Choke Plug Tip Superhard Material Wear Resistance

Solution Overview

Problem

Movable valve members in fluid-handling systems, such as mineral extraction systems, face degradation due to high pressure environments, leading to wear and erosion, and traditional materials like tungsten carbide are not durable enough.

Innovation Solution

A choke plug with a tip portion made of superhard materials like diamond-based materials or polycrystalline cubic boron nitride is coupled with a stem and plug body made of traditional materials, using fasteners and seals to enhance durability, and additional features like shims, bearing features, and alignment sleeves are used to stabilize the joint and reduce stress.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional materials like tungsten carbide are used for the choke plug, then the device is easier to manufacture and less expensive, but the durability and resistance to wear and erosion are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovedurabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies composite materials by combining a superhard material tip portion (such as diamond-based materials or polycrystalline cubic boron nitride) with a traditional material body (such as tungsten carbide). This composite structure allows the choke plug to have enhanced durability and wear resistance at the critical tip portion while maintaining the manufacturing advantages of traditional materials for the body portion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by providing enhanced material properties only where needed - the superhard material is used specifically for the tip portion that contacts the seat and experiences wear and erosion, while the body portion uses traditional materials. This localized application of superior material properties resolves the contradiction by improving durability only at the critical wear zone without requiring the entire component to be made from difficult-to-manufacture superhard materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If superhard materials are used for the entire choke plug, then wear resistance and durability are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewear resistanceVSAvoidstructural complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the choke plug into distinct portions: a tip portion made of superhard material and a body portion made of traditional material. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently - the tip portion for wear resistance and the body portion for manufacturing ease - thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining improved wear resistance where it is most needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by providing enhanced material properties only where needed - the superhard material is used specifically for the tip portion that contacts the seat and experiences wear and erosion, while the body portion uses traditional materials. This localized application of superior material properties resolves the contradiction by improving durability only at the critical wear zone without requiring the entire component to be made from difficult-to-manufacture superhard materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If the choke plug operates in high pressure environments for extended periods, then the system maintains productivity, but the valve member experiences accelerated wear and degradation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem operation timeVSAvoidwear and erosion

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies composite materials by combining a superhard material tip portion (such as diamond-based materials or polycrystalline cubic boron nitride) with a traditional material body (such as tungsten carbide). This composite structure allows the choke plug to have enhanced durability and wear resistance at the critical tip portion, enabling extended system operation in high pressure environments without accelerated wear.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary anti-action by pre-equipping the choke plug with a superhard material tip portion that is specifically designed to resist wear and erosion before the degradation process begins. This preventive measure allows the valve member to operate in high pressure environments for extended periods without experiencing the accelerated wear that would otherwise limit productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Data Source

PatentUS10125875B2Choke plug tip

Publication Date: 2018.11.13 CAMERSON INT CORP

AI summary

A choke valve includes a choke body, a choke trim disposed in the choke body, where the choke trim is configured to adjust a cross-sectional area of a flow path in the choke body to adjust a fluid flow through the choke valve, a choke plug of the choke trim disposed in the flow path of the fluid flow, a stem of the choke plug that includes a first material, and a tip portion of the choke plug coupled to the stem, where the tip portion includes a superhard material.