Erosion prediction program

The following briefly reviews the parameters that affect erosion and the programs instituted by Elliott to obtain basic erosion data. The data from these studies have been integrated into Elliott s erosion prediction program. Table 4-13 lists some of the more important parameters affecting expander blade erosion from solid particles. Many of these parameters directly relate to the particle itself. 

Elliott s erosion prediction program has also been used to analyze all the blade rows of a two-stage expander. This study confirmed that blade life of a two-stage expander is substantially greater than blade life of a single-stage expander. 

A more feasible alternative is to use a core made of GSCs. This will not only allow to overcome the aforementioned core stability problems, but also to provide (i) a better erosion stability of the core and (ii) an increased stability against seismic loads as compared to a core simply made of loose sand. However, many of the drawbacks mentioned above remain with respect to wave setup, rimup, overtopping, reflection, and armor stability in comparison to a conventional core. Therefore, an extensive research program has been initiated at Leichtweiss-Institute to study both hydraulic performance and armor stability, including the processes involved and the development of prediction formulae for the design of a class of rubble moimd structm es with a core made of geotextile sand containers (Fig. 21.13). 

---