A Methodology to Identify the Root-Cause and Conditions of Sand Production, by Integrating Production, Reservoir and Completion Variables. Applied to a Colombian Field

Abstract

Sanding during hydrocarbon production is a critical problem in many fields around the world, in Colombia it is common in fields of the Magdalena Middle Valley, which entails high costs for operating companies due to continue cleaning and damaged equipment interventions, as well as, decrease in production. That is why predicting conditions under which sanding is being generated is an important component of field management. In this work a methodology has been applied that integrates into a diagnostic diagram: production information, sand production interventions, fluids, completion and formations, correlating the most critical sanding zones with the behavior of rock destabilizing variables such as: rates and fluid type (drag forces), liquid levels (drawdown impact) and rock competence. From this analysis, it is possible to recognize the areas that are most sensitive to producing sand and the operating conditions that sharpen the scenario. For the field under study, Formation A was identified as the most prone to sanding due to the low resistance and degree of consolidation of its rocks, as well as the high water cuts and pressure depletion of the reservoir. Similarly, it was possible to identify drawdown management as a sanding-prevention measure, and the installation of Gravelpack as an exclusion method. As a result of the state of the art carried out in support of this research, it was found that existing methodologies focus on estimating the stresses under which the rock fails and therefore produces sanding but they do not focus on analyzing the root cause and conditions that can cause sand production in the first place, which is important to understand the behavior of the rock under different stresses.