Slurry Erosion of Pipeline Steel: Effect of Velocity and Microstructure

Pipelines are the most flexible, economic, and convenient way for oil and gas transportation. Material degradation by slurry erosion is a common feature in oil transmission pipeline. In the present work, slurry erosion of AISI 1018, AISI 1080, API X42, and API X70 steels is investigated in terms of slurry velocity and target material microstructure. The slurry velocity and impact angle employed were 0.2, 0.29, 0.36, and 0.43 m s−1 and 90 deg, respectively. It is found that erosion rate increases with increasing slurry velocity. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to investigate the eroded surface and subsurface of the steels. Plastic deformation, microcutting, and fracture are identified as dominant erosion mechanisms. Pearlitic microstructure exhibits superior erosion resistance compared to ferrite depending upon slurry velocity and microstructural orientation.