ELBOW EROSION APPLICATIONS

• Entrainment Particulates

• Mining Slurry, Coal Slurry & Pulverized Coal

• Saturated Liquid Flashing, Causing Cavitation & Pipe Wall Pitting

• Frequent Elbow Erosion Due to Particulates, Two-Phase Flow, or Cavitation

• Unsafe Elbow Erosion Conditions

• Frequent Parts-Replacement

• Unscheduled Maintenance Shutdowns

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Elbows are known to be critical points in piping systems for erosion damage from two-phase flows (such as wet steam) or from flows carrying particulate matter. The accelerated flow, directed toward the outer wall of the elbow, acts as a nozzle focusing high speed droplets or particulates on a restricted region. Elimination of the flow separation, with the resulting uniform velocity plus the vane induced swirling flow, assures the droplets or particulates are borne along with the flow much as in the straight pipe runs.

Elbow erosion is one of the problems that a FLO-TK™ Flow Conditioner solves by ensuring that the flow through the elbow has a flat velocity profile as it exits the elbow.  This eliminates turbulence and back flow which, among other potential problems, can exasperate elbow erosion problems.

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Elbow erosion is quite common in power plants, chemical plants, refineries, slurry piping systems, etc. Services such as wet steam, two phase flow, fly ash, pulverized coal, catalyst blow down, slurries, etc. all create an erosion problem when they flow through an elbow.

Erosion commonly occurs in elbows and turns within piping systems. Damage often occurs when the pipe line is carrying solid particulates, slurries, or two phase flow, such as wet steam. In an elbow, the flow is accelerated and directed toward the outer wall of the elbow, which focuses high speed particulates or droplets on a restricted region. Severe wear begins to occur at that point. Cavitation can also occur if a localized pressure drop causes vapor bubbles to form and collapse of the bubbles causes pitting in the metal.

Installing a FLO-TK™ Flow Conditioner upstream of an elbow eliminates flow separation and creates a smooth aerodynamic flow. As a result, particulates and droplets are carried along with the flow much the same as in a straight piece of pipe, which shows little erosion in the same service. In addition, the entire cross-sectional area of the elbow is available for flow and the velocity profile is flat.

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