Estimating Well Specific Sanding from Numerically Generated Sanding Database

Sanding at scale is complex due to dynamic changes in downhole conditions. To provide needed results for making practical decisions, this paper describes the latest improvements in a numerical model and its application in estimating well specific sanding. Two essential components of sanding mechanisms, rock disaggregation and fluid drag forces, are considered. The former is done through gradual reductions in average size and frictional properties of rock aggregates. The latter includes pressure drag - a function of drawdown - and viscous drag - a function of rock aggregates size, fluid flux and PVT properties. Sanding is the outcome of fluid drags overcoming rock aggregates' frictional resistance. As part of numerical model validations, two sets of field observations in cased and perforated wells were examined that involve effects of changes in gas PVT properties with depletion and sanding at low gas and water flux in weak formations. A numerical strategy has been implemented to generate the fieldwide applicable sanding database that covers ranges of all underlying sanding factors. The database and well specific downhole conditions are used to estimate well's sanding, and the results form a critical input for optimizing sandface completion design, well intervention and hydrocarbon production. 1. INTRODUCTION Well specific sanding responses over its life are complex and dictated by downhole conditions and their dynamic changes, including drawdown, depletion, sandface fluid flux distributions, downhole water activities, and rock strength and its disaggregation state. They are controlled in turn by reservoir formation characteristics, sandface completions and production conditions and strategies. In practice not all of them can be reliably predicted in advance, and thus a sanding-fundamentals-based data integration has been developed to get them identified upon their occurrence through readily available datasets (Xiao et al., 2023b). Regardless of whether we know downhole conditions and their dynamic changes in advance or not, sanding severity associated with them is important in making practical decisions to take a right course of action. Upon sanding we do need to act to mitigate sanding risk and optimize hydrocarbon production. However, some of options that often come up may be overly conservative, including changing sandface completions, conducting intervention, choking back well flow rate excessively, putting the well at a curtailed flow rate too long, etc. On the other hand, it may be overly optimistic and in the worst scenario leads to loss of well. To help strike a right balance in managing sanding this paper describes the latest improvements in our finite element numerical sanding model, referred to as Enhans, and its application in estimating well specific sanding in a timely manner.