Choke valve with internal sleeve for erosion protection

Abstract

An assembly and method for a choke valve body having a choke valve to control flow of fluids. A sleeve positioned in and attached to the choke valve body to flow the fluids through an inner sleeve region internal to the sleeve instead of an outer sleeve region external to the sleeve.

1 . A choke valve assembly comprising:
 an inlet body to receive fluid from an upstream flow line;   an outlet body to discharge the fluid into a downstream flow line;   a choke valve body between the inlet body and the outlet body, the choke valve body comprising a choke valve to control flow of the fluid from the inlet body to the outlet body; and   a sleeve in an inner region defined by the choke valve body, the sleeve defining an inner sleeve region in the inner region internal to the sleeve and an outer sleeve region in the inner region external to the sleeve, wherein the outer sleeve region is concentric with the inner sleeve region, and wherein the sleeve to flow the fluid from the inlet body through the inner sleeve region instead of the outer sleeve region.   
     
     
         2 . The choke valve assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer sleeve region being concentric with the inner sleeve region comprises the outer sleeve region and the inner sleeve region sharing a central axis. 
     
     
         3 . The choke valve assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises a cylindrical sleeve, and wherein the outer sleeve region comprises an annular cylindrical volume defined by the cylindrical sleeve and a cylindrical inner surface of the choke valve body. 
     
     
         4 . The choke valve assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer sleeve region comprises an annular right-cylindrical volume defined by the choke valve body and the sleeve. 
     
     
         5 . The choke valve assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is coupled to the choke valve body via a seal. 
     
     
         6 . The choke valve assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the sleeve extends into a region defined by the outlet body. 
     
     
         7 . The choke valve assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer sleeve region is a void space, and wherein the inner sleeve region is a flow path for the fluid. 
     
     
         8 . The choke valve assembly of  claim 7 , comprising an emergency shutdown system to shutdown flow of the fluid through the choke valve assembly in response to pressure in the outer sleeve region failing to satisfy a threshold. 
     
     
         9 . The choke valve assembly of  claim 8 , comprising a pressure sensor to sense the pressure in the outer sleeve region and transmit a signal representative of the pressure to the emergency shutdown system. 
     
     
         10 . The choke valve assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the inlet body is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the outlet body. 
     
     
         11 . A method of operating a choke valve assembly, comprising:
 receiving fluid at an inlet body of the choke valve assembly from an upstream flow line;   flowing the fluid from the inlet body through a choke valve body of the choke valve assembly to an outlet body of the choke valve assembly in response to a choke valve of the choke valve body being open, wherein a sleeve in the choke valve body defines an inner region internal to the sleeve and an outer region external to the sleeve, the outer region comprising an annular cylinder defined by the choke valve body and the sleeve, and wherein flowing comprises flowing, by the sleeve, the fluid through the inner region instead of through the outer region; and   discharging the fluid from the outlet body to a downstream flow line.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the annular cylinder comprises an annular right cylinder, wherein the sleeve seals the outer region to fluid flow, and wherein the choke valve when closed blocks fluid flow through the choke valve body. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sleeve comprises a cylindrical sleeve, wherein the annular cylinder comprises an annular cylindrical space defined by the cylindrical sleeve and a cylindrical inner surface of the choke valve body. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , comprising sensing pressure in the outer region and transmitting a signal representing the pressure as sensed to an emergency shutdown system. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , shutting down, via the emergency shutdown system, flow of the fluid through the upstream flow line or the downstream flow line, or both, in response to the pressure failing to satisfy a threshold. 
     
     
         16 . A hydrocarbon flow line assembly comprising:
 an upstream flow line to flow well fluids comprising hydrocarbons extracted from a hydrocarbon reservoir in a subterranean zone;   a choke valve assembly fluidically coupled to an outlet of the upstream flow line to receive the well fluids from the upstream flow line, the choke valve assembly comprising a sleeve positioned in an inner region of the choke valve assembly, the sleeve defining an inner sleeve region in the inner region internal to the sleeve and an outer sleeve region in the inner region external to the sleeve, the outer sleeve region sharing a central axis with the inner sleeve region, wherein the sleeve to flow the fluids through the inner sleeve region instead of the outer sleeve region; and   a downstream flow line downstream of the choke valve assembly to receive the well fluids from an outlet of the choke valve assembly.   
     
     
         17 . The assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the choke valve assembly comprises:
 an inlet body to receive the well fluids from the outlet of the upstream flow line;   an outlet body to receive the well fluids from the inlet body through a choke valve body; and   the choke valve body comprising a choke valve to control flow of the well fluids from the inlet body to the outlet body, wherein the choke valve body defines the inner region in which the sleeve is positioned.   
     
     
         18 . The assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the sleeve comprises a cylindrical sleeve, and wherein the outer sleeve region comprises an annular cylindrical volume defined by the cylindrical sleeve and a cylindrical inner surface of the choke valve body 
     
     
         19 . The assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the outer sleeve region comprises an annular right-cylindrical volume defined by sleeve and a choke valve body of the choke valve assembly. 
     
     
         20 . The assembly of  claim 16 , comprising an emergency shutdown system to shutdown flow through the upstream flow line or the downstream flow line, or both, in response to pressure in the outer sleeve region not satisfying a threshold. 
     
     
         21 . The assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the choke valve assembly comprises a choke valve body that changes a flow path for the well fluids through the choke valve assembly by substantially ninety degrees.