Numerical Prediction and Validation of Suspension Flows and its Erosive Effect

Erosive wear occurs in many fields of materials handling technology; e.g., during transportation of bulk materials or suspensions, when particles collide with the walls of material handling components such as ducts or pumps. The severity of wear is closely determined by both, component materials and the flow conditions in the medium. Hence a prediction of the wear needs a combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and a Finite Element Method (FEM) that offers realistic simulation of erosion in materials handling components.

This paper presents an approach to calculate particle trajectories of a suspension flow. The particle trajectories of a suspension flow are simulated using CFD and experimentally validated. The presented results are part of a project attributed to the VDMA Pumps + Systems which includes the erosion simulation using FEM [1].

The presented approach contributes to the pre-development of material handling components such as pumps and offers valuable assistance to manufactures. This allows a time- and costefficient development of wear-resistant components.