A Comprehensive Review of Screen Plugging During Openhole Sand Control Completions Installation; Causes, Consequences and Best Practices

Abstract

Abstract In openhole completions, screens are one of the very common equipment used to control production of solids. Screens could get plugged during installation in case of improper wellbore fluid conditioning and displacement. Awareness of screen plugging is not widely spread and many practicing engineers do not pay enough attention to its implications. This paper will discuss the causes, consequences, ways of determining plugging and recommend best practices to the reduce risk of screen plugging. The paper will first review the various reasons for screens to get plugged during openhole completion installations and explain in detail undesirable events caused by screen plugging such as: Inability to properly displace wellbore fluids Inability to fully pack the screen annulus Damage to screens during displacement and gravel packing It will also review downhole gauge data of several jobs to identify and discuss screen plugging signatures and its outcomes. Additionally, the paper will discuss potential preventive measures. In openhole completions, it is very common to run screens in wellbores containing solid laden fluids intentionally or unintentionally. Poor wellbore displacement or improper fluid conditioning can result in leaving some bigger size solids in the screen running fluid which could plug the screens. Also, the exposure of reactive shales to water base fluids can destabilize the shales and lead to plugging. In some cases, the screen running fluid quality control (QC) is not properly accounting for the actual flow inside the screen while running in hole resulting in a false pass. The paper will present several case histories of downhole gauge data analysis showing evidence of screen plugging leading to excessive treating pressure, incomplete gravel pack and in few cases screen erosion during gravel pack operations. To prevent screen plugging it is necessary to properly model all the displacement stages, pay attention to proper conditioning and QC of the fluid and ensure compatibility of the fluids with shales. A comprehensive review of screen plugging during sand control installation phase and its potential consequences supported with extensive downhole gauge data has not been previously published. This paper will be a valuable source of knowledge for completion engineers and help them better design and executed future operations.