Influence Of Flow Velocity On Erosion-Corrosion Performance Of 90º Carbon Steel Elbows In Potash Brine

In this study, the effects of flow velocity and solid concentration on erosion-corrosion behavior of AISI 1018 long-radius steel elbows (Schedule 40) in saturated potash brine were investigated. Potash brine containing 10 and 30 wt% of silica sands flowing at 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 m/s through a continuous loop with pipe internal diameter of 2.54 cm was used as the slurry. All experiments were conducted at 30 ºC. The surface damage on elbows was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that material loss per unit area was greater at high slurry velocity and solid concentration. Corrosion pits were visible on the elbow surfaces at low slurry velocities, but pits were not formed at higher velocities. Mechanical damage was concluded to be