Numerical Study of Casing Microleakage Flow Field Sensitivity and Acoustic Field Characteristics

Abstract

The casing leakage phenomenon seriously affects the safety and economic problems of oil and gas production and transportation. In this paper, the numerical simulation study of the casing’s micro-leakage flow field and acoustic field is carried out by taking the oil and gas well casing as the research object. The CFD numerical model of the casing micro-leakage is established, and the influence of the size of the leakage hole, the shape of the leakage hole, and the pressure difference between the inside and outside the casing on the microleakage flow field is analyzed. An acoustic-vibroacoustic coupling calculation model based on Fluent and LMS Virtual LAB is established, and the sound pressure value and distribution at different frequencies are calculated. The results show that the flow rate of the leakage hole increases with the pressure difference between the inside and the outside leakage hole and the area of the leakage hole. Moreover, the flow rate of the circular leakage hole is higher for the same leakage hole area. The simulation model based on the equivalent sound source can be used to calculate and analyze the sound field in the tubing. By sound field computation based on the near-field equivalent sound source, when the frequency is 32,000 Hz, the amplitude of sound pressure is maximum. In addition, the sound pressure is greatly reduced once the sound wave passes through the tubing pipeline. Lastly, the sound pressure is higher at the position facing the leakage hole in the tubing, making detecting the leakage sound field signal easier. The results can provide a reference for further research on oil casing microleakage detection technology.

Keywords

• casing pipes
• micro-leakage
• ultrasonic detection
• acoustic vibration coupling
• numerical simulation