Sand Control Screen
Valves and flow components are subject to wear and erosion from sand and silt in high-pressure slurry flow that occurs in oil and gas production. Slurry flow testing uses a mixture of sand and liquid pumped through equipment to evaluate equipment performance. Southwest Research Institute has extensive experience designing and operating flow loops to monitor oilfield tool performance while simulating real-world operations in the field. Key interests include the wear of components due to erosion from sand impingement and the functionality of equipment in sandy service.
Slurry Erosion Test Services
Our Flow Component Testing team conducts research and slurry erosion test services on flow components such as surface and subsurface valves, pressure relief valves, regulators, hydraulic fracturing tools, and downhole production equipment used in Oil & Gas production. Related services include:
Sand Slurry Test Services
SwRI has performed sand slurry testing with the following flow conditions:
- Concentrations up to 5 ppg (18% by volume) of sand/proppant with linear gelled fluids
- Concentrations up to 3 ppg (12% by volume) by volume of sand/proppant with water
- Customer specified proppant media and/or specialty sand
- Sand sizes from 12 to 600 mesh
- Flow rates up to 70,000 bpd
Slurry Erosion Test Rig Development
SwRI has experimental setup flexibility and large laboratory spaces for tailoring customized testing. For test programs that require conditions outside of the operating envelope of existing facilities, we can develop a short-term, custom slurry erosion test rig, leveraging existing facilities, equipment, and instrumentation to achieve testing goals.
For more information about slurry flow testing, please contact Christopher Jowers at +1 210 522 4221.