Design Methodology for Selection of Horizontal Open-Hole Sand Control Completions Supported by Field Case Histories

Abstract

Reservoirs requiring sand control pose a major challenge for selection of a suitable completion method. Horizontal open-hole completions have been successfully utilised in such reservoirs to eliminate sand production, while maximising productivity/injectivity and well deliverability throughout the expected life of the completion and minimising risk and complexity. Although horizontal open hole sand control completions have been applied widely in the last decade, ranging from pre-perforated/slotted liners to gravel packs, and many case histories have been discussed in the literature, a systematic methodology for selecting these completion methods remains to be documented. It is the objective of this paper to propose such a design methodology by unifying the broad experience and understanding from a global and technically integrated perspective. The paper first discusses a generalised and unified methodology for determining when to install sand control, what to install for sand control and how to install sand control in horizontal open-hole completions. Specific factors recognised as affecting "when" are in-situ stresses and pore pressure decline (sand prediction), expected well life, production rate, hydrocarbon and well type, gross product value, sand tolerance capacity, environmental limitations and intervention capabilities, whilst the integration of all these factors have an impact on the overall risk analysis. In addition to many of the previous factors, critical drivers affecting "what" are identified as wellbore architecture, reservoir lithology and petrophysical properties, and sandface equipment reliability. Additional parameters impacting "how" are reservoir drilling fluid, displacement and cleanup methodology, screen type, operational implementation/assurance (risk management, operational timing and location logistics), torque and drag analysis, and gravel placement simulations. Secondly, examples of this methodology are presented in detailed case histories pertaining to different types of horizontal openhole sandface completions including slotted liners, standalone screens (including expandable) and gravel packs as well as various integrated cleanup methods, along with a summary of lessons learnt by each company. Introduction and Literature Review Open-hole horizontal completions have been widely used in oil and gas industry for effective exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves over the last two decades, in both sandstone and carbonate formations. In sandstones, a major issue has been whether sand control is required during the life of a particular well, and if so, what technique to use in order to minimise overall completion and remediation costs, thus to increase profitability. Most recently Bennett1 has developed a cross plot (Figure 1) that looks at the likelihood of wellbore failure with respect to formation quality and has used this to provide guidelines as to sandface completion methodology, based on experienced gained in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico wells.

Sand on Demand: A Laboratory Investigation on Improving Productivity in Horizontal Wells Under Heavy-Oil Primary Production

“…The average diameter of the sand (D 50 ) produced by cold production in western Canada tends to be in the range of 100 to 250 μm (Tremblay et al 1999). Also, the literature on sand control identifi es the uniformity of the sand (represented by the uniformity coeffi cient D 60 /D 10 , where the effective diameters D 60 and D 10 are the respective sizes of the sieve at which 60 and 10% of the sand by weight pass through) as playing a key role in determining sand-production behavior (Bennett et al 2000;Penberthy and Shaughnessy 2002). Therefore, sands with a D 50 within the range mentioned but with different sortings were evaluated.…”

Design Methodology for Selection of Horizontal Open-Hole Sand Control Completions Supported by Field Case Histories

“…[11][12][13][14] Although there were variations between operators, failure rates of 50% and higher occurred in a number of early projects using standalone screens for sand control in horizontal wells. 1 As better drill-in fluids were developed and better clean-up techniques implemented, horizontal well failure rates declined to an industry average of around 15 to 20%.…”

“…26,27 Torque and drag analysis must also be done to ensure trouble-free installation, eliminating mechanical screen damage during deployment that has been a significant source of sand control failures around the world. 1,2,16 Furthermore, if the completion will be a gravel pack, sensitivity runs should be made using gravel placement simulators in order to ensure successful execution and minimise the risk. 28,29 Another significant aspect in sand control completions is the issue of filtercake cleanup.…”

Impact of Gravel-Pack Length for Effective Well Completion and Well Performance

“…Tiffin, et al, (1998) work offered a simple method to optimize and safely operate sand control wells (cased-hole GP and cased-hole GP completions) based on a function of flux through the screen. Bennett et al, (2000) stated that for offshore wells with water depths greater than 500m, open-hole gravel packs with premium screens are recommended. This guideline is based on the concept that, for long life cycle wells, additional barriers to prevent production interruption and avoid or postponed workover jobs should be considered.…”