Abstract

The design of discharge manifold equipment (DME) to withstand erosive conditions and optimize fluid pump rates requires reliable wellhead connectors for safe hydraulic fracturing. However, with the increasing slurry flow rate, flowing velocity, and sand concentration observed in DME, the potential for erosion of wellhead connectors (e.g., elbows, tees, and crosses) has drastically increased. For these reasons, assessment and mitigation of erosion are important for safe and reliable DME life. The prediction of erosion rates to quantify material loss in surface lines and well components is important because it can affect potential equipment failure, potential blowouts, and associated safety. This paper illustrates the value of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to predict erosion in DME components.

Keywords:
production control, bend radius, inch bend, inch elbow, erosion rate, flow stream velocity, cfd result, contour, equation, production logging
Subjects:
Well & Reservoir Surveillance and Monitoring, Production logging
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2014. International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers
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