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Sand Control Methods

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Sand Control in Well Construction and Operation

Part of the book series: Springer Environmental Science and Engineering ((SPRINGERENVIRON))

Abstract

The main purpose of any sand control method is to hold load bearing solids in the place. It is therefore necessary to determine what is in fact produced. Some fines are always produced, and that can be beneficial because that helps in cleaning pore space. The other (solids between 50 and 75 percentile ranges) that are real load bearing solids can be control through reduction of drag forces, by bridging sand mechanically or by increasing formation strength. That means some kind of production rate control, selective or oriented perforating, fracturing and gravel packing, use of screens and chemical consolidation.

In this chapter aim is to concentrate on sand control tools and procedures designed to prolong well life by eliminating sand production either mechanically trapping it behind various downhole devices or chemically consolidating the unconsolidated formations prone to produce sand. Open and cased hole installations are described, involving slotted liner, standalone screen and gravel packed completions. Through tubing sand control, frac-and-pack method completion and dual zone completions are presented as well. All these completions comprise of many different tools, accessories and devices like screens, packers, seal assemblies, running tools, blank pipes, safety joints and other. They are introduced as an overview of possible tool combinations in certain occasions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering Petroleum Engineering Department, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Davorin Matanović, Marin Čikeš & Bojan Moslavac

Authors
  1. Davorin Matanović
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  2. Marin Čikeš
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  3. Bojan Moslavac
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Davorin Matanović .

Nomenclature

A g

Total area under the gravimetric profile

A p

Total area under the curve of the pressure profile

C – factor

Empirical constant for evaluation of the risk of the erosion, Pa0.5

d 10; 40; 50; 90; 95

Diameter of formation sand particle at (10; 40; 50; 90; 95 percentile) point, mm

D

Diameter of the gravel pack sand, mm

D i

Initial outer diameter of the pipe, m

D f

Final (expanded) pipe outer diameter, m

f

Fractal dimension of the sand

F s

External surface area per meter of the liner, m2/m

K

The proportionality constant

l e

Length of expanded slot part, m

l s

Slot length, m

m

Number of links between slots over the pipe cross section area

N(d ≥ d i )

Determines the number of particles equal or greater than diameter of d i

n s

Number of slots per 1 m of the liner, m−1

SC

Sorting coefficient

T p

Is the time for the pressure profile to reach 0.6895 MPa

UC

Uniformity coefficient

w e

Slot width after expansion, m

w s

Slot width, m

α s

Total slot area of total external surface area of the liner, m2

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Matanović, D., Čikeš, M., Moslavac, B. (2012). Sand Control Methods. In: Sand Control in Well Construction and Operation. Springer Environmental Science and Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25614-1_3

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