Prediction of wellhead eight-way erosion and optimization of construction parameters based on Finnie erosion model

Erosion and wear of the eight-way pipeline at the fracturing wellhead is a critical challenge affecting fracturing efficiency. Currently, some erosion models are inaccurate in predicting the erosion of the wellhead eight-way pipeline. Therefore, research on a new method for predicting the erosion of the wellhead eight-way pipeline has been carried out. Based on the finite element numerical simulation method, a geometric model of the fracturing wellhead eight-way pipeline was established. Using actual fracturing operation data, erosion models such as the Generic model, Oka model, and Finnie model were constructed respectively for erosion simulation. The erosion rate simulation results were compared with the actual erosion rate of the wellhead eight-way pipeline, and the accuracy of the prediction results of each erosion model was analyzed. It was confirmed that the prediction results of the adopted Finnie erosion model were more accurate. Subsequently, based on the Finnie erosion model, research was conducted on the influence mechanism of various operation parameters on erosion and wear. The results show that for the erosion simulation of the wellhead eight-way pipeline, the prediction accuracy of the erosion rate by other erosion models is relatively low, while the prediction accuracy of the Finnie erosion model reaches 90.32%. Based on the Finnie model, the influence mechanism of different operation parameters on the pipeline wall erosion rate was studied. By optimizing operation parameters such as injection displacement and particle diameter, the erosion rate predicted by the model after parameter optimization is 19.12% lower than that predicted under the original operation parameters, and 11.29% lower than the actual erosion rate under the original operation parameters. The Finnie erosion model can accurately predict the erosion of the wellhead eight-way pipeline. It is recommended to evaluate the influence of operation parameters on the erosion rate based on the Finnie erosion model and adopt a more reasonable combination of operation parameters to reduce the erosion rate.