The Parque das Conchas project is located in the BC-10 deepwater block in the Campos Basin, approximately 120 km southeast from the city of Vitoria, in water depths of 1,500 to 2,000 meters. Shell is the operator with a 50% equity share, with joint venture partners Petrobras (35%) and ONGC (15%) 17 . The wells flow via Caisson ESP's to a host FPSO. Horizontal Open-hole Gravel Pack was the sand control method selected in the low frac margin reservoirs of the Ostra Field. In preparation for completing wells in formations with anticipated sand production, a large laboratory study was conducted evaluating the performance of stand-alone woven mesh screens and gravel packs. The study was performed to select a premium mesh screen which would minimize solids production in the event of incomplete gravel pack and manage fines production that would pass through the seabed located Caisson ESP systems. Additionally, it was important to control solids production to the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit as there were no provisions installed to handle large volumes of solids at the surface. The test grid compared the performance of multiple screen sizes with and without gravel packs with three unconsolidated formation particle size distributions which were representative of the size distributions anticipated in the completions. The resulting performance data correlated the amount of solids production, size of produced solids, retained gravel pack permeability and retained screen permeability as functions of the effective size of the formation material, the gravel size and the pore size of the screen. The gravel pack media size and premium screen mesh size were selected based on the results of this testing. Screen QA/QC was determined to be critical in the event a full gravel pack was not achieved and the screens would be expected to provide sand control in a stand-alone mode. An enhanced quality process was developed and implemented to ensure the highest quality of the screens was maintained and materials were traceable during well sand control completions.The laboratory tests identified combinations of screen and gravel packs which appeared to indicate the best choice for controlling solids production in an acceptable range while maintaining high flow capacity, maximizing production at minimum drawdown pressures. An enhanced QA/QC process for screen manufacturing contributed to the success of the completions. Production history for the first 2 years indicates minimal sand production.

Abstmct-The U.S. Bureau of Mines investigated the operational characteristics of spliced portable power cables. This research had a dual purpose: (1) to determine the thermal and mechanical performance of repaired trailing cables and compare them with undamaged cables, and (2) to gauge the impact of longterm localized heating on the insulating and jacketing materials contained in cable splice kits accepted or approved by the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The ranges of splice joint resistance and tensile breaking strength were determined from laboratory measurements. The choice of crimping tools affected the strength of the splice under tension. Thermal profiles of energized spliced cables were constructed, which showed that spliced conductor joints operated 5 to 20 "C hotter than the intact cable at rated currents. Accelerated life tests of thermallyaged samples of splice kit insulation and jacket materials confirmed a deficiency in the thermal rating of the insulating tape. The recommendations in this paper may be utilized to revise splice kit design, splice kit acceptance criteria, and trailing cable loading guidelines. Characterizing the thermal operating limits of spliced trailing cables may help to minimize associated risks from explosions, fires, personnel burns, and shock. minutes, the splice may catch fue or rupture, jeopardizing underground safety and disrupting production. In fact, the largest criminal penalty ever assessed for mine safety violations ($1 million), involved a defective splice that resulted in a fatality [1,2]. If the current-induced temperature rises of damaged or spliced cable sections could be confined to appropriate limits, trailing cable service life would be lengthened. In addition, splice kit materials that are appropriately rated for the application would minimize the risk that such weakened sections pose from explosion, fire, or personnel burns. This paper documents the accomplishments of a research project supporting the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) goal to enhance the safety of the Nation's underground miners. The specific project objectives were: (1) to determine the thermal and mechanical performance of repaired trailing cable samples and compare them with undamaged cables, and (2) to gauge the impact of long-term localized heating on the insulating and jacketing materials contained in cable splice kits accepted or approved by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The results of this work may be useful in revising splice kit design, splice kit acceptance criteria, and trailing cable loading guidelines. BACKGROUND I. INTRODUCTIONThe trailing cables of mobiIe equipment in underground coal mines are abused mechanically as they are pulled and dragged through this abrasive environment, and rarely last a year. During the course of a cable's brief service life, broken or exposed metallic conductors are repaired at the worksite. Restoration typically involves excising the defective cable portion, rejoining the conductors, insulating, and sealing the splice from mo...