Numerical simulation of well casing collapse and burst induced by erosion

A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM) was developed in Abaqus to simulate crescent-shaped and wedge-shaped erosion profiles with erosion levels of up to 40% of the original wall thickness. Model predictions were verified against published experimental data, with discrepancies below 8%. The simulations indicate that erosion geometry plays a significant role in the degradation of pressure capacity, with wedge-shaped erosion producing the most pronounced reductions. Representative cases in the examined erosion geometries showed a maximum reduction of 2699 psi in collapse pressure for 0.2-inch-wide wedge-shaped erosion, while a minimum burst pressure of 2547 psi was observed in crescent-shaped erosion cases. A comparative assessment with API and triaxial models demonstrated that analytical predictions increasingly deviated from numerical results beyond 10% erosion and across different erosion geometries, highlighting the need for geometry-based numerical evaluation in erosive drilling environments.