Integrated Completion Design Method Predicts Sand Production

Abstract

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 205935, “From Wellbore Breakout to Sand-Production Prediction: An Integrated Sand-Control Completion Design Methodology and Case Study,” by Caleb DeValve, Gilbert Kao, SPE, and Stephen Morgan, ExxonMobil, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ This paper presents a physics-based approach to predicting sand production on a well-by-well basis to inform overall sand-management design. The work flow integrates geomechanical estimates of wellbore breakout and volume of failed sand downhole, log-based prediction of the sand-particle-size variation along the well path, modeling of sand filtration based on experimental and analytical methods for specific completion options, and a natural sandpack-permeability prediction for standalone screen (SAS) completions and associated well-performance analysis. Method The general challenge addressed in this paper is how to predict the produced sand mass rate from any given well with a specific sand-control completion installed. A novel four-step method has been created to predict sand production from wells drilled in hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone formations with installed sand-control equipment and its associated effect on well productivity (Fig. 1). This process improves the traditional sand-control completion design process, which relies on limited formation data obtained through coring programs and classified according to particle-size distribution (PSD) characteristics (D10, fines content, and uniformity coefficient). PSD is critical data for traditional sand-control analysis, and multiple cores are used to represent the varying rock characteristics expected throughout a reservoir. The selection of sand control and the ultimate completion design using existing work flows will be based on the range of PSDs measured from the core study, along with their predicted distribution along the drilled well paths based on practitioner experience. The novel work flow presented in this paper enhances the traditional approach by integrating geomechanical failed sand volume (FSV) predictions with sand-screen-filtration performance expectations, which are analyzed along the wellbore to improve overall completion selection. These results can be integrated with traditional well-performance simulation to understand completion performance and influence well startup.