The choke and kill manifolds are among the necessary pieces of equipment needed in oil and gas production. While many people might have already heard about choke and kill manifolds, only a few fully understand what they really are. Read on to know more about what choke and kill manifolds are, as well as their uses and significance in the oil and gas industry.
A choke manifold is an assembly of piping and valves with adjustable choke valves. This arrangement is mainly responsible for controlling flows and pressures during the onshore and offshore well testing and production operations. By installing a choke manifold, the operators can manage the speed of flow and pressure that enter the processing equipment, which helps in controlling production and reduces the risk of equipment damage. During well test wellheads are attached to the choke manifold to control pressure and allow flow for the test components downstream.
Choke & kill manifolds are primarily used in the oil and gas industry, but they are also used in the trenchless industry for drilling operations that employ drilling mud (also known as drilling fluid).
There is also another application of the manifold, which is used to bring down the pressure, which is encountered from the wellhead. This consists of a set of high-pressure valves with two minimum numbers of chokes. This choke comes in adjustable or fixed design or maybe both. This redundancy is required when one of the chokes is out of service, and the flow is to be directed with another choke to avoid downtime in production. The choke valve consists of a set of outer board valves and inboard valves with flanges, pressure gauge, hydraulic and manual chokes.
The primary feature of the choke manifold is to control the pressures of the drilling fluid ejected at the cutting head. Mainly during recirculation, when the mud is circulated through the choke manifold when the blowout preventer is closed.
During well testing, choke manifolds allow flows and pressures to be controlled. Choke & kill manifolds typically consist of more than one choke valve. If one choke valve on the manifold fails or has to be taken out of service, fluid flows can be redirected to the other valves.
What are the primary Manifold System Components?
Chokes:
Parveen's chokes are manufactured to API 6A suitable for fixed as well as variable flow, with wide choice of temperature ratings and end connections (API/ANSI, Flanged/Threaded) to meet a variety of services. Sizes available from 2.1/16" 2k to 3.1/16 15k. The choke manifold is primarily an assembly of choke valves. These valves are designed in a way to restrict the flow when required. By adjusting the valves, the flow can be easily regulated. Adjustable choke valves typically come with a manual or automatic valve stem and are more common because of their flexibility.
Gate valve:
Generally, the gate valve is used in manifolds because of its high resistance to wear and sufficient seal. They are designed to control the fluid flow from opening to closing, but they are not explicitly designed to restrict the flow. If the gate valve is limiting the flow, it can damage the body due to its abrasive characteristic of the fluid, which is considered as solid laden fluid. Also, the damage can occur on the valve during downstream due to high velocity as it goes through the choke section and increases the chance of erosion.
Primary functions of Choke and Kill Manifold:
The primary function of a choke & kill manifold is to improve the overall process safety around the site. In the oil and gas industry, it is used to control the pressures of the drilling fluid ejected at the cutting head. The assembly of choke valves which are the most important element of the manifold is specially engineered to restrict flow as required. The flow is restricted or regulated by adjusting the valves.
Maintain flow rates required for testing. Different tests may require different flow rates over various time periods. There are also some tests that would require the flow rates to be changed over a specified time frame. The choke and kill manifold can help the operator effectively control these flow rates according to the test requirements.
In certain applications, the choke manifold may used to prevent or minimize the quantity of sand, debris and other materials from entering the well. This can be done by reducing the flow speed and flow rate.
Apart from the oil and gas industry, the choke and kill manifolds are also used in the trenchless industry and in applications that involve drilling that includes the use of drilling fluid or drilling mud. They are also used in industrial operations like offshore and onshore well testing and production operations.
The manifold ensures that pressure fluctuations downstream of the manifold do not affect the downhole pressure and flow rate at the well.
Choke and Kill Manifold from Vigor are manufactured in strict accordance with API 6A standards, and we conduct rigorous testing before leaving the factory to ensure that the products received by customers are fully compliant with the standards for field use and ready for immediate use. Vigor's QC team will be involved in the whole production and inspection process, take photos and records, and provide our customers with inspection reports after everything is completed, which will greatly protect the interests of customers. If you are interested in Vigor's Choke and Kill Manifold or other equipment used in the oil and gas industry, please do not hesitate to contact Vigor for the best service.
