Computational Analysis of Erosion Wear Rate by Multiphase Flow in Optimum Bend Ratio of Pipeline

Abstract: Pipe bends are an integral part of transportation system as they help by providing flexibility in the path. In this paper, flow of mono-dispersed particles with carrier flow is simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics by implementing Eulerian two-phase model in FLUENT. This paper is a forward stepping stone as it depicts the effect of pipeline bend on flow characteristic such as erosion rate, concentration profile, wall shear stress, etc. after numerous researches on pressure drop and velocity profiles. In this paper, a two-phase fluid of silica sand, having mean diameter of 450 µm (density = 2650 kg/m3 ), and water are mixed at the ratio of 8.82% solid concentration by weight and flown through a pipeline with diameter 53.0 mm and the optimum pipe bend ratio of 5.60 for minimum pressure loss.