SLURRY EROSION BEHAVIOR OF OIL AND GAS PIPELINE STEELS
Abstract
Slurry erosion is a destructive process encountered in oil and gas transmission pipelines. During transportation, the inner surface of pipelines are exposed to flowing abrasive liquid which causes slurry erosion. Complex mechanism and progressive nature of this problem create augmented challenges to pipeline economy and operation. Oil and gas industries spend millions of dollars to deal with the problems caused by wet erosion. Material integrity and degradation rate are key factors in the long-term performance of oil and gas pipeline networks. This research focuses on understanding the degradation processes of pipeline steels caused by the slurry erosion. The effects of slurry velocity and abrasive concentrations on erosion rate and mechanisms are identified and discussed in details. The present research also correlates the slurry erosion response of steel to its microstructure.