A Novel sand control testing facility to evaluate the impact of radial flow regime on screen performance and its verification

Abstract

Optimum design of the sand control devices in oil sand reservoirs plays a vital role in minimizing the sand production and increasing the reservoir productivity in Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) operations. Various sand control testing facilities have been developed to evaluate the performance of sand control screens, such as the pre-packed Sand Retention Test (SRT). Current testing apparatuses are based on the linear flow regime. However, fluid flow around SAGD production wells is radial flow, not linear. This study introduces a Full-scale Completion Test (FCT) facility to emulate the radial-flow condition in SAGD wells. Instead of using a disk-shaped screen coupon, this facility utilizes a cylindrical-shaped screen. A couple of tests were carried out to determine the flow uniformity inside the cell and identify the test repeatability. Test results show that flow is distributed uniformly inside the cell, and experiments are repeatable in terms of differential pressures, fines production, and sanding levels. Therefore, this innovative FCT experimental setup and procedure allows a more realistic evaluation of the liner performance by emulating the real SAGD flow regime around the liner. Testing results obtained from the FCT can be used to complement and validate the current testing procedures. These tools can be adopted for an objective custom-design and selection of standalone screens in SAGD.