Choke Manifold

Chokes are throttling valves that allow operators to control the wellstream. They are capable of withstanding erosion resulting from the very high velocities occurring at and immediately downstream from the orifice.

The Apex Choke Manifold allows operators to limit erosion to the replaceable parts within the choke. The standard Apex Choke Manifold is a five-valve, component design with a full-bore flow path through the manifold, allowing total bypass of the choke control. On one side of the bypass, an adjustable choke allows more flexible control for wellbore cleanup rates. On the other side is a positive choke to give more accurate flow control for predetermined fluids for various test procedures. By using the valving and adjustable choke, the operator can change the positive choke without having to stop operations or affect test objectives.

The choke allows the operator control by enabling progressive manual, powered, or fixed control of the wellstream by opening, closing, or selecting an orifice. Chokes help maintain critical flow, even while changing choke size.

Critical flow occurs when the pressure downstream of the choke is one-half or less than the pressure upstream. In this case, the flow rate through the choke depends only on variations of the upstream pressure and on choke setting. Changes in downstream pressure within the critical flow range do not affect the rate of flow through the choke.

Non-critical flow occurs when the downstream pressure is more than one-half the upstream pressure. In this case, changing the pressure will affect the flow rate through the choke. The critical flow should always be maintained across the chokes. The choke manifold should be placed as close as possible to the production equipment.

Meets requirements of NACE MR-01-75NOTE: Other sizes, configurations, and pressure ratings are available to meet most applications. These ratings are guidelines only. For more information, contact your local Apex representative.