Sand Control in Horizontal Wells in Heavy Oil Reservoirs

Islam, M.R.; George, A E

doi:10.2118/18789-ms

Cited by 4 publications

References 15 publications

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Sanding: An Expert-System Approach for Assessment and Control in Wells

Kanj

Zaman

Roegiers

1997

Journal of Energy Resources Technology

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The sand production problem is plaguing the petroleum industry by its adverse effects on thousands of oil and gas fields throughout the world. A tremendous amount of money is spent each year on attempts to predict and control sand influx and/or repair wells and equipment damaged by sand. Sand inflow into the well during production leads to casing abrasion and failure, formation damage and distortion, and frequent sand removal and cleaning. The sand control process has a major influence on the type of the well completion design and it influences the guidelines for the completion process. In addition, many wells are currently being produced below their potential in order to restrict sand influx or erosion, and/or as a result of poorly designed or installed sand control methods. Evidently, the sand prediction and control problem is exceedingly complex and suggests the use of heuristics and the appropriateness of the expert systems technology. An automated sand control consultant and expert system has been developed. The system is aimed at assisting users in predicting sand occurrence during production and in selecting and designing the proper sand-exclusion treatments. The knowledge base of the system is based on an easy upgrade, easy expand format and involves four primary modules, thus giving the end-user greater flexibility to tentatively access and evaluate different scenarios of knowledge processing. Input data can range from “not known” formation characteristics and/or well stimulation requirements, for which the system gives conservative recommendations based on the remaining known facts, completion characteristics of the hole, well history, and geological probability; to cases with detailed information available, in which case very elaborate and precise recommendations are prescribed. This paper describes the knowledge involved in various modules of the sanding system, as well as future plans and further developments.

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Sanding: An Expert-System Approach for Assessment and Control in Wells

Kanj

Zaman

Roegiers

1997

Journal of Energy Resources Technology

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Laboratory Procedures for Optimizing the Recovery from High Temperature Thermal Heavy Oil and Bitumen Recovery Operations

Bennion¹,

Ma²,

Thomas³

et al. 2007

Canadian International Petroleum Conference

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Mechanics of Bubble Flow in Heavy Oil Reservoirs

Islam¹,

Chakma

1990

All Days

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SPE Members Abstract A new mechanism of fluid flow in solution-gas drive heavy oil reservoirs is identified through experimental studies. This paper presents experimental results in order to verify previous hypothesis on fluid flow in heavy oil reservoirs in Canada. It has been postulated that solution-gas drive in these reservoirs involves simultaneous flow of gas and oil. However, gas remains in tiny droplets under reservoir conditions. A new mathematical model was proposed in order to describe peculiar pressure-dependent multiphase flow properties. peculiar pressure-dependent multiphase flow properties. This paper presents experimental validation of some of the hypotheses offered by Smith. More than 40 experimental tests are performed both in a capillary tube and in a core packed with unconsolidated reservoir fluids and sands. The effects of decreasing bubble size on total fluid production and pressure drop across a pipe are observed. Experiments with live oil and reservoir sands enable one to quantify the contribution of bubble flow in solution gas drive process involved in heavy oil reservoirs. Some of these results help explaining the anomalies observed in heavy oil reservoirs in Canada. Introduction Elkins et al hypothesized the existence of 'worm hole' porosity in the unconsolidated Sands held together only porosity in the unconsolidated Sands held together only by the viscous oil. This hypothesis has often been supported by sudden collapse in injection schemes or failure of drilling and workover operations in heavy oil reservoirs of the Lloydminster area. This concept has often been used to introduce a negative skin factors in modelling heavy oil reservoirs. While this technique has given satisfactory results in several occasions, the technique has been criticized to be scientifically inaccurate. In fact, Islam and George have demonstrated through laboratory experimentation that sand redistribution or even sand/fines removal would actually decrease the near wellbore permeability. Smith suggested that solution gas drive in Canadian heavy oil reservoirs involves simultaneous flow of many oil and tiny gas bubbles. He proposed a new model for predicting performance of heavy oil reservoirs in Canada. predicting performance of heavy oil reservoirs in Canada. Kennedy and Olson studied bubbles of methane in kerosene in the presence of silica and calcite crystals. They observed that bubbles formed on silica or calcite surfaces rather than in the oil medium itself. They found that the number of bubbles formed for a given volume of reservoir rock depends on the rate of diffusion of gas through oil and on the rate of pressure declined in the reservoir. One of their important observations was that the variation in gas distribution may lead to different relative permeabilities for the same gas saturation in the reservoir. In an effort to explain discrepancy between laboratory and field observations, Stewart et al. conducted a series of solution gas drive tests in limestone cores. They observed that the oil recovery depends directly on the number of bubbles produced. The number of bubbles, in turn, depends on the rate of decline of pressure. Since, usually laboratory tests are performed at a pressure decline which is much higher than that in the pressure decline which is much higher than that in the field, laboratory tests consistently lead to higher recovery performance. performance. Hunt and Berry presented both experimental and theoretical studies in order to determine the probability function of bubble nucleation time. They found that the mean rate of bubble formation increases rapidly with increasing supersaturation. They presented a theory for predicting bubble size as well as bubble concentration for a given rate of pressure decline. Wieland and Kennedy re-confirmed some of the previous observations. The found that a definite previous observations. The found that a definite supersaturation ranging from 14 to 25 psi can be imposed without forming any bubble. This range depended on the type of rock and fluid used. P. 495

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Sand Control in Horizontal Wells in Heavy Oil Reservoirs

Cited by 4 publications

References 15 publications

Sanding: An Expert-System Approach for Assessment and Control in Wells

Sanding: An Expert-System Approach for Assessment and Control in Wells

Laboratory Procedures for Optimizing the Recovery from High Temperature Thermal Heavy Oil and Bitumen Recovery Operations

Mechanics of Bubble Flow in Heavy Oil Reservoirs

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