Quartz School for Well

9. Introduction SiteControl
to Sand Supervisors

Module – 13
Work Over Operations

Section – 9
Introduction to Sand Control

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Introduction to Sand Control

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Factors Affecting Sand Production

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Factors Affecting Sand Production
•Overburden

•Cementing
•Capillary
•Drag

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Factors Affecting Sand Production

z Overburden, Friction, Differential Stresses

z Cementing Material, Degree of Consolidation
z Fluid Viscosity, Production Velocity, Drag Forces

z Capillary Forces, Water Production

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Cause of Sand Production

z Once the destabilizing forces overcome the formation

strength, the rock will fail.

z Sand production will follow if sand can be transported.

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Reasons for Sand Control

z Sand Disposal

z Casing / Liner Failure

z Sand Erosion

z Sand Bridges

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Sand Disposal

z Even wells with successful sand control measures will

produce small quantities of sand. In offshore
installations, where several wells produce into a
common platform, this may be critical.
z Sand must be first separated from the produced fluids
and all oil removed prior to disposal.

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Casing / Liner Collapse
z Failure may occur
due to :
– Non uniform lateral
loading as rock is
produced.

– High axial compressive

load due to slumping of
the overlying casing-
bearing formation.

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Sand Erosion
z Sand production can cause erosion in both surface and
downhole equipment such as :

Downhole Surface
Blast Joints Chokes
Gas lift Equipment Elbows / Tees
Standing Valves Swages
Pumps Valves
Safety Valves Metering Devices
Circulating sleeves Flanges
Nipples Wellhead
Tubular
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Sand Bridges
z Bridges may form in
casing or tubing and
obstruct well flow.
z They must be removed by
bailing or washing with
concentric strings.
z If bridging is severe sand

control will be required.

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Sand Production Prediction

z Experience
z Analogy
z Special Well Test
z Core Inspection and Testing
– X-Ray, SEM
– Flow Tests
– Uniaxial and Triaxial Compressive Strength
Measurements
– BHN
z Log Interpretation
– IMPACT
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Rock Classification
Term BHN Remarks

z Unconsolidated <2 No cementing material

z Partially 2-5 Crushed with fingers
z Friable 5 - 10 Crushed when rubbed
z Consolidate 10 - 30 Crushed with forceps
z Hard > 30 Can not be broken with
– Medium Hard 30 - 50 forceps
– Hard 50 - 125
– Very Hard > 125

(BHN - Brinell Hardness Number)

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 9. Introduction to Sand Control
Sand Control

Although some fines are probably always produced in

any well, in sand control we mean control of the

LOAD BEARING SOLIDS

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Sand Control Methods

z Restrictive Production Rate

z In Situ Consolidation
z Resin Coated Gravel
z Gravel Pack
z Screens - Natural Sand Packing (OH)
z Fracture

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Restrictive Production Rate

z Some weak formations have enough strength to

produce sand-free at low rates.
z Selective perforations placed in the strongest
formation (based on logs)
z Rock properties may change during the production
(i.e..., water production).

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In Situ Consolidation

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In Situ Consolidation
z Injection of resins systems into the formation.
Consolidation “in situ”.
z Sand grains are bound together but leaving pore
spaces open.
z The resin also improves the compressive strength
of the grains.
z Diversion to be considered.
z Main Dowell System : FRS - 300

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Resin Coated Gravel

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Resin Coated Gravel

z Resin coated particles are placed in the

perforations and wellbore.
z When cured a strong permeable synthetic
sandstone network is formed.
z Drillable.
z Diversion to be considered.
z Main Dowell System : SANDLOCK V*

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Gravel Pack
z Consists of sized
particles placed in
the annular space
Screen
Gravel between an
unconsolidated
formation and a
centralised screen.
z Open or cased hole.

Formation
Sand

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Natural Sand Packing (NSP)

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Natural Sand Packing (Screens)

z Installation of a screen system (no particles) in

cased or open hole.
z Main horizontal completion option.
z Screen system can be :
slotted liner pre-pack screen
wire wrapped Porous media
z Annular is eventually filled with formation sand.

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Screens

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Fracturing for Sand Control

Formation Damage radius

Fracture

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Fracturing for Sand Control
Why fracture high permeability formations?

z By-pass formation damage

z Restore formation stress

z Reduce matrix flow velocity

z Connect reservoir layers

z Stimulate the well

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References

z Dowell Sand Control Engineering Manual I

z Dowell Sand Control Materials Manual
z SPE Series on Special Topics Volume I, Penberthy -
Shaughnessy
z InTouchSupport.com

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Screen Selection

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Screen Selection

z Types of Screens Available

z Completion Type
z Metallurgy
z Mechanical Properties
z Screen Dimension
z Erosion
z Plugging
z Selection Guidelines

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Types of Screens Available

z Slotted Liners
z Wire-Wrapped Screens
z Double Wire-Wrapped Screens
z Pre-Pack Screens
z Premium Screens
– Johnson’s SUPERFLO & Excel
– Halliburton’s (Purolator) PoroPlus
– Pall’s Stratapack
– Baker’s Excluder
– Petroline’s Expandable Sand Screen

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Slotted Liners

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Wire Wrapped Screens

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Wire Type: House Shaped vs Keystone

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Double Wire Wrapped Screens

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Pre-Pack Screens

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Johnson’s SUPERFLO

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Johnson’s Excel

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Halliburton’s (Purolator) PoroPlus

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Pall’s Stratapac

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Pall’s PMF II Medium (Porous Metal Fiber)

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Pall’s PMM Medium(Porous Metal Membrane)

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Baker’s Excluder

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Petroline’s Expandable Sand Screen

Filtration
Media

Expandable
Base Pipe
Expandable
Base Pipe

Expandable
Attach filters Shroud
onto base pipe

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Completion Type
z Natural Sand Pack (NSP)

z Gravel Pack

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Completion Type
z Natural Sand Pack
– Screen is designed to contain formation sand.
– Annular may be filled up with low permeability sand pack,
reducing production.
– Sand may cause screen erosion.
z Gravel Pack
– Screen is designed to contain gravel.
– Gravel is selected to contain formation sand.
– Gravel placement technique to be considered.

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Metallurgy - Material Corrosion

– SSCC, Sulfide Stress Corrosion Cracking

– CO2 Corrosion
– SCC, Stress Corrosion Cracking
– Pitting Corrosion
– Crevice Corrosion
– Hydrogen Embrittlement
– Galvanic Corrosion

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Environment for Corrosion

z Temperature
z H2S content
z CO2 content
z Cl- content

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Mechanical Properties

z Limits are set regarding sand retention capability and deformation.

– Crush
– Burst
– Torque
– Bend
– Tensile

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Crush Test

Courtesy of Pall

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Crush Test

Courtesy of Pall

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Pall’s Stratapac Suggested Limits

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Screen Dimension

z OD
– Inflow Area
– Circulating Pressure
– Collapsed Formation /GP Ring Diameter
– Installation
z ID
– Pipe / Wash Pipe Size (treatment pump rate)
– Logging
– Production
– Selective Tools
– Remedial Work (back up screen)

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Natural Sand Pack Erosion

z Formation particle flow velocity through the screen will cause

erosion.
z Consequences are more severe in gas wells.
z Increased formation particle flow velocity will occur due partial
screen plugging.

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Natural Sand Pack Screen Plugging

z If not eroded, in a sand producing environment in which particles are

allowed to flow, the screen openings tend to plug.

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Selection Guidelines

z Gravel pack (GP) vs No gravel pack

– Uniformity of sand : The more non uniform the sand, the more GP
is to be considered.
– Hole stability: If an instantaneous hole collapse is not likely to
occur, consider GP.
– Drawdown: Higher the drawndown (or higher the Q/L), the more
GP is to be considered.

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Natural Sand Pack Considerations

z Uniformity of the sand

– For uniform sand (C<3), consider WWS (“Wired Wrapped
Screens”) / SL (“Slotted Liner”), (Economic decision).
– For non uniform sand (C>3), consider PP or Premium.
z Hole collapse
– If instantaneous and uniform hole collapse is expected, consider
WWS / SL (Economic decision).
– If initially stable hole, the decision will be dictated by production
rate. In high rate environment PP or Premium are recommended.
z Even in low rate environment consider tolerance to fines
production D10/D95 >20 (SPE 39437).

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Cumulative Log Diagram (S-Plot)
8 12 16 20 30 40 50 70 100 140 200 270 325 400 pan
100 o
D 90
90
80 o
70
o
60 D 50
50
D 40 o
40
30
o
20
10 o
0 o
Grain Size (in)

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NSP WWS / SL Sizing
z Coberly (1937): Slot size = 2 * D10
z Rogers (1971): Slot size = D10
z Rogaland Research (1996): SPE 31087
– Fractal approach, experiments defining the largest slot size where
sand production did not occurred and smallest slot size where no
plugging was observed.

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Comparative Sand Retention Tests
TABLE 1 - SUMMARY OF SCREEN TEST RESULTS (Hole collapsed)
SAND D50 - 28 MICRON, UC = 5.2

1.6

1.4

1.2

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
#2-Mesh Tech
#1-Mesh Tech- #3-40/60 #4-50/70 #5-Wire Wrap, #6-Wire Wrap, #7-Superflo
50/70 Gravel
Bare Prepack Prepack 100M 50M SW, 43M
Pack
Retained Perm Kf/Ki 0.8 0.9 0.84 0.75 0.36 0.21 0.92
Solids Produced (g) 0.792 0.0085 0.019 0.024 0.165 0.1 0.007
Solids Conc (kg/m3 water) 1.36 0.03 0.03 0.18 1.01 0.2 0.024

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Gravel Pack Consideration

z Gravel pack will stabilize formation

– Screen will be protected from formation sand plugging and
erosion.
– Annular will be packed with very high permeability particles.
z Placement
z Size Screen to stop gravel or formation sand ?
– Particles that flow through gravel (using Saucier method) will flow
through screen sized to stop formation sand.
– Considerations as NSP

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Centralizers

z Solid Straight Blade Stand-Off Centralizers are recommended.

z Centralizers available in Zinc and Bronze Alloy.

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References

z Dowell Sand Control Engineering Manual

z Sand Control Handbook, World Oil’s, by Suman
z Sand Control, SPE Series, Penberthy & Shaughnessy
z SPE 39437
z SPE 31087
z Hart’s Petroleum Engineer International, Nov 1997

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