Unlocking the Limits of Sand Screen Reliability with an Innovative and Self-Adapting Technology

Abstract

Sand screens subjected to increasingly complex and challenging environments are pushed to the limit of maintaining reliable sand control. Both preventive and reactive methods have considerably improved sand screen reliability, but the effectiveness of these methods in sustaining production is still limited by downhole uncertainties. Consequently, innovative sand screens are required to enhance sand control reliability, while maintaining operational simplicity. MazeFlo™ is one recent technology innovation from ExxonMobil designed to meet this challenge. MazeFlo technology takes a self-adapting approach to enhance sand screen reliability. The technology utilizes a redundant sand screen and compartment maze to self-mitigate sand breakthrough caused by screen damage. The sand ingress is restricted in a local compartment without interrupting the overall well production. A 2?" prototype screen has been designed, fabricated, tested, and qualified for field installations. This paper will highlight the qualification of this new screen through a series of mechanical tests and concludes with a field test designed to subject the screens to an extreme producing environment. The mechanical performance was evaluated under various load bearing conditions including collapse, burst, bending, torsion, tension, compression, and push-off. The results proved that there were no constraints to the self-mitigating capability of this new screen when subjected to this rigorous testing program. The field qualification test was conducted in an existing sand-prone well producing at high local flux to demonstrate screen functionality in an "uncertain" production environment versus a controlled, laboratory experiment. The field test demonstrated successful installation, downhole self-mitigating capability, and sustained sand-free production. This unique, self-adapting technology unlocks the limits of sand screen reliability and provides an innovative and unique option for sand control completions to sustain production. The dedicated collaboration between operator and service supplier delivers continued success in developing innovative technology from concept to field installation.

Advancements in Openhole Completion Technology - Establishing and Sustaining Differentiating Sand Control Completion Performance

“…The unique, self-mitigating mechanism chokes production only at the sand breakthrough locations, compared to choking the entire producing interval when reacting to a compromised conventional screen. More detailed description of MazeFlo development can be found in previous publications (Yeh, , 2010(Yeh, , 2011. MazeFlo screen is designed to adapt to the downhole uncertainty of how, when, and where screen damage could occur.…”