| dc.description.abstract | Erosion is one of the significant problems in turbocharger elbow components on diesel
locomotives, mainly due to the exhaust gas flow containing solid particles such as soot.
This study aims to analyze the erosion phenomenon in turbocharger elbows using the
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach and predict the service life of
components based on thickness reduction data due to corrosion. Simulations were
performed to capture turbulent flow patterns, pressure distributions, particle
trajectories, and erosion rates at various operating conditions. Simulation conditions
were set with exhaust gas flow rates of 0.8 g/s and 1.3 g/s, temperatures of 300 °C and
700 °C, and flow velocities of 15 m/s, 30 m/s and 45 m/s, which represent the operating
parameters of a diesel engine. In addition, a fishbone diagram was applied to identify
factors causing erosion, including particles in the exhaust gas, flow characteristics,
material elbow, geometry, and engine operating conditions. The results obtained were
the highest erosion rate occurring on the outer side of the elbow bend, in accordance
with the turbulent flow pattern that directs solid particles to that area. The pressure
distribution and particle trajectory also confirmed the critical areas that experienced
particle impacts. The erosion rate values obtained were then compared with
component thickness measurement data after two years of use, which were used to
verify the elbow life prediction. The simulation results showed that the highest erosion
rate was 0.272 mm/year and the lowest was 0.027 mm/year with a remaining life of
9.2 years. The erosion rate value is close to the thickness measurement results that
occur at a flow rate of 1.3 g/s with a speed of 30 m/s which obtained an erosion rate
of 0.108 mm/year with an error of 3.74% compared to a speed of 45 m/s which reached
an error of 158.92%. | en_US |
