CFD Simulations of Flow Jetting Impact and High Erosion Region in a Production Choke and its Downstream Spool

Abstract

Erosion wear, a rather well-known problem in the petroleum and transport industry. Over the years there have been many different models suggested to estimate the erosion. Each model uses unique equations and is suited for different types of geometries, which gives different flow profiles and erosion patterns. It is critical to know where the erosion wear occurs and at what magnitude the system is located at to predict and economically create a choke valve design. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to investigate erosion on a production choke valve and its downstream spool. There are three main steps to predicting erosion wear using CFD analysis: flow model, particle tracking and calculating the erosion wear from particle interaction. The results indicate that pressure drop affects the velocity jet shape and impact region. In the 50% opening case, the pressure drop creates a wide jet stream region that, in turn, will cause an increased wall impact region. When the opening decreases, to 35% and 25%, the jet stream gets more focused. The velocity jet impacts a smaller area of the pipe wall, which in turn creates possibilities for increased erosion rate. The high pressure drop in the 15% opening case creates a high-focused jet stream in the middle of the downstream pipe, leading to low wall interaction.