External Sleeve Choke With Impact Screen for Debris Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing choke manifolds, including plug and cage types and external sleeve systems, are prone to damage from large, hard debris during well clean up and flowback operations due to the brittleness of tungsten carbide coatings, which can break under impact from large objects in the fluid stream.
Innovation Solution
An external sleeve choke design featuring an impact screen made of ductile material with selected porosity to protect the sleeve and cage from impacts, allowing for controlled fluid flow and preventing large solids from damaging the components, while the impact screen can be easily replaced when worn.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If tungsten carbide coatings are applied to protect against abrasive wear, then resistance to erosion from sand and abrasive materials is improved, but brittleness increases making the coating susceptible to breaking under impact from large hard objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a composite material system consisting of a ductile base material (such as stainless steel) combined with a tungsten carbide coating. The ductile base material provides impact resistance and toughness, while the tungsten carbide coating provides abrasion resistance. This composite structure allows the choke trim to withstand both abrasive wear from sand and impact forces from large debris without failing.
2Strength
If a solid impact protection layer is added to protect against large objects, then impact resistance is improved, but fluid flow restriction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a porous protective layer or screen made of ductile material with controlled porosity. This porous structure allows fluid to pass through while providing impact protection. The pores are sized and distributed to maintain adequate flow capacity while the ductile material structure absorbs and distributes impact forces from large objects, preventing them from reaching the critical trim components.
3Strength
If a protective screen is added to protect the trim, then impact protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the protective function into a separate, removable component - a protective screen or trim guard that can be independently installed and replaced. This segmentation allows the protective function to be added without permanently complicating the main choke body structure. When the screen becomes worn or damaged, it can be easily removed and replaced without affecting other components, thus managing complexity through modular design.
Data Source
AI summary
A choke may include an inlet for receiving a flow stream. The choke may also include a valve assembly configured to receive the flow stream from the inlet and control the flow stream. The valve assembly may include a cage element, an external sleeve adapted for selectively and controllably articulating over the cage element to control the flow stream through the valve, and an impact screen surrounding both the cage element and the external sleeve and adapted to protect the cage element and the external sleeve from impacts from large objects in the flow stream. The choke may also include an outlet for delivering the flow stream from the valve assembly.