Numerical Simulation of Elbow Erosion in Shale Gas Fields under Gas-Solid Two-Phase Flow

Bingyuan Hong, Xiaoping Li, Yanbo Li, Yu Li, Yafeng Yu, Yumo Wang, Jing Gong and Dihui Ai
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Bingyuan Hong: School of Petrochemical Engineering and Environment, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
Xiaoping Li: National Engineering Laboratory for Pipeline Safety, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Yanbo Li: National Engineering Laboratory for Pipeline Safety, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Yu Li: National Engineering Laboratory for Pipeline Safety, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Yafeng Yu: National Engineering Laboratory for Pipeline Safety, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Yumo Wang: National Engineering Laboratory for Pipeline Safety, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Jing Gong: National Engineering Laboratory for Pipeline Safety, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Dihui Ai: National Engineering Laboratory for Pipeline Safety, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-15

Abstract: Erosion is one of the most common forms of material failure and equipment damage in gas transmission pipelines. Shale gas fields use hydraulic fracturing whereby solid particles are often carried in the gas flow, and the pipeline is in a high-pressure state, which is more likely to cause erosion. The prediction of particle erosion regulation in gas-solid two-phase flow is an effective means to ensure the safe operation of shale gas fields. In this paper, an integrated CFD-DPM model is established to investigate the erosion of 90° elbow in a shale gas field under gas-solid two-phase flow, employing the realizable k-? turbulence model, discrete phase model, and erosion rate prediction model. The reliability of the proposed numerical models is verified by comparing the predicted data with the experimental data. Moreover, the effects of six important factors on maximum erosion rate are analyzed, including gas velocity, mass flow rate of sand particles, particle diameter, shape coefficient of sand particles, pipeline diameter, elbow radius of curvature. Specifically, the results indicate that the gas velocity, mass flow rate and shape coefficient of sand particles are positively correlated with the maximum erosion rate, while the pipe diameter and the elbow radius of curvature are negatively correlated with the maximum erosion rate. A new correlation was developed, which included four dimensionless groups, namely Reynolds number, diameter ratio, density ratio and particle number. The correlation can be used to predict maximum corrosion rate of elbows. This work can provide data reference and theoretical basis for mitigating the erosion rate of pipelines and managing the integrity of gas pipelines.

Keywords: numerical simulation; elbow erosion; two-phase flow; DPM; shale gas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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