Published: 04/29/2014
Published: 04/29/2014
Evaluation of fields with sand problems is a complex activity that involves different disciplines of study and the review of several information, which is mainly related to well logs and reports, allowing for each of the studied wells the selection and sizing of recommended sand control methods. Automation of these calculation, with the use of a software originally designed to process reservoir static model, allows the use of all available well logs in the field to identify zones having the optimum rock properties to apply a specific sand control method, and to develop maps that shows the sized sand control methods applicable to each layer of the reservoir. Additionally, these results lead to more broadly assess all existing completions in this field and explain their success or failure over time.
Currently, several reservoirs in Venezuela and worldwide present sand issues, where in some cases the consensus for used sand control methods in the field have been established by trial and error over time, but in the case of a successful sand production reduction, a wrong selection and sizing of the filter media can bring problems from flow production restriction to plugging by fines, both affecting the well productivity or even the well life.
The need for integrated studies to evaluate these fields, covering all technical aspects involved, raises the need to automate calculation process performed for each well in the study, so that in this way is possible to maximize number of studied wells and thereby, obtain more comprehensive and detailed results to start, in a shorter time and with much more available information, the evaluation and analysis of the reservoir in terms of sand control completions.
Results of a case study are presented, and are related to a shallow weak consolidated reservoir in western Venezuela.