Abrasive flow modelling through active parts water jet machine using CFD simulation

This study has the main objective the flow modelling using CFD through active parts waterjet cutting machine, model YCWJ-380-1520. More precisely, the study of flow through the cutting head and estimate the erosion wear caused by abrasion of these parts. The active parts of cutting head are the body of head, high pressure nozzle with jewel and mixing tube made from wolfram carbide. On all these components has previously done measurement in order to create the geometrical model. The most wearing subjected parts water-jet machine are the water nozzle and mixing tube where the erosion wear is accelerated by the high velocity. In the first part of this study is presented the water flow model without regarding the abrasive inlet geometry, using Ansys FLOTRAN CFD. Has been considered three dimensions of water nozzle along with three dimensions of mixing tube in order to evaluate velocity variation at mixing tube outlet and how geometry influences outlet velocity. The second part of this paper is made using CFD software Ansys Fluent regarding a tridimensional geometry and a multiphasic flow. In the framework of flow model is established the abrasive particles velocity, difference of pressure inside tube, contour of streamlines, shear stress on the tube wall in order to accomplish the erosion rate during the process flow. It can be noticed that there are two main streamlines: first at the outlet of water nozzle and second from the inlet of abrasive material. Particles velocity is higher at the contact with water stream and lower at the end of cutting head because the difference of diameters between jewel and mixing tube. The maximum erosion rate is recorded where the shear stress are high values, that means to the interior wall of water nozzle and inlet of mixing tube. Pressure becomes high to the jewel of water nozzle and decreases in value toward at outlet of cutting head.