Particle Distribution and Erosion During the Flow of Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Slurries in Straight and Coiled Pipes

Abstract

Straight and coiled tubing are frequently used in the petroleum industry in operations such as fracturing, cementing, drilling and perforation. Most of these operations involve flow of slurries during which erosion of tubing is a major problem and its prediction becomes important for the safe and economical execution of oilfield operations. Erosion due to slurry flow depends on a number of factors, several of which are interdependent which makes the process more complex. Various experimental and modeling techniques have been in use to evaluate the erosion resulting from the flow of particles. These experimental and modeling techniques, however, have their limitations due to the deficient experimental data and computational restrictions. This study presents the results of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses conducted on straight and curved tubing sections under various flow conditions and different Newtonian and non-Newtonian base fluids commonly used in the petroleum industry. The particle distribution and shear stress for simulated flow cases have been evaluated and compared to comprehend the nature of particle interaction with the flow boundaries and resulting frictional erosion. The study highlights the effect of lubrication forces and viscosity of the base fluid.