Multiphase Flow and Wear in the Cutting Head of Ultra-high Pressure Abrasive Water Jet

Abrasive water jet cutting technology is widely applied in the materials processing today and attracts great attention from scholars, but many phenomena concerned are not well understood, especially in the internal jet flow of the cutting head at the condition of ultra-high pressure. The multiphase flow in the cutting head is numerically simulated to study the abrasive motion mechanism and wear inside the cutting head at the pressure beyond 300 MPa. Visible predictions of the particles trajectories and wear rate in the cutting head are presented. The influences of the abrasive physical properties, size of the jewel orifice and the operating pressure on the trajectories are discussed. Based on the simulation, a wear experiment is carried out under the corresponding pressures. The simulation and experimental results show that the flow in the mixing chamber is composed of the jet core zone and the disturbance zone, both affect the particles trajectories. The mixing efficiency drops with the increase of the abrasive granularity. The abrasive density determines the response of particles to the effects of different flow zones, the abrasive with medium density gives the best general performance. Increasing the operating pressure or using the jewel with a smaller orifice improves the coherency of p articles trajectories but increases the wear rate of the jewel holder at the same time. Walls of the jewel holder, the entrance of the mixing chamber and the convergence part of the mixing tube are subject to wear out. The computational and experimental results give a qualitative consistency which proves that this numerical method can provide a reliable and visible cognition of the flow characteristics of ultra-high pressure abrasive water jet. The investigation is benefit for improving the machining properties of water jet cutting systems and the optimization design of the cutting head.

Optimization of Abrasive Water Jet Cutting of Ductile Materials

Full factorial design of experiments was developed in order to investigate the effects of jet pressure, abrasive mixing rate, cutting feed, and plate thickness upon three response variables, surface finish of cutting wear zone, percentage proportion of striation free area, and maximum width of cut. The set of sixteen experiments was performed on each of the following two ductile materials： AISI 4340 （high strength low alloy steel, hardened to 49HRc） and Aluminum 2219. Analysis of Variance （ANOVA） was performed on experimental data in order to determine the significance of effects of different parameters on the performance measures. It was found that cutting feed and thickness were highly influential parameters, while abrasive mixing rate is influential upon surface roughness only. Strong interaction was found between jet pressure and workpiece material. Multi-criteria numerical optimization was performed in order to simultaneously maximize/minimize different combinations of performance measures.

Performance of recycling abrasives in rock cutting by abrasive water jet

Rock cutting performance of recycling abrasives was investigated in terms of cutting depth, kerf width, kerf taper angle and surface roughness. Gravity separation technique was employed to separate the abrasives and the rock particles. The recycling abrasive particles were then dried and sieved for determination of their disintegration behaviors. Before each cutting with recycling abrasives, the abrasive particles less than 106 ?m were screened out. It is revealed that a considerable amount of used abrasives can be effectively reused in the rock cutting. The reusabilities of abrasives are determined as 81.77%, 57.50%, 34.37% and 17.72% after the first, second, third and fourth cuttings, respectively. Additionally, it is determined that recycling must be restricted three times due to the excessive disintegration of abrasives with further recycling. Moreover, it is concluded that cutting depth, kerf width and surface roughness decreases with recycling. No clear trend is found between the kerf taper angle and recycling. Particle size distribution is determined as an important parameter for improving the cutting performance of recycling abrasives.

Orthogonal design of experiment and analysis of abrasive water jet cutting on carbon fiber reinforced composites

The carbon fiber reinforced composite is a new type of composite material with an excellent property in strength and elastic modulus,and has found extensive applications in aerospace,energy,automotive industry and so on.However,this composite has a strict requirement on processing techniques,for example,brittle damage or delamination often exists in conventional processing techniques.Abrasive water jet machining technology is a new type of green machining technique with distinct advantages such as high-energy and thermal distortion free.The use of abrasive water jet technique to process carbon fiber composite materials has become a popular trend since it can significantly improve the processing accuracy and surface quality of carbon fiber composite materials.However,there are too many parameters that affect the quality of an abrasive water jet machining.At present,few studies are carried out on the parameter optimization of such a machining process,which leads to the unstable quality of surface processing.In this paper,orthogonal design of experiment and regression analysis were employed to establish the empirical model between cutting surface roughness and machining process parameters.Then a verified model was used to optimize the machining process parameters for abrasive water jet cutting carbon fiber reinforced composites.

Experimental study on landscape of CFRP cutting by abrasive water jet

To investigate the influence of operation parameters of abrasive water jet on surface roughness of carbon fiber reinforced plastic(CFRP),experimental studies were conducted.The three-dimensional landscape of cutting front was reconstructed according to the measured data byμscan laser confocal microscopy.Fourier spectral analysis was also adopted to study surface structure in detail.It is found that the morphology of cutting front is similar to that of other materials.In the smooth cutting zone,the fluctuation of amplitudes of surface profile is gentler,compared with that in the rough cutting zone.The lower part of the rough cutting zone was characterized by the periodical appearance of peaks and valleys.The roughness of surface increases with the increase of depth.While in the smooth cutting zone and part of rough cutting zone,roughness increases with the increase of traverse speed.For the thickness of samples,in the smooth cutting zone,the roughness increases with the increase of depth.The dominant harmonic component in the surface profile is concentrated in a narrow range from 0 to 10 Hz,and the relatively higher density of frequency from 10 to 50 Hz is shown in the rough cutting zone,which is caused by the interaction between perpendicular abrasive water jet and reflect jet.

Numerical Simulation Research of Liquid-Solid Two-Phase Flow in Abrasive Water Jet Nozzle

According to the Lagrange discrete phase model of multiphase flow, mathematical model of the abrasive water-jet （AWJ） nozzle based on the multi-phase movement was introduced, then the boundary conditions was determined and the liquid-solid turbulence which is isothermal, can not be compressed and steadystate in the cone-cylinder nozzles of the export of the pre-mixed AWJ was simulated applying the software FLUENT. The results showed that： the axial velocity and dynamic pressure of the continuous phase in the nozzle were axial symmetry notable, and at the axis had a extreme point; abrasive accelerated at two points, in front contractive segment, the rate increased rapidly, and in the back straight one, the speed accelerated slowly. The length of the cylinder is 100 mm, the diameter of the nozzle is 8 mm, and the angle of the cone is 15°. There is a extreme point of the rate at the point 10 mm in the established model. The results of simulation laid the foundation for optimizing the nozzle structure, improving efficiency and developing the nozzle.

Energy Consumption in Comminution of Mica with Cavitation Abrasive Water Jet

We have studied the efficiency of energy consumption in the comminution of mica powder with cavitation abrasive water jet technology. The energy required to create new surfaces in the comminution of mica powder with cavitation abrasive water jet was calculated,in order to estimate its efficiency of energy consumption. The particle size distribution and the specific surface area were measured by applying a JEM-200CX transmission electron microscope and an Autosorb-1 automatic surface area analyzer. The study results show that the efficiency of energy consumed in creating new surface areas is as high as 2.92%,or 4.94% with the aid of cavitation in the comminution of mica powder. This efficiency will decrease with an increase in the number of comminutions. After three comminutions,the efficien-cies will become 1.91% and 2.29% for comminution without cavitation and with cavitation,respectively. The abrasive water jet technology is an effective way for comminution of mica powder.

Comminution of Mica by Cavitation Abrasive Water Jet

The comminution of mica with an abrasive water jet is mainly based on three knids of effects, that is, high-speed collision, cavitating effect and shearing effect. Cavitation abrasive water jet was applied for the comminution of mica because cavitation abrasive water jet can make full use of the three effects mentioned above. Besides high speed impacting among particles,cavitation and shearing were also enhanced due to the divergent angle at the outlet of the cavitation nozzle.A JME-200CX transmission electron microscope was used for observing the size distribution of particles.Variance analysis on the experimental results indicates that the effect of cavitation is much more significant than that of collision.The effect of pressure on comminution results becomes less with the decrease of the particle size.

INVESTIGATION ON NEW TYPE OF DOUBLY BLENDING ABRASIVE WATER JET NOZZLE SYSTEM WITH HIGHER PERFORMANCE

Based on the two existing abrasive water-jet（AWJ） systems, the dia-jet （or pre-jet） and the post-jet, a new type of abrasive water-jet system is put forward, which combines the dia-jet＇s advantage, low operating system pressure, slender stream jet, and more concentrative abrasive in the blended stream, with merits of post-jet, the less sophisticate apparatus, successive supply of abrasives. The theoretic analysis is brought out in detail, and the nozzle system structure is concisely illustrated. Its relevant experiment results are demonstrated, proving that this new system is effective in various aspects, enlarging penetrating capability without raising system pressure, saving machining power supply, lessening energy loss, etc.

Generalized equation for calculating rock cutting efficiency by pulsed water jets

One of the promising methods for rock cutting technology is the use of high-speed water jets.In order to improve the cutting capacity of water jets without increasing the hydraulic power of equipment,pulsed water jets are basically used to increase the rock cutting efficiency.However,there are no mature recommendations for selection of rational parameters,and the relationship between indicators of rock cutting efficiency and parameters of pulsed water jet is still not established.In this context,we aimed at developing a generalized equation for calculating rock cutting efficiency,in which all the major parameters in consideration of rock cutting process are included.Then,a calibration of the rational parameters of rock cutting by pulsed water jets was conducted.The results are likely helpful for increasing productivity and reducing energy consumption.

Mathematical model for abrasive suspension jet cutting based on orthogonal test design

This paper describes the application of orthogonal test design coupled with non-linear regression analysis to optimize abrasive suspension jet （AS J） cutting process and construct its cutting model. Orthogonal test design is applied to cutting stainless steel. Through range analysis on experiment results, the optimal process conditions for the cutting depth and the kerr ratio of the bottom width to the top width can be determined. In addition, the analysis of ranges and variances are all employed to identify various factors： traverse rate, working pressure, nozzle diameter, standoff distance which denote the importance order of the cutting parameters affecting cutting depth and the kerf ratio of the bottom width to the top width. ~rthermore, non-linear regression analysis is used to establish the mathematical models of the cutting parameters based on the cutting depth and the kerr ratio. Finally, the verification experiments of cutting parameters＇ effect on cutting performance, which show that optimized cutting parameters and cutting model can significantly improve the prediction of the cutting ability and quality of ASJ.

Portable mixed abrasive water jet equipment for rescue in high gas mine shaft

In order to rescue a trapped miner and clean out roadways quickly in a high gas mine shaft after a mining mishap, a special portable cold-cutting equipment is needed, the main technology parameters were calculated according to the advanced cold-cutting technology of high pressure abrasive water jet and the portable mixed abrasive water jet equipment （PAWE） was designed to meet the needs of emergency rescue in high gas mine shafts. Tested the PAWE in a high gas environment, and the result shows that the maximum cutting depth of solid iron pipe is 18 mm and the recoilforce of the sprayer is 28.9 N under the conditions that actual cutting pressure is 29 MPa, starting target distance is 10 ram, cutting speed is 180 mm/min and concentration of abrasive is 32%. The course of the experiment in the high gas environment was smooth and continuous, without any explosion. The PAWE is easy to move and operate, but the nozzle which was worn badly in the sprayer should be changed every 8 minutes.

Deep-Sea Cobalt Crusts Water Jet Cutting Ability

Deep-sea cobalt crusts water jet cutting method is proposed to avoid cutter impact load. With simulation calculations and experimental tests, water jet system parameters and its cutting ability were studied. Simula-tion results show that working pressure, ejection range and ejection angle of water jet system are main parameters of its cutting ability. Its important degree is in turn the working pressure, ejection range and ejection angle. Increasing water jet system working pressure is the most effective way to improve its cutting ability. When water jet working pressure is constant, in order to improve its cutting ability, the ejection range should be less than 4mm (four times of nozzle diameter) and the ejection angle should be about 13o. Experimental results show that there is a threshold pressure during water jet cutting cobalt crusts simulation material. With the increase of water jet working pressure, its cutting ability increases dramatically. With the increasing of water jet ejection range, its cutting ability decreases sharply. The optimal ejection angle is about 13o

Rapid manufacturing of SiC molds with micro-sized holes using abrasive water jet

Silicon carbide (SiC) is highly wear resistant with good mechanical properties, including high temperature strength, excellent chemical resistance, and high thermal conductivity and thermal shock resistance. SiC molds, which can be produced with diverse microstructural features, are now widely used in glass molding owing to their excellent characteristics, and also have potential applicability in IT industries. SiC molds are traditionally fabricated by silicon micromachining or dicing. The fabrication cost of silicon micromachining is very high, however, because several expensive masks are needed. Furthermore, the fabrication time is very long. Meanwhile, it is difficult to make micro-patterned molds with arbitrary shapes using dicing saws. Abrasive water jet (AWJ) is widely applied to cut and drill very brittle, soft and fibrous materials. It offers high energy density, the absence of a heat affected zone(HAZ), high performance, and an environment friendly process. In spite of these advantages, micro-hole drilling via conventional AWJ processing suffers from notable shortcomings. We proposed a new abrasive supplying method of AWJ. The proposed method reduces frosting phenomena, and provides micro-machining of AWJ. The characteristics of a hole machined was investigated by the proposed AWJ process according to the ratio of water and abrasives. With the optimal experimental conditions, 3×3 array SiC molds with the diameter of 700 μm and depth of 900 μm were successfully manufactured.

Research on the Mechanism of Abrasive Particles Accelerated and a Cutting System of a Premixed Abrasive Jet

Forces acting on abrasive in the process of speeding up have been analyzed. Motion differential equation of abrasive in a pipeline and nozzle has been given, respectively. Mechanisms of abrasive particles accelerated in a premixed abrasive jet has been analyzed. The study shows that driven by high-pressure water, velocity of an abrasive is near to velocity of water in pipeline through the acceleration distance. In the taper section of a nozzle, water and abrasive particles are greatly accelerated at the same time. But velocity of an abrasive always lags behind velocity of water. A premixed abrasive jet cutting system has been introduced. The structure and working principles of the system have been given. The system is an assembly of abrasive screening and filling. By use of the premixed abrasive jet cutting system established, cutting experiments have been made to test the main parameters which influence the cutting performances such as working pressure, standoff and traverse velocity, and the nozzle diameter affecting cutting chink width.

Reasonable location parameters of pick and nozzle in combined cutting system

The drum shearer and high pressure water jet combined cutting system is an effective technology to cut hard coal-rock, but one problem of the technology is the choice of pick and nozzle location parameters. In order to solve the problem, the process and mechanism of combined cutting arc studied and mining seepage catastrophe theory is used to construct the mathematic and physical model of combined cutting hard coal-rock. Based on the model and detailed analysis of combined cutting mechanism, the single pick and nozzle combined cutting test-bed is built to test the main pick and nozzle location parameters of drum shearer and water jet combined cutting system. Test results show that the best vertical distance between the pick-tip and nozzle center point is the sum of cutting thickness and proper target distance in the Y axial direction; the best horizontal distance is the length between pick-tip point and coal-rock surface bursting crack point in the X axial direction. The best incident angle of water jet should be the same as the bursting crack line＇s angle in theory, but considering other important factors comprehensively, it is more reasonable when the incident angle of water jet is 90°.

Study on the influence of standoff distance on substrate damage under an abrasive water jet process by molecular dynamics simulation

The process of a cluster-containing water jet impinging on a monocrystalline silicon substrate was studied by molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that as the standoff distance increases, the jet will gradually diverge. As a result, the solidified water film between the cluster and the substrate becomes "thicker" and "looser". The "thicker" and "looser" water film will then consume more input energy to achieve complete solidification, resulting in the stress region and the high-pressure region of the silicon substrate under small standoff distances to be significantly larger than those under large standoff distances. Therefore, the degree of damage sustained by the substrate will first experience a small change and then decrease quickly as the standoff distance increases. In summary, the occurrence and maintenance of complete solidification of the confined water film between the cluster and the substrate plays a decisive role in the level of damage formation on the silicon substrate. These findings are helpful for exploring the mechanism of an abrasive water jet.

Research and application of water jet technology in well completion and stimulation in China

In recent years, rapid progress in the use of high pressure water jets （HPWJ） has been made in oil and gas well drilling, completion, and stimulation; and good results have been achieved in field applications. Advances in technologies and developments of well completion and stimulation with hydrajet are reviewed in this paper. Experiments were conducted to study the characteristics of abrasive water jetting and to optimize jet parameters, which can provide methods for the well completion and hydrajet fracturing. Deep-penetrating hydrajet perforating can create a 2-3 m clean hole with a diameter of 20-35 mm. Multilayer hydrajet fracturing is a process whereby multiple layers are stimulated in a single run without using mechanical packers, thereby reducing operation procedure and risk. Multilateral radial wells can be drilled using hydraulic jetting up to 100 m in length. The technique to remove sand particles and plugs with rotating self-resonating cavitating water jets in horizontal wellbores has been developed and oilfield-tested, which shows promising, cost effective prospects.

Air flow exploration of abrasive feed tube

An abrasive water-jet cutting process is one in which water pressure is raised to a very high pressure and forced through a very small orifice to form a very thin high speed jet beam. This thin jet beam is then directed through a chamber and then fed into a secondary nozzle, or mixing tube. During this process, a vacuum is generated in the cham- ber, and garnet abrasives and air are pulled into the chamber, through an abrasive feed tube, and mixes with this high speed stream of water. Because of the restrictions introduced by the abrasive feed tube geometry, a vacuum gradient is generated along the tube. Although this phenomenon has been recog- nized and utilized as a way to monitor nozzle condition and abrasive flowing conditions, yet, until now, conditions inside the abrasive feed line have not been completely understood. A possible reason is that conditions inside the abrasive feed line are complicated. Not only compressible flow but also multi- phase, multi-component flow has been involved in inside of abrasive feed tube. This paper explored various aspects of the vacuum creation process in both the mixing chamber and the abrasive feed tube. Based on an experimental exploration, an analytical framework is presented to allow theoretical calculations of vacuum conditions in the abrasive feed tube.

油气井井下切割技术发展现状及趋势

油气开发后期,退役井数量急剧增加,完井修井作业中套管磨损、卡钻等问题突出,退役经济耗费显著增加。为最大限度减少卡钻和退役经济耗费,有必要开展新型套管切割技术及装备的研发与应用。首先,总结了现阶段井下管柱切割技术的主要类型、工作原理和配套装备,包括机械切割、磨料射流切割、聚能切割、化学切割、电弧切割以及激光切割;对比机械切割、磨料射流切割以及特种切割方式的技术发展现状和趋势,分析上述切割方式的工程应用及优缺点;在此基础上,提出面向高效套管切割工程需求的主要切割技术及工具。结合目前切割技术及工具的发展现状,对未来井下管柱切割技术给出优化割刀性能、加强磨料射流切割的控制、研制新型切割工具及切割工具智能化等建议。