Assessment of Shape Memory Polymer Sand Control Performance and Integrity under Field Conditions via Geomechanical Simulation

Abstract

A porous shape memory polymer (SMP) product is currently deployed in oil and gas wells as a sand control system. This thermally and chemically activated polymer is emerging as a smart material due to its ability to recover to a predetermined shape following environmental manipulation, even after large wash out beyond gauge hole. The SMP is molded in a cylindrical geometry with desired inner and outer diameters for oil and gas production wells. This innovative technology has proven to be a reliable sand control media, a required step in combating sand production, protecting equipment and increasing the well lifetime [1, 2]. Material properties must be known in order to define the behavior of a SMP for evaluating its application in field application. The purpose of this paper is to establish a workflow in determining the material properties necessary to describe the behavior of SMP and study SMP integrity and performance under field conditions deployed in a wellbore during hydrocarbon production. For this purpose, a finite element model coupled with dynamic fluid lab data has been designed to estimate the material properties. Hyperelastic and viscoelastic constitutive models best describe the behavior of the SMP materials. The non-linear and non-elastic behaviors of the material makes the analytical solution approach inefficient, so a finite element modeling approach has been employed to overcome this difficulty. Several lab tests at different temperature conditions have been performed to expand the knowledge on material behavior. Results in this paper suggest the designed techniques and workflow are suitable in predicting material properties of SMP under any temperature conditions. Finally, a separate finite element analysis is formulated for assessment of geomechanical loads and deformations on the SMP. A 2D fully coupled poro-elastic finite element model including geomechanical load, depletion, and drawdown effects is utilized to quantify load, strain, and permeability changes of the SMP system during production and depletion. Impact of geomechanical load during production that may reduce the permeability of the SMP and affect production was evaluated for an offshore wellbore.

Evaluating Factors Impacting Polymer Flooding in Hydrocarbon Reservoirs: Laboratory and Field-Scale Applications

“…First, it has a low viscosity value, which is comparable to or sometimes even less than that of oil. This can result in the water having a lower resistance to flow compared to oil, which, in turn, creates channels through the oil zone—a phenomenon referred to as viscous fingering [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Secondly, depending on the water saturation and the wettability, the water can have a higher permeability than the oil.…”

“…Many studies have investigated the use of polymers for different applications in laboratory-based experiments. These experiments investigated either the ability of a specific or a newly synthesized polymer to improve oil recovery or the impact of a specific parameter on polymer performance and degradation [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. The majority of polymer flooding experiments conducted on polymer flooding EOR can be classified as core flooding experiments, polymer flooding in fractures, polymer application in microfluidics, or reservoir simulation of polymer flooding.…”

“…This can be achieved by creating a new phase with unique properties, the most important of which is viscosity. It is important to note that many reservoir simulators do not take into consideration polymer degradation based on the change in conditions, assuming an ideal polymer [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ].…”

“…Leon [ 40 ] conducted a simulation study to evaluate the application of polymer flooding in a high-temperature and high-salinity carbonate reservoir. Gandomkar [ 41 ] performed a geomechanical simulation to evaluate the ability of a newly developed porous shape memory polymer to reduce the production of sand from unconsolidated and friable formations.…”