Abstract
Fine sand production is a crucial concern of the Rudrasagar oilfield of Upper Assam. Petroliferous basin as it develops numerous issues related to oil and gas production. Sand production from oil wells has a negative impact on the economy of oil production since it can harm both surface and subsurface equipment as well as impair the well’s productivity. Since the conventional gravel pack cannot hold the fines at the formation of the Rudrasagar oilfield, sand consolidation by introducing suitable chemicals may prove as an efficient technique to control sand production and thereby maintain the permeability needed for the fluid to flow. Keeping this view in mind, an attempt has been in the present study to formulate a novel mixture of chemicals that may efficiently consolidate the loose sand particles under the reservoir conditions of the Rudrasagar oilfield. The experiment shows that when epoxy resin is mixed with consolidating agents while maintaining relatively high porosity and permeability, the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of the studied sandstone is greatly improved. The newly developed chemical solution of 10% epoxy resin, 6% bitumen, and 1% bentonite is best suited to provide UCS value up to 1134 psi to the studied sand grains, with retaining permeability up to 75% with absolute permeability of 1218 mD. Hence, this solution can be recommended commercially in the sand consolidation treatments of the Rudrasagar oilfield.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Central Sophisticated Instrumentation Centre, Dibrugarh University, Department of Petroleum Technology, Dibrugarh University, and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, New Delhi, for providing us with the resources required to carry out the research work.
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Gogoi, A., Borgohain, P. Application of a novel organic chemical mixture to control the sand production in the oilfields of Upper Assam Basin, India. Arab J Geosci 16, 116 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11195-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11195-6