Numerical simulation of predicting and reducing solid particle erosion of solid-liquid two-phase flow in a choke

Chokes are one of the most important components of downhole flow-control equipment. The particle erosion mathematical model, which considers particle-particle interaction, was established and used to simulate solid particle movement as well as particle erosion characteristics of the solid-liquid two-phase flow in a choke. The corresponding erosion reduction approach by setting ribs on the inner wall of the choke was advanced. This mathematical model includes three parts： the flow field simulation of the continuous carrier fluid by an Eulerian approach, the particle interaction simulation using the discrete particle hard sphere model by a Lagrangian approach and calculation of erosion rate using semiempirical correlations. The results show that particles accumulated in a narrow region from inlet to outlet of the choke and the dominating factor affecting particle motion is the fluid drag force. As a result, the optimization of rib geometrical parameters indicates that good anti-erosion performance can be achieved by four ribs, each of them with a height （H） of 3 mm and a width （B） of 5 mm equaling the interval between ribs （L）.

Effects of Particle Concentration on the Dynamics of a Single-Channel Sewage Pump under Low-Flow-Rate Conditions

Single-channel sewage pumps are generally used to transport solid-liquid two-phase media consisting of a fluid and solid particles due to the good non-clogging property of such devices.However,the non-axisymmetric structure of the impeller of this type of pumps generally induces flow asymmetry,oscillatory outflow during operations,and hydraulic imbalance.In severe cases,these effects can jeopardize the safety and stability of the overall pump.In the present study,such a problem is investigated in the framework of a Mixture multiphase flow method coupled with a RNG turbulence model used to determine the structure of the flow field and the related motion of transported particles.It is shown that under different inlet particle concentrations,the flow field in the pump exhibits periodic variations of the pressure.The volume fraction of solid particles at the trailing edge of the suction surface of the blade is the largest,and solid particles tend to be concentrated at the outer edge of the pump body.With a rise in import particle content,the pressure and volume fraction of particles in the sewage pump also increase;for a fixed inlet particle concentration,the pressure pulsation amplitude increases with an increase in the flow rate.In addition,under small flow conditions,as the inlet particle concentration increases,the flow field leaving the sewage pump diaphragm near the outlet of the volute becomes more turbulent,and even a secondary back-flow vortex appears.

EFFECT OF DRILLPIPE ROTATION ON BOREHOLE CLEANING FOR EXTENDED REACH WELL

Wellbore cleaning is a key technology for the Extended Reach Drilling （ERD）. The success of drilling extended reach wells depends directly upon the quality of wellbore cleaning. The rotation of the drillpipe, and hydraulic and rheological parameters, are the key factors for wellbore cleaning. In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics （CFD） is applied to simulate solid-liquid two-phase flows in wellbore annulus. The annual flow field with the presence of drillpipe rotation is described through analyzing various rotation conditions. The results indicate that the quasi-spiral flow is the main flow pattern for liquid-solid transport in the horizontal annulus. The influence of rotation on the cuttings transport is also investigated, as the rotation of drillpipe increases the disturbance of liquid to solid in annulus. As a result, the solid flow becomes favorable and the solid volume is reduced. Comparisons with previously published results are also performed to prove the importance of drillpipe rotation in the wellbore clearing for the ERD.