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20
RESERVOIR SAND
MIGRATION AND
GRAVEL-PACK
DAMAGE:
STRESS-INDUCED
FORMATION DAMAGE,
SANDING TENDENCY,
AND PREDICTION
Summary
Characteristics of reservoir formations susceptible for sand production are
reviewed. The mechanical and hydrodynamic processes causing sand production, migration, and retention in reservoir formations are described and
modeled. Typical features of effective gravel pack designs are explained.
The various parameters affecting the gravel-pack efficiency are discussed.
Predictive models for sand filtration and retention in gravel-packs and
applications by means of typical test data are presented.
20.1 INTRODUCTION
As stated by Geilikman and Dusseault (1997), Sand production is a
fluid-saturated granular flow. It has been observed that fines migration
and well sanding tend to increase by rising water cuts beyond a certain
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(20-1)
where m is the mass of the sand particle. On the other hand, the maximum, critical, or threshold shear resistance of the sand, including the
additional factors resulting from water invasion, is expressed as following
by Hayatdavoudi (1999c, 2005):
cr = c + v Pp Ps + Pos + Pc tan cyc
(20-2)
(20-3)
(20-4)
where
pv is the induced velocity of particles and fsw is the shear wave
frequency. In case of the lack of information for Eq. (20-4), Hayatdavoudi
(1999c) recommends estimating ai by
ai 019g
(20-5)
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1
in the + in the
water
2 oil zone
(20-7)
zone
in which the specific weights of the sand grains in the water and oil zones
are given, respectively, by
in
the
water zone
in
the
oil zone
w G
1+e
(20-8)
o G
1+e
(20-9)
(20-10)
and w and o are the specific weights of the water and oil phases, and
G is the specific gravity of the sand grains, defined as the density of the
grain material divided by the density of water at 4 C temperature.
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(20-11)
sand flow
flowing, yielded zone
propagation of yielding front
intact zone
intact zone
rw
wellbore
R (t)
Figure 20-1. Growing yielded zone and the intact zone around a producing well
(reprinted from Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 17, Geilikman, M. B., and
Dusseault, M. B, Fluid Rate Enhancement from Massive Sand Production in Heavy-Oil
Reservoirs, pp. 518, 1997, with permission from Elsevier Science).
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819
(20-12)
+ 1
s = 0
t
(20-13)
where t denotes the time. In the intact zone, the porosity,
i , is assumed
constant. Thus, Eqs (20-12) and (20-13) simplify as
i
f = 0
(20-14)
1
i
s = 0
(20-15)
Thus, the fluid velocities in the yielded and intact zones can be expressed,
respectively, by
f =
1
y
q t
2
y r
y s
(20-16)
qf t
2
i r
(20-17)
f =
Here, qt denotes the volumetric production rate of the fluid plus sand
system. qf t denotes the volumetric production rate of the fluid carrying
the sand. Similarly, the solid velocity in the yielded zone is given by
s =
q t
s
2 1
y r
(20-18)
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r
qf
ln e
2
i Ki
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R < r < re
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y
i
3
1
i
1
y
2
(20-21)
dR
dt
(20-22)
in which R = Rt denotes the radial distance to the front. The consistency
and compatibility conditions for the fluid flow at the moving yielded
zone front (interface boundary) are given, respectively, by
i
i V =
y
y V r = R t
(20-23)
py = pi
r = R t
(20-24)
Here rw and re denote the wellbore and reservoir radii, respectively, and
pw and pe are the fluid pressures at these locations. The consistency and
compatibility conditions for the solid flow at the moving front between
the yielded and intact zones are given, respectively, by
1
i V = 1
y V
s
(20-25)
Substituting Eqs (20-18) and (20-22) into Eq. (20-25), and solving the
resulting expression for the cumulative volume of solids production, Qs ,
yields
(20-26)
Qs t =
y
i R2 rw2
The volumetric rate of solid production is given by
qs =
dQs
dt
(20-27)
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(20-29)
i
1
i
(20-30)
r p + c
dr
1 r
Ky f
(20-31)
r = rw
(20-32)
r = R t
(20-33)
Thus, substituting Eqs (20-17) and (20-18) into Eq. (20-31) and solving
leads to the following expression for the radial stress in the yielded zone:
r r py r r
1 + e
qs
rw r 2c
q
=0
1
2
y Ky
1
y
(20-34)
where = 2/1 .
Incorporating some simplifying approximations into the preceding
equations, Geilikman and Dusseault (1997) obtain the following expression for sand production rate qs :
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1 + e
1+e
qs Pc Pw t
ln rDe /rDR
2
i Ki 1
y
2c r 1
Ky
y
ln rDR
DR
1 1 + e Pc Pw t 1
+
K i
i
ln rDe /rDR
+
1
rDR
1 ln rDR
(20-35)
where rDR = Rt/rw and rDe = re /rw . Equation (20-35) can be numerically
evaluated assuming a wellbore fluid pressure history, represented by the
following decay function:
in which qo t is the rate of fluid production without any sand production,
given by
qo t =
2 Ki
i
p pw t
ln re /rw e
(20-38)
Geilikman and Dusseault (1997) defined dimensionless sand production rate qD , time D , characteristic time p , and fluid production
enhancement ratio ED , respectively, as
1 + e
2 Ki
i 1
y pc p
(20-39)
D = t
2Ki
i pc p
1 + e rw2
(20-40)
p = tp
2Ki
i pc p
1 + e rw2
(20-41)
qD = qs
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6
qD
2
3
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
/0.01
Figure 20-2. Dimensionless volumetric sand production rate vs. dimensionless time:
Curves 1, 2, and 3 are for = 01 05, and 1.0, respectively (reprinted from Journal
of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 17, Geilikman, M. B., and Dusseault, M. B, Fluid
Rate Enhancement from Massive Sand Production in Heavy-Oil Reservoirs, pp. 518,
1997, with permission from Elsevier Science).
ED t =
qf t
qo t
(20-42)
The symbol tp denotes the characteristic time. Figures 20-2 and 20-3 by
Geilikman and Dusseault (1997) present typical solutions for the rate of
sand production and enhancement of fluid production.
Bouhroum et al. (1994) essentially applied the Ohen and Civan (1993)
model, given in Chapter 10 with several simplifications for prediction of
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1.5
1.0
0.5
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
/0.01
Figure 20-3. Short-term uid production improvement vs. dimensionless time:
Curves 1, 2, and 3 are for = 01 05, and 1.0, respectively (reprinted from Journal
of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 17, Geilikman, M. B., and Dusseault, M. B, Fluid
Rate Enhancement from Massive Sand Production in Heavy-Oil Reservoirs, pp. 518,
1997, with permission from Elsevier Science).
the gravel-pack permeability impairment by sand deposition. The important simplifying assumptions of this model are (a) the sand particles are
generated in the near-wellbore formation and deposited in the gravelpack, and (b) the clay swelling effects are not considered. As attested by
the results given in Figures 20-4 and 20-5, their predictions accurately
match the experimental values.
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25
20
Simulation
Low flow rate
15
0
0
5
15
20
10
Distance form sand-gravel interface, cm
25
Figure 20-4. Simulation of experimental data for low and high ow rate proles of
migrated sand particles in a 7.5 gravel to sand ration gravel-pack (after Bouhroum
et al., 1994 SPE; reprinted by permission of the Society of Petroleum Engineers).
30
Simulation
25
10
0
0
5
10
15
20
Distance form sand-gravel interface, cm
25
Figure 20-5. Simulation of experimental data for low and high ow rate proles of
migrated sand particles in a 6.3 gravel to sand ration gravel-pack (after Bouhroum
et al., 1994 SPE; reprinted by permission of the Society of Petroleum Engineers).
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the Campos Basin of Brazil (Soares et al., 2003). Susilo et al. (2003)
report the occurrence of rapid surface subsidence reaching to the levels
of 1015 ft during a period of eight years in the Offshore North West
Java field.
Compaction reduces the porosity and permeability of the reservoir
formation, and therefore has two mutually opposing effects on petroleum
production. Porosity reduction enhances the production and permeability
reduction hinders the production. Soares et al. (2003) developed a simple
model for analysis of the effect of reservoir compaction on production by
means of a simple analytical steady-state radial flow model. This model
is described below with some modifications.
Assume a constant viscosity fluid, and slightly-compressible reservoir
fluid and formation. The oil density and reservoir permeability variations
with pressure are described, respectively, by:
1
(20-43)
c =
ppf T
1 K
cK =
K peff
1 K
=
K ppf
(20-44)
T
(20-45)
in which is Biots constant, and pob and ppf are the overburden stress
and pore fluid pressure, respectively. Assuming constant average values
for the coefficients of the isothermal compressibility, Eqs (20-43) and
(20-44) can be readily integrated to obtain the following expressions:
p = o exp c p po
(20-46)
(20-47)
Where p ppf and the subscript o indicates the initial or reference condition. The reference pressure may be selected as being the condition under
which the effective net stress vanishes.
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Consider the radial flow of oil towards a well completed in a homogeneous formation undergoing compaction as a result of depletion by oil
production at a constant rate. Consequently, application of Darcys law
yields the following expression for the mass flux m
of the produced fluid:
m
= q = uA = 2 rh
K kro wc dp
dr
(20-48)
(20-49)
(20-50)
This result can be used to derive the following expression for the
reciprocal-productivity ratio index under a constant pressure drawdown
pressure p = po pwo = pc pw = constant:
qo
= exp cK po pc
q
(20-51)
The slope of the straight-line fit of field data on a semi-log plot yields the
value of the cK product. Then, the above equation can be used to predict
the future effects of compaction on the production rate (Soares et al., 2003).
Exercises
1. Consider the typical parameter values given by Geilikman and
Dusseault (1994, 1996) for shallow sand-producing formations of eastern Alberta.
i = 030
y = 040 Pe = 3450 kPa Pc = 3000 kPa
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