Study on erosion characteristics and prediction model of an axial flow regulating valve based on CFD method

Solid-particle erosion poses a critical threat to the trim and body of axial flow regulating valves during the transport of dust-laden natural gas in gathering stations. To investigate its erosion evolution characteristics and develop a predictive model for complex working conditions, this study combines wall-thickness measurement experiments with Eulerian-Lagrangian-based CFD numerical simulations. Analysis of flow-field characteristics and particle trajectories across three representative openings (30%, 70%, and 100%) identifies the cage sleeve and inlet reducer as the predominant erosion hot spots, which are attributed to abrupt velocity increases. Over a five-year service period, the respective contributions of the three representative openings (30%, 70%, and 100%) to cumulative wall loss are 23.0%, 34.7%, and 41.5%. Furthermore, this study recalibrates the impact-angle function f(α) within the Tulsa erosion framework via regression analysis of experimental data and develops an improved erosion-rate prediction model tailored for axial-flow regulating valves. The modified model shows good agreement with field measurement. This demonstrates its engineering viability and provides a quantitative tool for equipment integrity management.