The effect of vibration on the erosion of elbows in gas-solid two-phase flow

The erosion of elbows is a crucial issue in pneumatic conveying systems and is often accompanied by pipeline vibrations under actual operating conditions. This study employed the CFD-DPM model and the SRF model with UDF to simulate the erosion behavior of elbows under vibration conditions. The simulation results revealed that the maximum erosion rate initially increases with vibration frequency, peaking at f = 60 Hz, and then decreases. Low-frequency, low-amplitude vibrations along the x-axis and high-frequency, high-amplitude vibrations along the y- and z-axes exhibit certain erosion resistance. Vibration along the y-axis has the most significant effect on erosion, resulting in a diagonal distribution in the erosion shape. The secondary flow exhibits an obliquely symmetric distribution with a narrower range and sparser streamlines. The maximum erosion rate increases quadratically with flow velocity and linearly with particle mass flow rate, consistent with non-vibrating conditions. The results can provide a useful reference for optimizing pneumatic conveying systems under practical conditions.