Abstract
It is critical to select an optimized sand control method for an interbedded sandstone and mudstone reservoir (ISMR) due to its serious sand production hazards. However, currently, most general sand control methods cannot meet the requirements of sand control in interbedded sandstone and mudstone reservoirs (e.g., Bohai Bay oil and gas fields from China). Ensuring efficiency of sand control and increasing the oil and gas production rate in this interbedded sandstone and mudstone become more and more important. In this paper, a “multilayer rotatable sand control experimental device” for the interbedded sandstone and mudstone reservoir was developed. A series of sand control experimental studies were conducted by using the proposed device. The net-to-gross ratio (NTG) and well inclinations are two major factors considered in the experimental analysis. In addition, a sensitivity analysis regarding formation particle size distribution (PSD), clay content, and mineral compositions is performed in the experiment under a moderate sand control mode. With systematic experimental test results in this work, combined with numerous existing sand control models, a set of optimum sand control design and the associated optimization template for ISMR were developed, which have been successfully applied in Bohai Bay. Field application results show that NTG and well inclination are two critical parameters in the design of sand control in ISMR. The optimal indexes of a sand control mode are determined as NTG of 0.4 and well inclination of 45°. The introduction of these two key factors in sand control design broadens the application range of moderate sand production.
Highlights
In Bohai Bay, large and high-quality oil and gas fields have been developed for a long time and are maturing [1, 2]
The thickness of this type of sandstone reservoir is generally less than 0.1 m, which makes the design of a sand control method more difficult
Many representative sand control methods have been developed for sand control based on different theories [5,6,7], such as the Saucier method, Tiffin method [8], George method [9], and CNOOC’s sand control template by Deng Jingen from China University of Petroleum in Beijing [10, 11]
Summary
In Bohai Bay, large and high-quality oil and gas fields have been developed for a long time and are maturing [1, 2]. More and more attention has been paid to the exploration and stimulation of numerous small scattered reservoirs featured with thin layers of sandstone and sand-clay interlayers [3, 4]. The thickness of this type of sandstone reservoir is generally less than 0.1 m, which makes the design of a sand control method more difficult. Deng Jingen’s sand control template is determined by considering the uniformity coefficient (UC), median size (d50), clay content, and montmorillonite content. These methods have been successfully applied in sand control operations. It is a big challenge to increase oil and gas production rates in these reservoirs while ensuring high efficiency of sand control
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