Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Erosion Study for Chokes

Abstract

Abstract Because erosion is a common cause of failure in oilfield equipment, it is beneficial to approach the issue at the product design level. The areas most susceptible to erosion occur near changes in flow direction because here the particles are most likely to deviate from the flow stream and impinge on the surface geometry. While both experimentation and computer simulation are used to study erosion, experimental testing often proves difficult to perform for specific conditions. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to predict erosion rates, with flow modeling and particle tracking being key tools for predicting erosion. This paper presents a set of curves to estimate erosion of different components of the choke as a function of choke position and flow rate using CFD. Erosion results are plotted in terms of thickness loss per time in units of mils/yr as provided for each component for varying flow rates and sand volume concentrations. Results from the study show that the erosion rates increase in a quadratic fashion with respect to the flow rate. The predicted erosion rates for various scenarios are examined and compared to experimental results.