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TECHNICAL BULLETIN
Title:
Summary:
EROSION
Erosion can be defined in a variety of ways, but is essentially the wastage of
materials due to the mechanical removal of the material surfaces by flowing
environments. Such wastage is most extreme when solids (such as sand) are present
in the environment.
Erosion is a problem to BPX when the operating conditions lead to consequent
damage of equipment or conversely where velocity, and hence production limits,
must be set to avoid erosion occurring.
Serial No:
TB0036
Date:
Issued by:
Tel:
01932 762989
Team:
Group Title
Fax:
01932 762987
Erosion Mechanisms
Many flow dependent wastage mechanisms are termed "erosion". There are four main
mechanisms that need to be considered:
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Erosion-corrosion occurs in environments which have the potential to be both erosive and corrosive.
The erosion and the corrosion can either be independent, in which case the total wastage is the sum of
the wastage produced by each mechanism in isolation, or synergistic, in which case the total wastage
is greater than the sum of the independent processes of erosion and corrosion.
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J W Martin & J Pattinson, Erosion Guidelines Revision 2.0., ESR.97.ER.002, January 1997
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