A choke manifold is an arrangement of piping and valves with adjustable choke valves. This assembly is primarily responsible for controlling flows and pressures in various industrial applications, such as onshore and offshore well testing and production operations. By implementing a choke manifold, operators and asset owners can adjust the flows and pressures that enter processing equipment, thus controlling production and minimizing equipment damage.
The most important element of the choke manifold is the assembly of choke valves. These valves are designed specifically to restrict flow when needed (hence the term choke). By adjusting these valves as needed, flows can be regulated as required.
Figure 1: Illustration showing a sectional view of a choke valve (source)
Some of the most common ancillary equipment that can be found on a typical choke manifold include choke boxes, pressure sensors, pressure sampling ports, thermowells to monitor pressure, temperature, and other fluid properties.
In the oil and gas industry, for example, choke manifolds are used to lower pressure from the wellhead to allow retrieved gases to be flared on-site. In this application, more than one choke valve is used to keep the choke manifold functional at all times.