Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.
Scientific Reports volume 14, Article number: 30888 (2024 ) Cite this article elbow pipe joints
Coarse particles in filling slurry are the primary factor causing wear in filling elbow pipes, and the wear mechanism of these particles on the pipes is influenced by various factors. To study the erosion and wear mechanism of elbow pipes caused by coarse particles, the motion state of coarse particles under different curvature radii, coarse particle gradations, and pipe diameters was investigated using a simulation method based on the coupling of Fluent and EDEM software, grounded in theories of fluid mechanics, rheology, and solid–liquid two-phase flow. The study explored the impact patterns and locations of wear induced by coarse particles on filling elbow pipes. The analysis results indicate that increasing the curvature radius leads to more punctate wear at the elbow and upstream wear. Increasing the proportion of finer particles in the coarse particle gradation forms a better cushioning layer and reduces erosion wear. Enlarging the pipe diameter shifts the high-low concentration boundary of coarse particles towards the elbow outlet and reduces erosion wear. The research findings provide significant references for optimizing coarse particle gradation and preventing pipe wear.
Mining and mineral extraction inevitably generate a large amount of tailings. As high-grade ore deposits are increasingly exhausted, the tailings produced from mining low-grade ore deposits are becoming more abundant1. However, this practice can lead to severe geological disasters and environmental pollution2. Additionally, if underground voids are not properly managed, they can cause surface subsidence3. Therefore, pipeline filling is widely used, but this method inevitably causes pipeline wear4. Excessive wear of filling pipelines can affect the continuity and safety of slurry backfill transport5. Among the entire filling pipeline system, the elbows are most prone to wear and damage. Once worn through, it can cause significant safety and pollution incidents6.
Currently, the issue of wear in filling pipelines can be studied through experiments or numerical simulations. Since numerical simulations are more cost-effective, efficient, and convenient than experiments, researchers worldwide predominantly use numerical simulations to investigate pipeline wear. Duarte et al. identified particle impact as a key factor in pipeline failure7. Liu et al. proposed a dimensionless π group considering the impact of fluid dynamic viscosity based on numerical analysis of coupled results8. Singh et al. found that particles with sizes ranging from 162 to 230 μm experience maximum wear near a 60° curvature9. Bilal et al. discovered that pipeline failure is primarily caused by particles passing through the elbow10. Liu et al. conducted numerical simulations of coal-water slurry flow in curved channels with varying curvature radii, different flow rates, and different rheological models11. Liu et al. found that during pipeline transportation, the flow velocity along the pipe cross-section is arch-shaped, with higher velocities near the center and lower velocities near the wall12.
Various experts and scholars have also ranked the main factors influencing wear and discussed their interrelationships. Peng et al. used two-way coupled simulations to study the liquid–solid two-phase flow slurry within elbows and ranked the main factors affecting elbow wear13. Wang et al. employed orthogonal experiments and numerical simulations to rank the impact of filling slope, curvature radius, pipe inner diameter, slurry flow rate, and slurry concentration on the transportation characteristics of pipelines14. Shi et al. analyzed the motion mechanism of self-flowing filling slurry in deep well mines, the mechanism of pipeline damage, and the wear mechanism of pipelines. They identified the relationships between slurry characteristics, filling boreholes, pipeline material, filling multiplier, and factors affecting the wear of self-flow filling pipelines15. Xiao et al. used Fluent to numerically simulate the local resistance in elbows of fly ash filling materials, considering five aspects: filling material concentration, fine gangue rate, flow velocity, pipe inner diameter, and elbow curvature radius, and ranked their impact16.
Compared to simulations using only Fluent for filling slurry, simulations that couple EDEM with Fluent yield more accurate results. Liu et al. constructed a catalyst particle shape model with a realistic aspect ratio using a multi-group method, and used a CFD-DEM coupling method to study elbow wear17. Hou et al. employed a CFD-DEM coupling simulation method to numerically simulate the two-phase flow in pipelines, using particle size, pipe diameter, and curvature radius as variables18. Chen et al. found through CFD-DEM coupled numerical simulations that the maximum erosion locations are always at or near the elbow outlet19. Wang Xiaolin used CFD-DEM coupled numerical simulation techniques to study the flow behavior of high-concentration filling slurry in straight pipelines and its wear on the filling pipeline20. Wu et al. used the CFD-DEM coupling method to couple the continuous phase with particles, and predicting the wear locations and lifespan of the filling pipeline21. Zhou et al. proposed that the pressure drop and erosion rates of different pipeline directions and conveying velocities involving different flow regimes were different through the CFD-DEM coupling method22.
Existing research indicates that simulation studies on slurry filling pipelines have seen significant advancements. Current simulations primarily focus on the impact of various physical factors on the wear rate. However, few studies specifically focus on coarse particles to observe various wear phenomena and summarize the wear mechanisms. Coarse particles in the slurry are one of the significant factors causing pipeline wear. Therefore, this study employs a CFD-DEM coupling method that considers both coarse particles and the continuous phase, using pipe diameter, curvature radius, and coarse particle gradation as variables. From the perspective of coarse particles, it investigates their wear mechanisms on elbow pipes. This research holds significant importance for optimizing material gradation and preventing elbow wear in pipeline filling.
The Euler–Lagrange method, which considers the fluid as the continuous phase and the solid as the discrete phase, is suitable for simulating the transport of slurries. By coupling CFD-DEM, the wear process of the slurry and the pipeline wall is simulated. Fluent is used to calculate the continuous phase flow field using a laminar flow model, while EDEM employs a soft sphere model to simulate the collision and movement behavior of particles in the continuous phase. The two-phase flow model considers interactions between liquid-particle, particle–particle, and particle–wall.
Continuous phase solving mainly involves the equations of mass conservation and momentum conservation, which are respectively:
In the above equations, ρω represents the density of the continuous phase, t denotes time, ui represents the velocity components of the continuous phase in three directions, and xi represents the coordinates in these three directions.
Expand the above equation to:
where P represents pressure, τij is the component of viscous stress generated on the elemental volume due to molecular viscosity, and fi represents the unit mass force in three directions.
The discrete phase primarily solves the forces during collision processes through contact models. The force analysis of particle–particle collisions is illustrated in Fig. 1.
Force analysis of particle to particle collision process.
According to Fig. 1, the equations for momentum conservation and angular momentum conservation are:
where mi is the mass of particle i, vi is the velocity of particle i, g is the acceleration due to gravity, Fn,ij is the normal contact force between particle i and particle j, Ft,ij is the tangential contact force, Ii is the moment of inertia of particle i, ωi is the angular velocity, ri is the particle radius, Ffp is the force exerted by the liquid on particle i, and Mi is the rolling friction torque.
The slurry downward flow process, with velocity fields u(x,z,t) and w(x,z,t), and pressure field p(x,z,t), follows from the principles of mass and momentum conservation laws, indicating that:
where ρ represents the density of the slurry, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and τxx, τxz, τzz are the shear stress components within the flow field.
The simulation assumes that the slurry adheres to the Herschel-Bulkley rheological model, with the mathematical expression as follows:
where \(\gamma \equiv \sqrt {\left( {\frac{\partial u}{{\partial z}} + \frac{\partial w}{{\partial x}}} \right)^{2} + 4\frac{{\partial u^{2} }}{\partial x}}\) , K stands for the operational viscosity of the slurry, τy represents the yield stress, and n denotes the power-law exponent.
The movement state of solid-phase coarse particles inside the elbow varies with changes in factors such as pipe diameter, curvature radius, and coarse particle gradation. The trajectories of coarse particles are depicted in Fig. 2.
Based on Fig. 2, the motion states of coarse particles can be categorized into three types: suspension motion, sliding motion, and jumping motion, corresponding to particles A, B, and C in Fig. 3, respectively. When particles pass through the elbow, particle A does not directly contact the pipe wall but is enveloped by the slurry and moves forward in suspension motion; particle B makes contact with the outer side of the elbow wall at different angles of incidence and slides along the outer side of the pipe wall towards the elbow outlet; particle C, upon contacting the elbow wall, due to factors such as excessive angle of incidence, does not undergo sliding motion but rather continuously rebounds within the pipeline in jumping motion.
Movement mode of coarse particles in pipelines.
Simulations were conducted in eight groups of 90° elbows with inner diameters (D) of 105 mm, 115 mm, 125 mm, and 135 mm, and curvature radii (R) of 1D, 2D, 3D, and 4D. According to the recommendation in reference23, the simulations were performed with a length-to-diameter ratio (L/D) greater than 10 to ensure sufficient flow of the slurry in the straight pipe. Two most representative groups (D = 115 mm, R = 4D and D = 135 mm, R = 2D) were selected for grid independence tests. The pipe model is shown in Fig. 4.
Pipeline model diagram. (a) Pipeline Model with D = 115 mm, R = 4D. (b) Pipeline Model with D = 135 mm, R = 2D.
To strike a balance between computational time and simulation accuracy, a grid independence test was conducted using six different grid sizes ranging from 78,000 to 270,000 for both the D = 115 mm, R = 4D pipe and the D = 135 mm, R = 2D pipe. By simulating the transport of slurry in the filling pipes, the wear rates at the elbows were calculated for each grid size. The wear rates under different grid sizes are depicted in Fig. 5.
Wear rate changes with the number of meshes.
From Fig. 5, it can be observed that the correlation between the wear rate of the elbows and the number of grids decreases gradually as the number of grids exceeds 170,000. Therefore, a model with 170,000 grids was selected. Tetrahedral structural grids were used to partition the pipe wall, with boundary layers set at the pipe wall with a growth rate of 1.2. Thus, the grid for the model was established, as shown in Fig. 6.
Pipe grid. (a) Grid for D = 115 mm, R = 4D Pipe. (b) Grid for D = 135 mm, R = 2D Pipe.
In the model, particles larger than 20 μm in the slurry are considered as coarse particles in the discrete phase. The dynamic characteristics of coarse particles interspersed in other phases are assumed to be dispersed. To simplify calculations, particles in the discrete phase are treated as uniformly sized spherical particles. Particles smaller than 20 μm (including cement and small-sized tailings particles) and water are considered as the continuous phase, with rheological properties consistent with Bingham fluids. The Herschel-Bulkley model is used for the liquid phase fluid, and the Discrete Phase Model (DPM) is used for the solid phase. The Oka model in the EDEM software is selected as the wear model, which provides an intuitive measure of wear volume. In this simulation process, the motion state of the slurry is set to laminar flow with a superficial velocity of 2 m/s.
The motion of the slurry in the elbow is simulated using the Fluent and EDEM coupling method. A velocity inlet boundary condition is applied at the entrance of the pipeline, and a particle source is set at the inlet with particles directed downward. Both the particle and fluid components of the slurry are injected from the particle source at the pipeline entrance. The coefficient of restitution for particle collisions is set to 0.64, the rolling friction coefficient is 0.47, and the static friction coefficient is 0.01. For wall collisions, the coefficient of restitution is 0.63, the rolling friction coefficient is 0.46, and the static friction coefficient is 0.01.
Figure 7 illustrates the erosion wear rate of the slurry passing through the filling elbow at the end of 3 s under different curvature radii (R) of 1D, 2D, 3D, and 4D, with coarse particle diameters of 3.6 mm, 4 mm, 4.4 mm, and 4.8 mm, each accounting for 25% of the total, and a pipe diameter (D) of 115 mm.
Comparison of erosion and wear rates of elbows under the conditions of 1D, 2D, 3D and 4D with curvature radius (R).
Figure 7 indicates that the erosion wear rate of the elbow decreases with increasing curvature radius, and the wear is concentrated to varying degrees on the outer side of the elbow outlet. With smaller curvature radii, wear along the direction of slurry flow becomes more concentrated, while wear along the cross-section of the elbow becomes more dispersed, leading to block-like wear formations. Conversely, with larger curvature radii, wear along the direction of slurry flow becomes more dispersed, while wear along the cross-section of the elbow becomes more concentrated, resulting in strip-like wear formations.
To observe the wear conditions, the elbow is tilted by 45°. As shown in Fig. 8, wear can be approximately divided into two stages: Stage I (punctate wear stage) and Stage II (upstream wear stage), caused by the continuous superposition of these two processes. Punctate wear is punctate defects on the surface of the elbow. Upstream wear is the erosion of coarse particles from the most abrasive areas along the direction of the source of the slurry.
Two-stage superimposed wear relationship diagram when the radius of curvature (R) is 1D, 2D, 3D, and 4D.
From Fig. 8, it is evident that the occurrence of Stage I (punctate wear stage) and Stage II (upstream wear stage) follows a sequential order. Wear in all elbow configurations with different curvature radii initiates with the punctate wear, followed by the manifestation of upstream wear. The upstream wear spreads from the outer side of the elbow outlet towards the elbow inlet and the edges of the elbow cross-section.
As shown in Fig. 8a, the elbow wear exhibits certain characteristics: from 0.83 to 0.92 s, as wear progresses, punctate wear not only enlarges into single-point defects but also connects with each other gradually forming block-like defects of similar depth; from 0.92 to 1.03 s, during the transition from point defects to block defects, upstream wear also occurs simultaneously, accelerating the formation of block wear; from 1.03 to 1.11 s, new punctate wear form on previously formed block wear, and upstream wear continues to spread towards the outer side of the elbow inlet; from 1.11 to 1.25 s, point defects connect to form new block defects, and upstream wear continuously erodes along the elbow cross-section and inlet.
Figure 8b–d all exhibit similar wear patterns to Fig. 8a. However, with larger curvature radii, more punctate wear appears, and upstream wear occurs later. The variation in punctate wear is illustrated in Fig. 9. An increase in curvature radius leads to a higher occurrence of previous passes, resulting in an increase in the number of punctate wear. The behavior of upstream wear is related to both sliding particles and jumping particles, and the relationship is complex. Additionally, with smaller curvature radii, the wear area becomes more concentrated, with larger areas of wear along the edges of the elbow cross-section and smaller areas of wear towards the outer side of the elbow inlet.
Relationship between particle transition and radius of curvature.
The reasons for the observed phenomena are as follows: with smaller curvature radii, the length of the elbow section is shorter, and most particles, under the influence of inertial force, collide with the elbow wall and slide along the wall, causing significant impact on the elbow wall. With larger curvature radii, the particle movement in the pipeline slows down, resulting in more stable flow. A smaller portion of the particles slide along the wall, reducing the impact force on the wall, while the majority of the particles remain in a suspended state within the pipeline, avoiding contact and collision with the pipeline walls.
Under the conditions of a pipe diameter (D) of 115 mm and a curvature radius (R) of 2D, four groups of coarse particle sizes, including 3.6 mm, 4 mm, 4.4 mm, and 4.8 mm, were compared, as shown in Table 1:
The erosion wear rate of the slurry passing through the filling elbow at the end of 3 s is shown in Fig. 10.
Erosion and wear rates of elbows with different coarse particle gradations.
Figure 10 indicates that coarse particle gradation affects the erosion wear rate. In Fig. 10, comparisons ① , ② , and ③ show that the higher the proportion of larger particles in the gradation, the greater the wear rate. Comparison ④ shows the wear rate under a normal distribution of coarse particle sizes, which is intermediate between comparisons ① and ③ and very close to comparison ② , as illustrated in Fig. 11.
Comparison of erosion and wear rates of bent pipes with different coarse particle sizes.
From Fig. 11, it is evident that within the coarse particle gradation, the higher the proportion of larger particles, the more rapidly the wear rate increases. Conversely, the smaller the proportion of larger particles, the more gradually the wear rate increases. Notably, in case ④ , when the coarse particle gradation follows a normal distribution, the wear rate closely aligns with the wear rate curve of case ② , where the particle size distribution is similar. This finding is significant for the dynamic adjustment of coarse particle proportions during the actual filling process, as it allows for the maximized utilization of coarse particle waste of all sizes.
To explore the mechanism by which coarse particle gradation affects the wear rate, it is necessary to study the state of the particles in contact with the pipe wall, as shown in Fig. 12.
Coarse particle velocity distribution diagram.
As shown in Fig. 12, particles in different gradation groups exhibit similar motion states, forming a slower-moving particle protective layer on the outer wall of the elbow. This reduces the wear caused by particle transition (the motion of particles C in Fig. 6) on the pipe wall, known as the “buffer layer” effect24. The buffer layer consists of particles with lower velocities, which are compressed and accumulate near the inner wall close to the elbow outlet. Figure 12 indicates that while the speed of the particle protective layer is similar, the particle sizes forming the protective layer vary with different coarse particle gradations, as illustrated in Fig. 13.
Coarse particle size distribution diagram.
Figure 13 shows that, except for group ① , where the buffer layer includes the largest particles of 4.8 mm, the buffer layers of the other three groups consist of particles of different sizes. This is because in group ① , the 4.8 mm coarse particles account for 40%, and the remaining particle sizes are insufficient to form the buffer layer. In group ③ , the buffer layer mainly comprises 3.6 mm particles, which effectively protect the pipe wall from the impact of particle transitions, leading to the lowest wear rate mentioned earlier. Thus, incorporating finer particles into the coarse particle gradation helps establish a buffer layer, thereby reducing wear. Notably, although group ② contains 2.5 times more 3.6 mm coarse particles than group ④ , the wear rates of ② and ④ are very similar. This similarity is because the particle size composition of the buffer layers in both groups is similar. The 3.6 mm particle proportion in group ④ is insufficient to form a complete buffer layer, necessitating the inclusion of 4 mm particles to compensate for the 3.6 mm particles.
In summary, the greater the number of finer particles in a coarse particle gradation, the better the buffer layer effect, resulting in lower wear rates for the elbow. Considering economic factors and practical conditions, if the number of finer particles is insufficient to form a buffer layer, adding next-finer particles can effectively reduce pipe wear.
With coarse particle sizes of 3.6 mm, 4 mm, 4.4 mm, and 4.8 mm each accounting for 25% and a curvature radius (R) of 2D, the erosion wear rate at the end of 3 s for pipe diameters (D) of 105 mm, 115 mm, 125 mm, and 135 mm is shown in Fig. 14.
Erosion wear rates of elbows with different diameters.
Figure 14 illustrates that the erosion wear rate of the elbow decreases as the pipe diameter increases, with wear primarily concentrated on the outer side of the elbow’s outlet. This is because an increase in the pipe’s internal diameter provides more space for the slurry to move within the elbow, reducing the frequency of collisions between coarse particles and the pipe wall, thereby decreasing the degree of wear. The concentration of coarse particles can significantly represent their distribution within the pipe. The elbow is sectioned from the inlet at 15° intervals in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 15.
Coarse particle concentration of elbows with different diameters.
From Fig. 15, it can be observed that the concentration of coarse particles is highest on the outer wall of the bend’s outlet. Smaller pipe diameters correspond to higher concentrations of coarse particles at the bend outlet, whereas larger diameters show lower concentrations. Before the bend angle reaches 45°, there is no significant occurrence of high coarse particle concentration for any pipe diameter. However, beyond 45° of bend angle, a stable high concentration of coarse particles is evident at the bottom of the bend. The reason for the 45° angle as a dividing line is illustrated in Fig. 16.
Position diagram of sliding and transition particles contacting the tube wall.
Firstly, it is important to note that pipeline wear is primarily caused by particles B and particles C, which represent sliding and jumping particles, respectively. From Fig. 16, it can be observed that when coarse particles enter the pipeline and reach the bend entrance, their transport region, influenced by gravity, is indicated in red. In this red region, the majority of coarse particles are of particles A type and do not make contact with the pipeline wall. The coarse particles engaging in sliding and jumping motions, impacting the pipeline wall, are concentrated between 0° and 40°, which explains the lower concentration of coarse particles before 45° as seen in Fig. 15. The blue region in Fig. 16 results from additional forces exerted by the continuous phase on the coarse particles in the slurry, leading to actual contact between these particles and the pipeline wall in the combined red and blue regions.
It is worth noting that a high concentration of coarse particles is not conducive to efficient slurry flow in the bend. There are two main reasons for this: firstly, as more particles accumulate at the bend bottom, they form a buffer layer, reducing the proportion of particles A, which act as the main transport particles; secondly, the increased accumulation of particles at the bend bottom increases the pressure exerted on the lower pipeline wall. Therefore, under ideal conditions, the preference would lean towards a bend with a diameter of 135 mm. This setup allows for the formation of a high particle concentration buffer layer around the pipeline wall, optimizing the interaction between particles A and particles B. This configuration minimizes the number of particles B required to protect the pipeline from erosion due to particle jumping, while maximizing the number of particles A acting as the primary transport particles through the bend.
With changes in different influencing factors, the location of erosion caused by coarse particles in the bend also varies. As indicated in Fig. 7, larger curvature radii lead to erosion closer to the bend entrance. From Fig. 10, it is evident that the particle size distribution has a relatively minor effect on erosion location, although a higher proportion of coarser particles in the distribution tends to cause erosion closer to the bend entrance. Figure 14 shows that smaller pipe diameters result in erosion occurring closer to the bend entrance.
The mechanism behind the change in erosion location due to coarse particles entering the bend is similar to that depicted in Fig. 16. After coarse particles enter the bend entrance, influenced by gravity, they concentrate their impacts on the areas where the red region and the bottom of the bend contact. However, due to drag forces exerted by the slurry, coarse particles actually accumulate in the combined red and blue regions.
Changes in curvature radius significantly alter the erosion location. As illustrated in Fig. 17, at a curvature radius of R = 2D, the boundary between high and low erosion regions converges around 55° due to the combined effects of gravity and slurry drag. However, reducing the curvature radius to R = 4D shifts this boundary to around 40°, distinguishing between high and low erosion areas.
Effect of curvature radius on fatigue position.
From Fig. 17, the reason why larger curvature radii result in erosion closer to the bend entrance, as depicted in Fig. 7, can be visually explained.
The impact of coarse particle size distribution on erosion location is minimal and can be almost neglected. Figure 10 indicates that with an increase in the proportion of coarser particles in the particle size distribution, erosion tends to occur closer to the bend entrance, although the extent of this proximity is minimal. This phenomenon arises because a higher proportion of coarser particles in the distribution leads to increased erosion rates. As erosion rates increase, the upstream wear more strongly towards the bend entrance, hence causing this effect.
Changes in pipe diameter also significantly alter erosion locations. As shown in Fig. 18, when the pipe diameter D = 115 mm, due to the combined effects of gravity and slurry drag, the boundary between high and low erosion areas concentrates around 40°. However, after changing the pipe diameter to D = 230 mm, this boundary shifts to around 60°, distinguishing between high and low erosion areas.
Effect of pipe diameter on wear position.
The wear of the filling elbow is mainly caused by the coarse particles of slip movement and transition movement. The transition movement of coarse particles mainly causes punctate defects, and the slip movement mainly causes traceable wear.
The larger the radius of curvature of the filling elbow, the more and later the punctate wear appears, and the smaller the erosion wear rate.
In the particle size ratio of coarse particles, the greater the number of coarse particles with the smallest particle size, the higher the quality of the buffer layer and the smaller the erosion wear rate. If the number of coarse particles with the smallest particle size is not enough, the coarse particles with the second smallest particle size will be added to the composition of the buffer layer.
The larger the diameter of the filling elbow, the easier it is to form a high-quality buffer layer; The smaller the pipe diameter, the thicker the buffer layer formed, which is not conducive to the transportation of slurry and the reduction of erosion wear rate.
This study is meaningful for the optimization of the coarse particle ratio in the filling slurry, which can prolong the service life of the filling pipeline and save the cost.
Data is provided within the manuscript or supplementary information files.
Pullum , L. , Boger , DV & Sofra , F. Hydraulic mineral waste transport and storage . Annu. Rev. Fr. Fluid Mech. 58, 157–185 (2018).
Article ADS MathSciNet MATH Google Scholar
Qi, C. & Fourie, A. Cemented paste backfill for mineral tailings management: Review and future perspectives. Minerals Eng. 144, 106025 (2019).
Jiang, H. et al. Effectiveness of alkali-activated slag as alternative binder on workability and early age compressive strength of cemented paste backfills. Constr. Build. Mater. 218, 689–700 (2019).
Chen, Q. et al. Erosion wear at the bend of pipe during tailings slurry transportation: Numerical study considering inlet velocity, particle size and bend angle. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater. 30(8), 1608–1620 (2023).
Wang, X., Wang, H., Wu, A. & Kang, G. Wear law of Q345 steel under the abrasion–corrosion synergistic effect of cemented paste backfill. Constr. Build. Mater. 332, 127283 (2022).
Yu, H., Liu, H., Zhang, S., Zhang, J. & Han, Z. Research progress on coping strategies for the fluid-solid erosion wear of pipelines. Powder Technol. 422, 118457 (2023).
Article CAS MATH Google Scholar
Duarte, C. A. R., de Souza, F. J. & dos Santos, V. F. Mitigating elbow erosion with a vortex chamber. Powder Technol. 288, 6–25 (2016).
Article CAS MATH Google Scholar
Liu, H., Yang, W. & Kang, R. A correlation for sand erosion prediction in annular flow considering the effect of liquid dynamic viscosity. Wear 404, 1–11 (2018).
Singh, J. & Singh, J. P. Numerical analysis on solid particle erosion in elbow of a slurry conveying circuit. J. Pipeline Syst. Eng. Pract. 12(1), 04020070 (2021).
Bilal, F. S., Sedrez, T. A. & Shirazi, S. A. Experimental and CFD investigations of 45 and 90 degrees bends and various elbow curvature radii effects on solid particle erosion. Wear 476, 203646 (2021).
Liu, Y., Yao, Q., Gao, F. & Gao, Y. Numerical studies on the flow of coal water slurries with a yield stress in channel bends. Energies 15(19), 7006 (2022).
Liu, L. et al. Numerical study on the pipe flow characteristics of the cemented paste backfill slurry considering hydration effects. Powder Technol. 343, 454–464 (2019).
Article CAS MATH Google Scholar
Peng, W. & Cao, X. Numerical simulation of solid particle erosion in pipe bends for liquid–solid flow. Powder Technol. 294, 266–279 (2016).
Article CAS MATH Google Scholar
Wang, X. et al. Analysis of factors influencing the flow characteristics of paste backfill in pipeline transportation. Sustainability 15(8), 6904 (2023).
Shi, H., Huang, J., Qiao, D., Teng, G., Cha, Q., Wang, B. Study on abrasion of self-flowing conveying pipeline of high-concentration filling slurry in deep well mines. Nonferrous Met. (Min. Sect.) 72(4) (2020).
Xiao, Y., Kang, T., Yin, B. Numerical simulation of local resistance of fly ash filling material pipeline transportation elbow. Min. Res. Dev. 36(6) (2016).
Liu, X., Zhou, J., Gao, S., Zhao, H., Liao, Z., Jin, H., Wang, C. Study on the impact wear characteristics of catalyst particles at 90 elbow via CFD-DEM coupling method. J. Appl. Fluid Mech. 15(1) (2021).
Hou, Y. et al. Wear regularity of shotcrete conveying bend based on CFD-DEM simulation. Buildings 13(2), 415 (2023).
Chen, J. et al. Erosion prediction of liquid-particle two-phase flow in pipeline elbows via CFD–DEM coupling method. Powder Technol. 275, 182–187 (2015).
Article CAS MATH Google Scholar
Wang, X. Wear law of horizontal straight pipe for the transportof high concentration backfill containing coarse aggregate by gravity. Phd thesis, University of Science and Technology Beijing (2023). (in Chinese).
Wu, B., Wang, X., Liu, X., Xu, G. & Zhu, S. Numerical simulation of erosion and fatigue failure the coal gangue paste filling caused to pumping pipes. Eng. Fail. Anal. 134, 106081 (2022).
Zhou, M., Kuang, S., Xiao, F., Luo, K. & Yu, A. CFD-DEM analysis of hydraulic conveying bends: Interaction between pipe orientation and flow regime. Powder Technol. 392, 619–631 (2021).
Article CAS MATH Google Scholar
Dong, H., Aziz, N. A., Shafri, H. Z. M. & Ahmad, K. A. B. Numerical study on transportation of cemented paste backfill slurry in bend pipe. Processes 10(8), 1454 (2022).
Li, Y., Xiao, J., Lin, Z., Zhu, Z. Two-phase flow and wear of 90° bend pipes by normally distributed particles. Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part E J. Process Mech. Eng. (2023).
The authors greatly acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51604138) and the Natural Science Foundation Program of Liaoning Province (No. 2022-MS-395).
School of Safety Science and Engineering, Liaoning Engineering University, Huludao, 125000, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
Chunming Ai & Zhe Wang
Key Laboratory of Mine Thermal Power Disasters and Prevention and Control of Ministry of Education, Huludao, 125000, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China
Chunming Ai & Zhe Wang
Norin Mining Limited, Beijing, 100053, People’s Republic of China
The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of High Efficiency Mining and Safety for Metal Mines & School of Civil and Resources Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, People’s Republic of China
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Conceptualization: C.A., Z.W. Data curation: Z.W., C.L.. Formal analysis: Z.W., A.W., C.L. Funding acquisition: None. Investigation: C.A., Z.W. Methodology: Z.W., C.L., A.W. Project administration: C.A., Z.W. Resources: C.A., Z.W. Software: Z.W., C.L. Supervision: Z.W., C.L. Validation: Z.W., C.L., A.W. Visualization: Z.W., C.L., A.W. Writing—original draft: C.A., Z.W. Writing—review and editing: C.A., Z.W.
The authors declare no competing interests.
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
Ai, C., Wang, Z., Liu, C. et al. Study on the mechanism of erosion and wear of elbow pipes by coarse particles in filling slurry. Sci Rep 14, 30888 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81849-2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81849-2
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative
Scientific Reports (Sci Rep) ISSN 2045-2322 (online)
outdoor flagpole base Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.