysis of frequency and erosion distribution. The results indicate that the erosion degree of non-spherical particles is more severe than that of spherical particles, while the collision frequency is the opposite in the U-shaped elbow. However, the collision and erosion of non-spherical particles are higher than those of spherical particles in the slurry pump. With the increase in the flow rate, the maximum collision frequency shows an upward trend, except for the shroud, and the maximum erosion rate of each wetted part increases. The area from the blade inlet to the one-third of the blade pressure surface is the main collision and erosion region, where the anti-wear performance should be strengthened.