Sand Control Lecture#2 - 13-05-2023

UNIVERSITY OF TRIPOLI
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
PETROLEUM ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT
Well Completion PE443-2

Sand Control
Instructor
Marwa Alageili
Sand Control
• Sand always produced from unconsolidated sandstone
reservoir
• Sand production can be determined through:
• Well bore
• Well head
• Separator
• Shale shaker
• Why to control sand production :

 Sand movement from around the well bore causes collapse to
formation , reduced reservoir permeability
 Sand causes problems wear to tubing, casing and separators
pump and surface facilities
 Sand plugs perforations
Sand Control
• Causes of sand production :
1. Drag force :
a. Increase in velocity in the wellbore due to increase in production rate
b. Velocity increase turbulence which increase in pressure loss (del p) in
the well bore
c. Reduction in formation strength
d. Declining reservoir pressure :
Pob= Pm+Pf
Where ;
Pob: Overburden pressure , psi
Pm: Grain pressure, psi
Pf: Fluid pressure , psi
Sand Control
• Sand control mechanism:
1. Decrease production flow rate (q) by :
 Change in chock size
 Reduced tubing size
 Decrease perforation numbers
2. Decrease pressure loss :

 If well is open hole the pressure loss decrease by chock size
 If well is perforated the pressure loss decreased by increase number of
perforation or increase perforated diameter
 The mechanical sand control is done by placing a gravel pack

across the formation and placing screen liner to retain gravel ,
 The slot will hold the gravel and gravel will hold sand production
Sand Control
• The gravel to sand ratio : G-S= 6-8
• Formation sand grain size distribution :
1. Sieve analysis of formation sand
 Take sand sample from :
a. Shale shaker
b. Core
c. Well head
d. Separator
e. Bottom of well
 Equipment and Material
 Sand samples
 Weighting balance
 Sieve machine
Sand Control
• Experimental data:
Sieve opening – d(mm) Weight retained –(gm)
1 1.2
2 1.6
2.2 1.9
• Experiment calculation:
 Determine weight percent :
𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡−𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑
𝑊% = *100
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
 Determine cumulative weight percent
 Plot the cumulative weight percent versus diameter on semi log
paper
Sand Control
• Find uniformity coefficient:
𝑑40
𝐶=
𝑑90
Where, d40: sand grain size, when cumulative weight is 40%
• Determine the critical formation sand critical size and the critical
gravel grain size :
 if C≤ 5 sand is uniform, then critical grain size =d10, critical gravel size
D10=6*d10
 If 5<C≤10 (sand in non uniform , then the critical sand grain =d40, critical
gravel size D40=d40*6
 If C >10, the gravel grain size is D70=d70*6, and critical grain size is d70
 Draw a line through the design point with slope equals to (C)
 Determine the gravel size range to be used from the D0 to D100 points
 Change the value to the nearest gravel
Sand Control
 Determine the screen slot size= D100
𝑥%
1−
𝐿𝑜𝑔 𝐷𝑥 − 𝐶100
𝐷100 = 10
 Determine weight of gravel needed for the pack = volume x density
𝜋 𝑑ℎ2 −𝑑𝑠𝑙𝑜2 𝑋 ℎ
 Volume of annulus = 𝑉𝑎 =
4
 Weight gravel = 𝑉 ∗ 𝜌𝑔𝑟 ∗ 62.4 ∗ (1 − ∅𝑔𝑟 )
 Determine weight of each gravel size= total weight* weight percent
of each size
Sand Control- Example
• A gravel pack design is needed to control the sand production from an
oil well completed in an unconsolidated sandstone formation
• Given the following data :
• Viscosity : 2cp
• Formation volume factor : 1rb/stb
• Reservoir average pressure: 3000 psi
• Drainage radius: 660 ft
• Well bore radius: 0.292 ft
• Well diameter: 9 5/8 in
• Slot diameter: 6 3/4 in
• Formation thickness:50ft
• Gravel permeability (kG):400 md
• Formation permeability : 50md
• Gravel porosity : 35%
• Gravel specific gravity :2.63
• Gravel sized available:
• d1: 0.007 in
• d2:00098 in
• d3:0.019 in
• d4:0.023 in
• Calculate :
 The gravel design line
 The slot size
 The weight of each gravel size
 Gravel to sand ratio
 The bottom hole flowing pressure after gravel pack
• Assume that the flow rate after gravel pack is ½ of that before gravel
pack
The given data are as below table
US SEIVE SEIEV OPENING Weight retained
NO in gm
10 0.0787 -
20 0.0331 -
40 0.0165 2.0
50 0.0117 8.36
70 0.0083 3.82
100 0.0059 6.94
140 0.0041 30.62
200 0.0029 134.90
270 0.0021 9.68
325 0.0017 1.12
400 0.0015 0.26
US SEIVE SEIEVE Weight Weight % Cum.weight

NO OPENING retained %
in gm
10 0.0787 - - -
20 0.0331 - - -
40 0.0165 2.0 1.01 1.01
50 0.0117 8.36 4.23 5.24
70 0.0083 3.82 1.93 7.17
100 0.0059 6.94 3.51 10.68
140 0.0041 30.62 15.49 26.17
200 0.0029 134.90 68.23 94.41
270 0.0021 9.68 4.90 99.30
325 0.0017 1.12 0.57 99.87
400 0.0015 0.26 0.13 100.00
• Sample weight : 197.7 gm
• From curve :
 d10=0.0061 in
 d40=0.0038 in
 d70=0.0033 in
 d90=0.0030 in
• Calculate C= 1.26, which is less than 5 , sand is uniform
• Critical sand grain size d10=0.0061 in
• Critical gravel grain size D10= 0.036 in
• To draw the grave design line :
𝑊𝑇100%−𝑊𝑇10
• 𝐶= screen slot size , D100 ( From gravel design line)= 0.007in
𝐿𝑂𝐺 𝐷100−𝐿𝑂𝐺 𝐷10
• Weight of gravel needed for the pack :
• Volume of analus:12.8
• Weight of gravel: 1370 lbs.
• Gravel sized used : D0= 0.044 in ---- D100=0.007in
Weight of
Gravel sizes Cum. Weight
each gravel
in Weight % %
size lbs
d 0.007 100% 18% 251
d 0.0098 82% 36% 495
d 0.019 46% 10% 143
d 0.023 35% 35% 482
Total weight percent = 100% 1370
Gravel to sand ratio:
G-S ratio= D50/d50
= 0.018/0.0036= 4.9
Sand Control- HW
• Use the same input data as per the previous example and the
following sieve dia and weight retained , and calculate the same as
per the example :
Diameter , in Weight retained , gm
0.6 0
0.5 0.6
0.4 3.6
0.35 2.4
0.3 1.8
0.2 13.5
0.177 22.3
0.088 36.2
0.0625 9.1
0.044 3.5

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UNIVERSITY OF TRIPOLI

Well Completion PE443-2

• Why to control sand production :

2. Decrease pressure loss :

 The mechanical sand control is done by placing a gravel pack

US SEIVE SEIEVE Weight Weight % Cum.weight

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