Sand Management in Oil and Gas Production

The process where sand grains are carried out of a reservoir with production fluids.

The structural breakdown of rock in the reservoir, leading to fracturing. Formation collapse might precede sand production, but it doesn't automatically cause it.

Forces exerted by flowing fluids that can mobilize sand grains.

The natural bonding and squeezing together of sand grains in the reservoir rock.

These are the conditions that make it more likely sand grains will move with production fluids

Sand is a granular material with a size range of 0.0625 to 2mm, mostly silicon dioxide.

Produced solids are inorganic and non-deformable, unlike organic particles which are semi-soluble, like paraffin and asphaltenes.

Unconfined Compressive Strength. A measure of a material's resistance to compression when no confining pressure is applied.

The degree to which sand particles are packed together.

The percentage of void space in a material, like sand.

Brinell Hardness Number, measures material hardness using indentation.

Sediment tightly packed, with high compressive strength.

Probability of sand being released from a reservoir during extraction.

Tools that predict sand production using models.

Test to determine a material's strength under a zero confining pressure.

A test that evaluates material hardness and consolidation by measuring resistance to indentation.

Time-consuming and expensive models that use small-scale experiments to predict sand production, often with inaccuracies due to boundary effects.

Fast and easy models that can predict the onset of sand production but are limited to single mechanisms under simplified conditions.

Powerful models that can predict both onset and volumetric sand production, often integrated with analytical correlations and validated by experimental data.

Sand production caused by degradation-induced stress conditions in wellbore.

Sand production caused by pressure changes acting on degraded material surfaces (e.g., perforation, open bottom holes).

Modeling approach that treats material as continuous, simplifying the model of material behavior in continuous domains.

Modeling approach that accounts for discontinuities and considers deformation magnitudes across discontinuities.

Modeling approach for understanding granular mechanisms, but computationally expensive for large-scale discrete problems.

Complex process of adjusting micro-properties to match actual sand behavior and improve accuracy in discrete models.

Properties of individual particles in discrete simulations that need calibration for accuracy.

The process of converting seawater or brackish water into freshwater, often used in areas with limited freshwater resources.

A desalination method using high pressure to force water through a semi-permeable membrane, filtering out salts and impurities with over 99% efficiency.

Reverse osmosis offers a compact design, various commercial products available, and high efficiency in removing salts.

RO requires significant energy, is prone to fouling if not properly pre-treated, and produces a concentrated salt stream that needs disposal.

A desalination method using heat to evaporate water, leaving behind salts and impurities.

A technique combining hydraulic fracturing with gravel packing for enhanced stimulation.

Components for managing sand production in oil extraction, mitigating its effects.

Techniques to remove solid particles from fluids, like sand from oil.

Removing solids before they reach choke valves to protect downstream equipment.

Solids separation devices that utilize gas void ratios to remove particles from multiphase fluids.

Screens that adjust to accommodate varying conditions, enhancing resin placement.

Valves engineered to withstand sand wear to prolong equipment life.

Tools used for removing sand from separators.

The return of proppant (small particles) to the wellbore after hydraulic fracturing stimulation.

Strategically placed tees in flow lines to protect vital equipment from erosion.