Eventos Anais de eventos
ENCIT 2022
19th Brazilian Congress of Thermal Sciences and Engineering
MODELING AND SIMULATION OF INTERNAL CONTROL VALVE (ICV) CALCIUM CARBONATE SCALE FORMATION
Submission Author:
Vinicius Gustavo Poletto , PR
Co-Authors:
Vinicius Gustavo Poletto , Marina Elizabeth Mazuroski, Mateus Palharini Schwalbert, Fernando Cesar De Lai, Silvio L. M. Junqueira, Bruno Castro , Matheus Martins, Andre Leibsohn Martins, Paulo Oliveir
Presenter: Vinicius Gustavo Poletto
doi://10.26678/ABCM.ENCIT2022.CIT22-0504
Abstract
Modern open-hole full-electric intelligent completion systems, designed to reduce cost and maximize oil output, do not always provide inhibition injection lines for scale control in downhole equipment. The oil industry has reported calcium carbonate scaling in downhole Internal Control Valves (ICV). In fact, the chemical synthesis reaction depends on the concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide. Local pressure drops imposed by valve’s ports, for instance, dislocate the chemical equilibrium and trigger the formation of tiny crystals. Besides eventually adhering to the valve and building the scale that obstructs the flow, crystals also impose additional pressure drops. Furthermore, scales deposits can damage the valves' key actuation features, leaving them inoperative and permanently stuck. Traditionally, scale prediction relies on thermodynamic and kinetic analysis, ignoring the influence of fluid dynamics on precipitated crystals and valve geometry. This paper details a Euler-Lagrange approach for modeling the liquid-solid turbulent flow with adhesion to simulate of scale formation in ICVs. Numerical simulation is performed through the Finite Volume method coupled with the Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM). Results concern the accumulated mass in specific parts of the equipment (fouling hotspots) and the transient pressure uptrend due to flow blockage. The particles represent precipitated crystals in the bulk and adhere to the walls under the action of adhesive forces. The methodology and results presented are helpful for valve qualification in terms of scale formation potential and reliability of valve actuation mechanism.
Keywords
Scale formation, Calcium carbonate, internal control valve, DEM, CFD-DEM
