Design and performance of a high velocity air–sand jet impingement erosion facility

This paper describes the design, construction and capabilities of a high velocity air–sand erosion rig. It has been designed with the aid of computational fluid dynamics to approximately simulate the erosion conditions often experienced by subsea choke valves used in the offshore oil industry. It has also been designed to evaluate the erosion performance of CVD diamond coatings at sonic velocity. The rig is of the gas-blast design in which solid particles, typically sand 60–660 μm in size, are injected into a high velocity air stream and accelerated down a 16-mm-diameter tube, 1 m in length, before striking the sample under test. Tests can be carried out with particle velocities of up to 340 m/s under a wide range of sand fluxes, impact angles and standoff distances. The results of pressure, velocity and sand flux calibration work are described. In addition, preliminary experimental data on tests carried out on mild steel, bulk and sprayed tungsten carbide are also presented. The flexibility of the air–sand rig allows the erosion behaviour of materials to be studied under a wide range of conditions.