Numerical simulation of ice particle erosion in seawater pipelines of polar ship under vibration conditions

Erosion in seawater pipeline caused by ice particles is one of the major concerns in the field of polar shipbuilding. The Eulerian-Lagrangian approach, dynamic grid technology, and erosion model are employed for simulating the erosion in vibrating pipeline. In this study, the vibration amplitudes of 1 mm and 2 mm and the vibration frequencies of 10 Hz, 20 Hz, 40 Hz, and 80 Hz are chosen. The results show that the vibration has a great impact on the erosion of seawater pipeline. Without vibration, the most serious erosion appears in the top of the pipe bend. With vibration of 2 mm and 80 Hz, the most serious erosion distributes as lines in the inlet and outlet straight sections. The maximum erosion rate of the pipe wall increases from 1.87 × 10−6 kg/(m2·s) without vibration to 3.20 × 10−5 kg/(m2·s) with vibration of 2 mm and 80 Hz, which almost increases by 17 times. The predicted service life of seawater pipeline reduces from 218.6 days without vibration to 12.8 days with vibration of 2 mm and 80 Hz. This study will provide references for the structural optimization design and erosion prevention of seawater pipeline of polar ship.