Erosive failure of steel pipeline by solid pulverized particles

•A failure by erosion wear of steel pipe-line in thermal power plant by solid pulverised particles has been analyzed.•Selected metallic materials were experimentally analyzed to identify their erosion behaviour.•The results of the erosion tests were applied in the performance tests.•Implemented solution decreased erosive wear and reduced the call for repairs.

In the power industry, abrasion and erosion wear are important cost generating factors during the transport of pulverized coal. The causes of failures during the transport of pulverized fuel are due to cyclic loading and corrosion resulting in erosive wear, plastic deformation and fatigue. Due to damage of target surface it is important to pay attention to investigate the problems of erosive failures by solid particles impingement. The practical problem solving low life-time of the piping system is presented. To solve the problems of real erosion wear the experimental erosive wear tests were applied. The erosion tests were carried out by the stream of SiO2 sand particles with an average size 0.8 mm at an impact velocity of 50 m/s, under impact angles 15°, 45° and 90°. To validate the applied simulation model, the simulation results were compared to measured data from real field application and they demonstrate good conformity with prediction of all erosion models considered over a range of conditions, including particle impact angle, impact speed.