Prediction of sand particle trajectories and erosion distribution in offshore oil and gas pipelines

Sand erosion in pipelines during offshore oil and gas exploitation and transportation can lead to serious equipment failures, considerable economic losses, and environmental burdens. Accurate prediction of sand erosion in these pipelines, especially near elbow sections, is crucial to reduce pipeline failure. In this study, the CFD-DPM method verified by experiment data is used for numerical simulation. The effects of particle size, shape, and fluid viscosity on elbow erosion have been discussed. The results show that the maximum erosion rate decreases exponentially with the increase in fluid viscosity. It shows a decrease first and then increases with the increase in particle diameter, and an opposite trend with the increase in particle shape factor. More importantly, the correlation between the maximum erosion position of the elbow and the Stokes number has been derived. Our work is expected to provide theoretical guide for anti-erosion design strategy for submarine pipelines.