Sand Control Student Manual-1-48

SAND CONTROL TRAINING MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION TITLE
I Sand Control Theory
II Gravel Pack Design
III Standard Gravel Pack Tools
IV Sand Control Job Design
V Sand Control Job Processes
VI Gravel Pack Calculations
A Class Exercises
B Team Projects
C Technical Bulletins
Review Info For Sand Control Final Test
1. Know the definition of :

a) sand control
b) gravel pack
c) porosity
d) permeability
e) consolidated rock
f) non-consolidated
g) sandstone
h) sand
i) skin (positive and negative)
2. What are the reasons or causes of sand production?

3. What are 4 methods we can use to prevent sand production?
4. What is a sump packer and what type of packer is most commonly used?
5. What is a gravel pack packer and what type of packer do we use?
6. What are the differences between a VTA and VBA packer?
7. How is the versa-trieve packer set?
8. How is the versa-trieve packer released and retrieved?
9. What is blank pipe? Where is it located?
10. What is the purpose of screen in a gravel pack?
11. What is the purpose of the gravel pack sand / proppant?
12. Why and where are shear joints used in a gravel pack assembly?
13. How do we move a standard MPT tool from closed (squeeze) to open (circulate
position? How is it moved to the reverse position?
14. What is the difference between standard MPT and a MPW live annulus tool?
15. What is the advantage of using a weight down MPW tool?
16. How do we change from closed (squeeze) to open (circulate) position with a live
annulus MPW tool?
17. Describe the fluid flow paths through the tools when the tools are placed in the
squeeze and the circulate positions.
18. Given a formation sand D50 size, select the correct size proppant and screen
19. What types of seals are used on new MPT / MPW tools?
20. What is a fluid loss pill?
21. What are the names of the mechanical fluid loss devices are sold by Halliburton?
22. What is definition of gauge for a wire-wrapped screen?
23. What methods can be used to determine the formation sand size distribution?
24. What well properties must be known to determine the correct method of sand
control and select the correct service tool system?
25. What is the difference between a gravel pack and a frac pack service tool
crossover assembly?
26. What is Pmax? How do we determine Pmax?
27. Sketch a basic gravel pack tool system (inner and outer string) showing names
and locations of the major components.
Section 1 Tab
Sand Control Theory
Sand Control Theory
Table of Contents
Goals: .....................................................................................................................................................3
Objectives: .............................................................................................................................................3
Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................4
How Much of A Problem is Sand Production?..........................................................................................4
What is Sand Control? ...............................................................................................................................4
Basic Types of Sandstone Formations.......................................................................................................8
Characteristics of Cementitious Materials.................................................................................................9
Reasons for Sand Production...................................................................................................................10
Why is Sand Production Undesirable? ....................................................................................................11
When Should Sand Control Be Initiated..................................................................................................12
Predicting Sand Production .....................................................................................................................14
Detecting and Monitoring Sand Production ............................................................................................16
Available Methods of Sand Control ........................................................................................................18
Available Methods of Sand Control ........................................................................................................19
Gravel Packing.....................................................................................................................................20
Cased Hole Gravel Packs .......................................................................................................................20
Perforation Packing with Acid-Prepack Method....................................................................................20
Openhole Gravel Packs ..........................................................................................................................21
Slurry Packs .........................................................................................................................................21
High Rate Water Packs ........................................................................................................................23
Water Packs..........................................................................................................................................23
Ex-tension Pac Service.........................................................................................................................23
Frac Packs ............................................................................................................................................24
Chemical Consolidation.......................................................................................................................25
Combination Methods..........................................................................................................................25
Sand Control Method Selection...............................................................................................................26
Formation Characteristics ....................................................................................................................26
Type of Well ........................................................................................................................................29
Completion Method Used ....................................................................................................................30
Length of Interval.................................................................................................................................31
Other Factor to Consider......................................................................................................................32
Formation Sampling ................................................................................................................................33
The Sieve Analysis...............................................................................................................................33
Clay Content and Formation Sensitivity ..............................................................................................36
Sand Control Method Selection Guide ....................................................................................................37
Slotted Liners .......................................................................................................................................39
Wire Wrapped Screens.........................................................................................................................39
Single Wire Wrap Screen .......................................................................................................................42
Pre-Packed Screens ..............................................................................................................................43
Dual Screen Pre-Pack Screen .................................................................................................................43
Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 1 Sand Control Student Manual

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Perforated Pre-Pack Screen ....................................................................................................................43

Low Profile Pre-Pack Screen .................................................................................................................44
Mesh Screens ....................................................................................................................................... 44
PetroguardTM Mesh Screen.....................................................................................................................44
Poromax Screens....................................................................................................................................45
PetroGuard™ Advanced Mesh Screen...................................................................................................47
Screen Centralization........................................................................................................................... 48

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Goals:
The student will be introduced to the basic types of sandstone formations and the reasons that sand production may
occur during well production . Students will also learn the reasons why sand production is undesirable, methods
used to predict, detect and monitor sand production, and the available methods use to control sand production. And
finally, this section will offer the students a summary of how formation and well characteristics are used to
determine the appropriate sand control method.
Objectives:
At the completion of this module students will be able to:
• State the definition of sand control, sand exclusion and sand management
• Describe the characteristics of well consolidated, friable, partially consolidated, and totally unconsolidated
formations.
• Explain the reasons for sand production in oils and/or gas wells
• Describe the detrimental effects of sand production on safety, well performance, and economics
• Learn how sand production can be predicted, detected, and monitored
• Explain the procedure for conducting a sand sieve analysis and use the data from the analysis to determine
the median sand size and uniformity coefficient
• Describe the 4 available methods of sand control and explain how well and formation characteristics
impact the applicability of each method

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Sand Control Theory
Introduction
Most sandstone formations that produce hydrocarbons were deposited in a marine or detrital environment (where
rock has been worn or broken away from a mass, as by the action of water or glacial ice). These sandstone
formations are usually cemented, or bonded together, with calcareous or siliceous minerals and are normally very
strongly consolidated. However, there are the younger tertiary sediments, particularly the Miocene sandstone
formations which are often totally or only partially unconsolidated. In these sandstone formations the cementitious
material is often found to be soft clay materials, silt or in some instances a very small amount of calcareous or
siliceous minerals. This often results in a structurally weak sandstone formation which cannot prevent sand grain
movement, thereby producing formation sand along with the reservoir fluids and/or gases. The production of this
formation sand is undesirable.
How Much of A Problem is Sand Production?

The problem of formation sand production is found virtually all oil and gas producing areas of the world. This
statement may at first appear to be incorrect or an exaggeration because of the emphasis placed on the problem in
some major oil and gas producing areas, such as the Louisiana Gulf Coast, Lake Maracaibo, Nigeria and some
fields in California. There are also some problem areas where the problem is ignored such as some fields in
Pakistan, India, and Mexico. There are some areas where zones that would produce sand are not completed because
of the abundance of easier oil to produce, such as the Middle East.
Formation sand production problems can be found in :
Oklahoma and Texas Russia Australia
Trinidad Oman Venezuela
Brazil Europe Angola
Argentina China Norway
Alaska Indonesia Saudi Arabia
North Sea Malaysia Egypt
What is Sand Control?
Sand control is the methods and / or techniques used to :
1) totally prevent the undesirable production of formation sand and
2) maintain the ability to produce the reservoir fluids with minimal or no restriction to flow.

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Figure 1.1

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Figure 1.2

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Basic Types of Sandstone Formations

From a geological aspect there are numerous types of sandstone formations. For the purpose of preventing
formation sand production, sandstone formations can be classified into four basic types:
• Well Consolidated
• Friable
• Partially Consolidated
• Totally Unconsolidated
Well consolidated sandstone formations will:
a) Have relatively large amounts of calcareous or siliceous minerals as the bonding material to bond the sand
grains together.
b) Have relatively high compressive strength and a high ability to resist sand grain movement resulting from
the stresses imposed on them by the flow of reservoir fluids, and other stresses resulting from depletion of
the reservoir.
c) Very seldom present the problem of sand production
Friable sandstone formations (semi-competent sands) will:
a) Appear to be well consolidated. They are well cemented, easily drilled and cored and appears strong
enough that it would not produce formation sand. These stones have good compressive strength but can
easily be broken into small fragments.
b) Often produce sand for a short period of time after it is placed on production, gradually decreasing to
virtually no sand production.
c) See changes in the conditions of the well during the producing life of the well. These changes will usually
result in the well starting to produce formation sand again. The renewed sand production is usually
attributed to changes in production rates, reduced pore pressure, onset of water production, increases in
water production or a combination of these. If excessive volumes of sand are allowed to be produced there
is the possibility of a total collapse of the formation from the overburden which can cause casing collapse
and potential total loss of the well.
Partially consolidated sandstone formations will:
a) Usually have soft clays and silt as the bonding material to bond the sand grains together.
b) In some cases they may have very small amounts of calcareous or siliceous minerals aiding n the
consolidation process
c) Normally have relatively low compressive strength and very limited resistance to the stresses imposed on
them by the flow of reservoir fluids.
d) Usually produce formation sand some time during the life of the reservoir. The degree of consolidation as
well as other conditions the sandstone formation is during the depletion life of the reservoir will determine
when and to what extent the well will produce formation sand. It must be stressed here, that within any

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reservoir there will be different types of sandstone and it is even possible that a single reservoir may have
some layers of each type of sandstone.
Totally unconsolidated sandstone formations will:
a) Have no consolidation at all, even though it may have large amounts of bonding minerals present.
b) Be held together by small cohesive forces and compaction.
c) Often be referred to as fluidized formation or quicksand. Any movement of reservoir fluids toward the
well bore will bring formation sand with the fluids. Successful sand control in this type of formation can
be extremely difficult t accomplish, depending a great deal on the formation sand size, gravity of the oil,
and reservoir pressure.
Characteristics of Cementitious Materials

An understanding of the characteristics of the basic cementitious materials are necessary to better understand the
part they play in why formation sand is produced. These characteristics are particularly important in the partially
consolidated sandstone formations.
The basic cementitious materials found in sandstone formations are:
• Calcareous Minerals
• Siliceous Minerals
• Clays and Silts
Concern with the characteristics of the cementitious materials is with the effect of aqueous (water based) filtrates
and treating fluids, including acids on the cementitious materials.
Calcareous Minerals
The Calcareous minerals are to varying degrees soluble in water and brines. The severity of this solubility is
dependent upon the amount of calcareous materials acting as cementitious materials and amount and salinity (salt
content) of the water contacting these materials. Dissolution of these calcareous materials can cause a weakening
of the bonding of the sand grains resulting in eventual formation sand production.
The Calcareous minerals are very highly soluble in the acids commonly used to remove drilling mud damage or
stimulate producing reservoirs. If the calcareous minerals are the primary cementitious materials then
indiscriminate use of these acids can create severe formation sand production problems.
Siliceous Minerals
To a lesser degree of severity the characteristics of siliceous minerals are similar to those of calcareous minerals.
This characteristic can be very detrimental in weakly consolidated sandstone formations when the siliceous
materials act as the primary cementitious material.
Silts and Clays

Possibly the most severe damage can occur when the cementitious material is soft clays and silt. These materials
are very quickly dispersed and/or dissolved by very small amounts of aqueous fluids. These aqueous fluids can be
drilling mud filtrates, cement filtrates, or completion and perforating fluids. Contact of these fluids with the soft
clays and silt cannot only result in formation sand production, but also cause severe plugging of the formation
permeability by causing clay swelling and fines migration.

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Reasons for Sand Production

The sand production mechanism is complex and influenced by each completion operation from first bit penetration
of the producing zone to start of production in a given well.
However, the reasons for sand production can be summarized as any one or a combination of the following:
• Unconsolidated Sandstones
• Production Rate
• Water Production
• Reservoir Depletion
• Improper Well Completion Practices
Unconsolidated Sandstones
Any attempt to produce formation fluid from totally unconsolidated formations will result in production of large
amounts of sand with the fluids.
In many sandstone formations the fluids producing through the sandstone create stresses on the sand grains which
exceed the bonding strength of the cementitious materials bonding the sand grains together.
Production Rate
Stresses caused by production rates are due to fluid pressure differences, friction, and overburden pressures.
Some wells will produce sand if the production rate is too high. This can possibly be overcome by reducing
production rates or increasing size and perforation density. However, in many cases restriction of production rates
will not be economical.
Even though reduced production rates may temporarily prevent sand production, most of these wells will
eventually produce sand because of some combination of the other causes of sand production, such as the onset of
water production or stresses caused by reservoir depletion.
Water Production
The onset of water production is another cause of formation sand production. In some formations, the
cementitious material is clay minerals and silt, which may be displaced/dissolved by the produced water. When
water production starts, the bond is weakened or destroyed and formation sand will be produced.
In sandstone with a very weak bonding of sand grains the production of water can cause water production because
of the increased stresses on the sand grains resulting from the production of a multi-phase system. As water
production begins, the total fluid production is usually increased in an attempt to maintain maximum oil
production. The increased gross production rate also causes increased stresses on the weakly consolidated
formations which may be excessive and exceed the ability of the cementitious material to bond the sand grains
together.
Water production can also increase the capability of the production fluids to move an carry formation fines. The
fines movement or migration can result in a loss of permeability near the well bore or in the perforation tunnel, thus
causing a higher pressure drop into the well bore. The increase pressure drop into the well bore will cause increased
stresses on the bonding of the sand grains and may exceed the bonding strength of the cementitious material in the
sandstone formation.
Reservoir Depletion

Sand Control Theory
Reservoir depletion resulting in reduced reservoir pressure may cause the overburden to subside and increase the
load on a poorly consolidated formation. This increased load can have a crushing effect on the weakly bonded sand
grains and result in sand production as well as have serious effect on the casing.
The subsidence can cause casing collapse or serious deflection of the tubulars resulting in severe distortion of the
slot size in slotted liners or screen gauge in wire-wrap screens used in conjunction with gravel packs to prevent
sand production. There are cases where sand production was allowed to continue unchecked until the subsidence
was severe enough that he well was a total loss.
Improper Well Completion Practices

Misuse of acid for drilling mud removal or stimulation may remove the small amount of calcareous bonding
material in some weakly consolidated formations and may result in sand production. If it has been determined that
the well is a potential sand producer and acid is required for well bore clean up or permeability damage, it is
advisable to do the acid treatment immediately ahead of sand control treatment, maintaining a flow toward the
formation until the sand control treatment is completed. Allowing the spent acid to produce back prior to a sand
control treatment can make a successful sand control treatment much more difficult to achieve.
In some sandstone formations, swabbing a well too hard or bringing the well to the desired production capacity too
quickly can cause excessive stress on weakly consolidated formations, resulting in sand production problems that
could have been delayed until much later in the life of the well.
Instantly opening some wells to maximum production can cause excessive stress on the bonding materials, or it
may cause movement of the connate water (water trapped in sediment at the time the sediment was deposited). This
movement of the connate water can cause movement of clays and fines resulting in reduced permeability thus
causing high pressure differentials toward the well bore resulting in sand production.
Excessive differential drawdown can also cause water coning (early water breakthrough). The potential for water
coning to occur is very high in those formations where the vertical permeability is close or equal to the vertical
permeability.
Why is Sand Production Undesirable?

The production of formation sand with the oil and/or gas from sandstone formations creates a number of potentially
dangerous and costly problems. The most common of these problems are:
• Safety and Well Control

• Reservoir Damage
• Sand erosion of down hole and surface equipment
• Production Loss
• Casing / Liner Collapse
• Sand Disposal - Environmental Concerns
The predominant reason for the prevention of formation sand production is economics; however, safety and well
control go beyond economics. The erosion damage to subsurface safety valves can cause them to become
inoperable. The failure of these safety valves can result in loss of life as well as tremendous economic loss
particularly at offshore and inaccessible locations.
Loss of production can occur as a result of sand fill up or bridging in the well which can reduce or shut off
production if the flow velocities of the well are insufficient to transport the produced sand to surface.

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The erosion damage to surface and subsurface equipment can be extremely expensive to replace as well as the
lost production during replacement and repair.
Formation damage is another severe problem with allowing a well to produce sand unchecked. The creation of
void spaces behind the casing can leave the casing unsupported, it can also leave the overburden or any shaley
streaks in the reservoir unsupported. The casing can become subjected to excessive compressive loading due to
subsidence which may cause permanent buckling or collapse. The much less permeable shaley streaks or
overburden can collapse in around the perforated casing causing severe and irreparable restrictions to production.
The disposal of produced sand can be extremely costly, particularly on offshore locations where environmental
regulations required that the produced sand must be free of oil contaminants before disposal. The sand must be
transported to cleaning facility, cleaned, and then transported to the landfill location.
Failure to prevent formation sand production can therefore be very expensive in terms of lost revenue, additional
operating cost and can create potentially very hazardous conditions at the well site.
When Should Sand Control Be Initiated

Sand Control Should Be Initiated:
• Immediately upon completion of the well
• Before reservoir rock disturbance occurs
Delay in initiating sand control

• Increases costs of subsequent sand control
attempts
• Decreases success ratio of subsequent sand
control attempts
• May restrict the choices available for sand control
Studies have shown that sandstone formation failures

occur by three different mechanisms when inadequate
sand control is applied. These mechanisms are:
• Grain by Grain Attrition
• Small Masses
• Massive Fluidization
Grain by Grain movement away from the formation face

is the simplest mechanism, and probably accounts for most
formation failures, particularly in the early stages of sand
production. Provided fluid velocities are high enough to
carry the small amount of sand to the surface the operator
may elect to “live with the problem” rather than apply
some type of sand control, believing that the occasional
replacement of surface chokes or cleaning sand from the
separator is more economical than the more expensive
sand control treatment. This decision may be a costly
mistake if the well is allowed to produce sufficient sand to
damage the formation or hinder successful sand control

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efforts. Usually this type of well will eventually require some type of sand control effort. Allowing the well to
produce sand for some extended period of time can limit the type of sand control that may be applied as well as
increase the cost and decrease the success of the treatment. There is also the potential for doing irreparable damage
to the formation near the well bore.
The mechanism of formation failure where small masses of sand break away usually results in rapid failure and my
require immediate application of sand control to keep the well on production. In most cases this type of failure
results in a sanded well bore that will not produce once sand fill covers the perforations or the erosive effect on
surface or subsurface equipment is too costly or presents a severe safety problem.
The mechanism of massive fluidization of the formation also requires immediate attention as the volume of sand
produced either prevents production or erosion and sand disposal problems are too great to contend with during
production.
Most authorities recommend that the best time to apply sand control techniques is immediately upon indication that
a formation is going to produce sand. Experience has shown that the highest success rate and the lowest production
loss after sand control is applied is when immediate action is taken to prevent the production of sand.
It can be seen from the above discussion of the three mechanisms of formation failure that, in the case of massive
fluidization of the formation, some type of sand control must be used immediately to continue producing the well.
In the case of the two remaining mechanisms of formation failure it is not so obvious as to when sand control
should be applied. Experience has shown that sand control should be installed before the reservoir rock is seriously
disturbed by sand production. Laboratory studies have shown that once an unconsolidated sand is disturbed, it is
virtually impossible to pack that sand back to it’s original permeability. There is no difficulty in regaining the
original density and porosity, but the permeability will
always be much less than the original permeability . Thus,
if a well is allowed to produce sufficient sand to seriously
disturb the reservoir rock around the well bore, restressing
the reservoir during sand control can result in a low
permeability zone around the well bore.
Successful sand control application decreases with
increased time a well is allowed to produce formation
sand, and in most cases the cost also increases. In some
well completions, delay in preventing formation sand
production can restrict the choices of techniques available
for sand control.
Consider the following hypothesis depicted schematically
in Figure 1.9 and Figure 1.10. First, consider well number
one in Figure 1.9 which has produced a small amount of
sand, but there appears to be no severe reservoir damage.
The shale streaks are still supported and in place. This
well will probably still produce with a low percent of
formation sand.
Now consider well 2 in Figure 1.9. This well appears to
have produced considerable sand, in fact, so much that
sufficient support beneath the shale streaks has been
removed and some shale has collapsed into the cavity in
front of the perforation tunnels. Most likely this well is
sanded up and is no longer producing. The shale has
restricted flow velocity to such a point that it will no
longer transport the produced sand out of the well bore
and it therefore settles into the casing across the
perforated interval.
Assuming that well number 2 in Figure 1.9 is selected to
be worked over and a gravel pack treatment is applied,
and assuming that good gravel packing techniques are

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used ( the well bore is cleaned and job based on low injection rates because of the shale across the perforations an
acid pretreatment is run ahead of the gravel pack), this well is gravel packed. Most likely surface pressures and
pump rates will indicate that a very good gravel pack treatment was also run on well number 2. However, when the
well is placed back on production, production rates may indicate that gravel packing has caused a loss of 50 to 60
percent of the original production capability. Looking at well number 2 after gravel packing (Figure 1.10), shale
chunks still block the path of fluid toward the well bore. When a well is allowed to produce sand to such a severe
condition, the damage is permanent. First, because the acid cannot remove the shale which is blocking the
perforations and second because when pressure packing the fallen shale which is perpendicular to the flow of fluids
into the well bore, pressure packing cannot pick up and restress the shales to their original positions. Therefore it is
not the gravel pack which caused the severe loss in production after gravel packing, but the irreparable damage to
the reservoir caused by excessive formation sand production.
There is one well in North Sea where this is believe to be what happened and it was basically verified when
undereaming the entire perforated interval, the undeream cuttings were almost 100 percent shale. The well was
plugged and abandoned after gravel packing because the well had lost 85 percent of it’s production.
The unfortunate fact is that at present there is no way of accurately predicting how much formation sand can be
produced before this reservoir damage may occur. Experience has shown that the best sand control is applied
before sand production becomes a problem.
Predicting Sand Production

There are numerous methods used to predict whether a
sandstone reservoir will or will not produce sand. Some of
these methods are very simple and straightforward, and
some much more technical. However, none of them are fool
proof or 100% reliable. All of these methods rely on various
reservoir characteristics such as:
• drilling rate
• density
• modulus of elasticity
• drillstem test data
• logs
• bulk compressibility
• and others
There are two problems with using these characteristics that

limit their reliability.
1) The reservoir characteristics are not constant

throughout a field and they will also change during
the life of the well.
2) The actual conditions the reservoir is subjected to
have tremendous influence on whether a formation
produces sand or not. Conditions such as draw
down pressures, surge pressures, treating fluids
exposure such as types and quantities of acid. All
of these conditions may vary from well to well.

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There are six aspects or combination of these aspects which are used as guidelines for predicting sand production.
There are :
• Experience in the area

• Drilling data
• Core sample evaluation
• Drillstem test
• Logs
• Production data
Previous experience in a given field is the principle technique and most likely the most reliable. Experience in the
area combined with drilling data, core sample evaluation and production data can be very reliable, considering the
conditions the reservoir is exposed to at the time. However, these conditions are always subject to change. The
onset of water production, the inadvertent use of the wrong acid or acid strength to correct skin damage can cause
sand to be produced. In a particular field, some wells produce sand, you can be reasonably sure that at sometime
during the life of another well in the same field and reservoir, it will also produce sand.
Drilling data and core sample evaluation are also good indicators that a well may produce sand. The indication that
a well will produce sand can be very reliable, but indications that a well may not produce sand can be very
unreliable because of the changes n the reservoir characteristics during the life of the well and also the variations in
conditions the well may be exposed to.
The production of formation sand during a Drill Stem Test (see Figure 1.11) is a good indication that the well will
produce sand either initially or will start producing sand as the well starts to deplete or produce water.
Production data indicating sand in the produced fluids is also sometimes used. However, the absence of sand in the
produced fluids is not always an accurate indication that a well is not producing sand. Depending on the size of the
sand being produced and the production rate, the produced sand may settle in the well bore and not be produced to
surface. The first indication of sand production may be the continual decline in production as sand settles covering
up the perforations. This sand fill will continue until all perforations are covered and the well is sanded up.
There are sand prediction techniques which utilize various log data for estimation of formation strength.
Mechanical property logs are useful in predicting the sandstone formation strength during the initial phase of
production but experience has shown that they are not sufficiently quantifiable for accurate production prediction
throughout the production life of a reservoir.
In the final analysis, experience is the best indicator of whether a formation will produce sand. The best
recommendation is heavily weighted on the cost of a workover should the prediction a formation will produce sand
or not is incorrect. If the cost of a workover is very high and it is questionable whether sand control will be
required, it may be more economical to go ahead and do sand control on the initial completion of the well.
However, on land wells or platforms offshore where a workover rig is going to be readily available it may be
economical to wait until sand production is confirmed before doing sand control. In either case, the completion
design should consider the possibility that the reservoir may produce sand and require some kind of sand control
application.

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Detecting and Monitoring Sand

Production
The erosion caused by production of formation sand can be

prevented by a dependable, long-lasting sand control completion.
However, any sand control completion is never guaranteed to
prevent 100% of all sand production for the entire life of the well.
Therefore, it is essential that detecting and monitoring sand
production must be done.
There are several methods that can be used to monitor sand

production:
• Wellhead Shakeout
• Sand Traps
• Erosion Probes
• Sonic Detectors
• Ultrasonic Inspection
• Radiographic Inspection
The Wellhead Shakeout Test is an occasional test run on a

sample of oil taken at the wellhead to determine if solids are
being produced. The test consists of centrifuging a sample of
the produced fluids to determine if solids (sand) are being
produced. This test only indicates that solids are being
produced. It does not tell how much sand has been produced or
how much erosion to equipment has occurred.
Sand Traps are separators placed in the production lines that

allow the sand in the oil or gas to settle and be collected. They
are used to identify the production of sand but they also do not

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tell how much sand has been produced or the extent of any erosion that may have occurred.
If the shake out test or sand traps are the only means of detecting sand production, there is no continuous, on-
stream way to detect erosion of equipment or flow lines until a cut out actually occurs.
Ultrasonic and radiographic inspection of lines and surface equipment can be used to indicate the amount of
damage already done due to erosion.
Erosion probes such as shown in Figure 1.12 are now available. These erosion probes (sand probes) provide a
continuous “on-stream” method for detecting the erosion of flow lines and equipment before and actual cutout
occurs. These probes are installed in the flow line similar to that shown in Figure 1.13, such that when the erosion
tube is eroded away the flow line pressure is transmitted to a pilot valve which closes the surface safety valve,
automatically shutting the well in. The sand probe is a hollow cylinder, plugged at one end, which is inserted into
the flow line such that the hollow cylinder extends into the flow stream, with the open end of the cylinder
protruding from the wall of the flow line.
When the erosion tube is installed with a Pilot Valve as shown in Figure 1.13 and the produced sand penetrates the
thin wall of the probe, pressure within the flow line is allowed to act against the lower end of the piston. This
pressure forces the piston and plunger upward until the valve containing the system control pressure is opened. The
system control pressure is allowed to exhaust to the atmosphere around the plunger to cause the safety system to
activate, as in Figure 1.14.
The design is such that the erosion tube can be eroded away before serious erosion to the surface safety equipment
and flow lines can occur.
The erosion probes can be installed in a variety of flow line couplings. When the erosion probe is connected as
shown in Figure 1.15 where pilot valves are not needed, monitoring of erosion can be done by observing where
flow line pressure shows on the gauges.
Following such a well shut-in or pressure on gauges, the
erosion probe is replaced. The operator then selects his
preferred method of preventing sand production – reduced
flow rate, gravel packing, consolidation, etc. The operator
maintains a correlation between the sand probe erosion and
the erosion rate of his equipment and flow system. When
sufficient erosion has occurred an ultrasonic or
radiographic inspection may be required to maintain a safe
system. Ultrasonic and radiographic inspections are
expensive but a necessary means of inspecting the entire
flow system for serious erosion damage.
Use of the erosion probes allows for better control of when
the expensive ultrasonic or radiographic inspection is
required, thus reducing inspection costs while maintaining
a high safety standard. The ultrasonic and radiographic
inspection measures the amount of erosion throughout a
flow system and those portions showing excessive erosion
are then replaced.

Sand Control Theory
Sonic detectors such as the Sand Probes manufactured under

license from Mobil Oil Corporation (Figure 1.16) are insertion
probes that are placed in the flow lines so that the tip extends
across the ID of the flow line. The tip of the sand probe has a
sensor crystal mounted inside the tip. The tips is filled with
hydraulic fluid to provide acoustic transfer between the tip and
the sensor crystal.
When sand in the flow strikes the probe it will generate an

acoustic pulse which is converted to an electrical pulse by the
sensor crystal and amplified by an amplifier in the sand probes
amplifier housing. This amplified electrical pulse is transmitted to
the sand monitor readout equipment, where it is amplified,
filtered and converted to analog DC voltage and displayed on the
meters, recorders, or data collection centers. The analog output
is used to calculate the quantity of sand present in the produced
fluids.
Acoustic clamp on sand detectors like the model shown in Figure

1.165 are non-intrusive and are placed on the outside of the flow
line just after a bend. When the flow is passing the bend, particles
will be forced out and hit the inside of the pipe wall which
generates an ultrasonic pulse. The ultrasonic signal is transmitted
through the pipe wall and picked up by the acoustic sensor.
Acoustic Sand Detector
Figure 1.165

Sand Control Theory
Available Methods of Sand Control
There are many approaches to preventing the movement of formation sand into the well bore. All of these methods
except one attempt to provide some means of mechanical support to the formation, adjacent to the producing
interval, to prevent the movement of formation during stresses resulting from fluid production or pressure drop
from reservoir to well bore necessary for the well to be produced. All of these methods can be categorized into
three broad groups. However, from a field application point of view, there are four basic methods of sand control.
• Restrict Production
• Mechanical Methods
• Chemical Methods
• Combination
Production Restriction
Restricting the production rate is one method of sand control which can be used to prevent the production of
formation sand. In some cases it may be a successful alternative to the other methods available. However, in most
cases it is not a durable or economic solution.
The stresses resulting from fluid production, or the pressure drop from reservoir to well bore necessary for the well
to produce, act on the bonding materials which bond the sand grains together in a sandstone formation. These
stresses are one of the causes of formation sand production. These stresses can be reduced by restricting the
production rate, however in many instances the reduced production rate necessary to prevent formation sand
movement into the well bore is not an economic production rate for the well.
In most cases the production rate is not the only contributing factor to the cause of sand production. The degree of
consolidation of the formation, the type and amount of cementitious minerals present, and the amount of water
being produced are also significant contributing factors to sand production. These other factors may cause a well to
produce sand even through the production rate has been severely restricted. Even if restricted production is
successful in an initial completion this success may be short lived s these other factors come into play during the
producing life of the well.
Mechanical Methods
Of the three broad groups which attempt to provide some means of support to the formation the most commonly
used are the mechanical methods. Mechanical sand control methods consist of some type of mechanical device to
bridge of filter the sand out of the produced fluids or gases.
This group of devices includes:
• Slotted Liners
• Wire Wrapped Screens
• Pre-Packed Screens
• Mesh Screens
The most common use of these devices is in conjunction with some form of gravel packing. They are sometimes
used by themselves to prevent sand production.
Material selection depends on the environment where the screen is to be set, ie H2S, CO2, temperature etc.
Standard construction is of carbon steel base pipe with a 300 series stainless steel wire wrap. As H2S, CO2 or
temperature increases higher nickel alloys are used for the screen and base pipe. The purpose is to prevent
corrosion by chloride and stress cracking.

Sand Control Theory
Gravel Packing
There are severe limitations on the use of any type of slotted liner or screen when run by themselves. They are
typically run in open hole applications or in
conjunction with some type of gravel packing
technique.
The most common method of sand control used today

is some type or technique of gravel packing in
conjunction with the wire wrapped, pre-packed, or
mesh screen as the retaining device to hold the gravel
(graded pack sand or proppant) in place.
Gravel packing relies on the bridging of formation

sand against larger sand that is packed into the annulus
between the screen and the casing (or open hole).
The larger pack sand is sized to be about 5 to 6 times

larger than the formation sand.
Gravel pack will be discussed extensively in later

sections of this manual.
Cased Hole Gravel Packs
A successful cased hole gravel pack requires that the perforations or fractures extending past any near-wellbore
damage as well as the annular area between the OD of the screen and the ID of the casing be tightly packed with
gravel (or man-made proppant). To accomplish this goal, cased hole gravel packing has evolved, in many cases
into a two stage process. The first stage packs the perforations with pack gravel. The second stage packs the
annulus between the screen and the casing ID with pack gravel.
Fluid leakoff is a key element in achieving successful perforating packing and for packing the gravel or proppant in
the casing/screen annulus. Unless the carrier fluid flows through the perforations and into the formation, gravel
cannot be transported and packed into the perforation tunnels or into the fractures (if a fracture stimulation is being
performed). The packed perforation tunnels and fractures are the vital link from an area of undamaged formation
permeability to the wellbore.
Several techniques exist to enhance fluid leakoff to the formation, thereby improving the pack in the perforation
tunnels and/or into the fracture. These techniques can be performed either with the gravel pack screen and other
downhole equipment in place or before the screen is placed across the perforated interval. The preferred packing
methods, based on frequency of use, are either (1) prepacking or (2) placing the external pack with screens in place,
combined with some form of stimulation (acid-prepack), or with fracturing anc acidizing. In addition, the annular
pack between the screen OD and casing ID can be performed either with a water pack or high rate water pack, with
a viscous carrier fluid (slurry pack), or in the last stages of FracPac operation.
Perforation Packing with Acid-Prepack Method
The acid-prepack method is a combination stimulation and sand control procedure that helps yield high
productivity on wells that require sand control. An acid-prepack is often the method of choice for packing the
perforations with gravel, and it has proven to be a productive, reliable, and cost-effective treatment in wells all over
the world.

Sand Control Theory
The acid-prepack method combines the stimulation benefits of the Sandstone-2000 acid systems treatments with
the added benefit of packing gravel or proppant in the perforations. Alternating stages of acid and gravel slurry are
pumped during the treatment. The acid dissolves the damage left in the formation from drilling fluid, perforating,
completion fluids, and lost circulation material (LCM). The prepack stages fill the clean perforations and divert the
subsequent acid stages to break down and establish injection into additional perforations.
Of the types of damage removal from the perforations and formation, removing LCM from the perforations and
formation, removing LCM from the perforations is most critical. If perforations are not cleaned and then packed
with gravel or proppant, formation sand can flow into perforation tunnels during initial production. Perforations
should be cleaned with the appropriate acid system and then packed with gravel or proppant to ensure (1) formation
sand cannot flow into the perforations along with the produced fluids and degrade the permeability of the gravel in
the perforations; or (2) flow through the perforations casing/screen annulus and impinge on the screen and cause
screen erosion.
Damage removal and perforation packing is then evenly distributed over the entire interval, rather than being
confined to the first area penetrated by the acid. With the damage removed from the perforations and formation, the
well is more productive and exhibits lower pressure drop across the producing zone for a longer time in the well’s
producing life.
Halliburton has developed a proven crosslinkable hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) gel (K-MAX / MAXSEAL / Z-
MAX gel) that works particularly well with acid-prepacking treatments. The gel’s crosslink is broken when it
contacts low-pH fluids such as acid, allowing a high degree of fluid leakoff and thus, a better pack in the
perforation tunnels. While fluid loss control of the crosslinked gel is excellent, the fluid leakoff rate of the gel, once
crosslinking is broken, equals that of a sheared and filtered HEC fluid. Combining the relatively high leakoff of the
uncrosslinked LCM with the acid-pre-packed treatment, yield higher productivity with a high degree of sand
control because perforations are first opened and flushed clean of an LCM prior to packing with gravel or proppant
thus allowing for a better gravel pack.
Openhole Gravel Packs
A successful openhole gravel pack requires that the drilling operations be carried out in such a manner that it does
not damage the formation unduly. This usually means that the casing is set above the zone of interest, drilling
fluids are changed over to the relatively clean drill-in fluid, and the openhole section is drilled with a drill-in fluid
such as a sized salt system or a calcium carbonate system. These systems have proven to perform well during the
drilling operations and clean up easily during the completion and subsequent production operations. Underreaming
the hole is an option. Underreaming is intended to eliminate any drilling damage around the near-wellbore area and
to extend the radius of gravel packing around the screen.
The openhole gravel pack completion process requires only that the gravel be tightly packed in the annulus
between the OD of the screen and the openhole. Because openhole completions eliminate perforations tunnels that
exist within cased hole completions, using viscous fluids to ensure that the gravel is carried into perforations
tunnels is unnecessary. Most openhole gravel packs are placed using a water-pack system, although in openhole
completions that are not highly deviated (>60 degrees), a viscous fluid can be an excellent carrier fluid, enabling a
high concentration slurry for a fast job completion, coupled with good particle transport and little disturbance of the
openhole filter cake. If the openhole section is drilled with a salt-based drill-in fluid, then the carrier fluid for the
gravel will act to break down the filter cake left from the drilling operations, unless it is also a saturated solution.
However, slurry packs can be an excellent technique for openhole completions without high deviation.
Slurry Packs
Slurry packs generally are used to carry high gravel concentrations downhole around the screen and into the
perforations. Viscous carrier fluids are used to transport gravel concentrations of 4 to 15 lb/gal. The main

Sand Control Theory
advantages to this type of system are that a minimal amount of water (if water is being used as a carrier fluid) is
used to pump the slurry, and the pumping rate can be slowed so that pack gravel and the pumping rate can be
slowed so that pack gravel formation sand intermixing is minimal. The minimal amount of fluid required to
transport a certain volume of gravel or proppant into the well means that the contact between between the fluid and
the formation is minimized thus minimizing any potential damage due to this interaction. However, the relatively
low leakoff rates due to the viscous carrier fluid can result in incomplete dehydration of the slurry in the perforating
tunnels and potentially in the wellbore/screen annulus. Other chemical products such as N-Flow filter cake
removal systems, may be used to remove or degrade filter cakes formed by other drill-in-fluid systems.
Typical design parameters are as follows:
• Pump rate – 1 to 5 bpm

• Carrier fluid – 36 to 80 lb/Mgal gel loading
• Gravel concentration – up to 4 to 15 lbs gravel per gallon of gel

Sand Control Theory
High Rate Water Packs
High-rate water packs were developed to enhance gravel placement into the perforations and to obtain higher
completion efficiencies than water packs, which are pumped at lower rates. The more effective high-rate water
packs are usually preceded by an acid prepack. Using a high-rate water-pack method requires a blender that can
continuously mix gravel and water and supply it to the downhole pump at high rates. Halliburton uses the CLAM
blender.
• Pump rate – up to 4 to 10 bpm (1bpm per 10ft of perforations)

• Carrier fluid – completion brine, slick water
• Gravel concentration – up to 2 lb per gal of fluid.
Water Packs
The water-pack system usually uses non-viscosified brine as the carrier fluid for the gravel or proppant. This
system requires a blender that can continuously mix gravel and can continuously mix gravel and the carrier fluid
and supply it to the downhole pump. In recent years, water packs have become an increasingly popular alternative
to conventional gelled slurry gravel packing methods using polymers that can potentially damage formation
permeability. Water packs typically form very tight annular packs. One disadvantage of water packs is the
potential for high leakoff rate in high-permeability zones, which can cause bridging in the screen/casing annulus at
the point of leakoff. This bridging can cause a premature screenout of the treatment.
• Pump rate – up to 2 to 5 bpm

• Carrier fluid – completion brine
• Gravel concentration – up to 2 lb per gal of fluid
Ex-tension Pac Service
A whole new approach to packing, Ex-tension Pac service, combines technologies such as Liquid Sand process,
SandWedge OS service, and many other service tools and chemicals listed in this catalog. Application of these
services is optimized through use of the latest engineering technology and software design tools, such as Ex-
tranalysis or Fracpro PT software, to increase the amount of gravel or proppant placed in contact with the reservoir
and in small fractures. Far more gravel or proppant (up to 200 to 300 lb/ft of perforations) is placed by the more
aggressive Ex-tension pack service, since the formation parting pressure is exceeded to create a larger contact area
between the pack and the reservoir. The higher treatment rates and carrier fluid flow cause greater volumes of
proppant to be placed in the perforation tunnels and in contact with the reservoir. Ex-tension Pac service is often
used in combination with SandWedge OS coated proppant. SandWedge OS proppant stabilizes the proppant-
formation interface to enhance the long term producibility of the completion by reducing production losses due to
fines invasion.
• Step rate test / minifrac

Sand Control Theory
• Use Fracpro PT or Ex-tranalysis program to design treatment

• Pump rate – based on design geometry determined by design tools – frac simulator software
• Carrier fluid – slick water (10 to 20 lb/Mgal gel loading)
• Carrier fluid type – typically mixed with Liquid Sand proppant
• Gravel/proppant concentration – up to 4lb gravel /proppant per gal of gel
• Expected volume of gravel / proppant in perforations – 200 to 300 lb/ft of perforations
• SandWedge OS coated proppant used to enhance long term productivity
Frac Packs
Fracpacks are an offshoot of the gravel pack where high pumping pressures and rates are used to create small
fractures through the damaged zone around the wellbore.
Fracpacks are essentially a combination of sand control technique and a fracturing technique. The gravel is pumped
above fracturing pressure, and is designed to pack both the fractures and annular space around the screen with pack
sand or proppant. The major advantage is that the well productivity is usually much higher than for conventional
gravel packs.
The FracPac process is the most reliable (with respect to long-term, high-rate production) design for sand control
available in the industry today. FracPac service combines a highly conductive fracture with a gravel packed screen
installation to provide both stimulation and formation sand control. The treatment involves pumping gravel or
proppant into the perforations at rates and pressures that exceed the parting pressure of the formation using a tip
screen out (TSO) frac treatment. The intention is to bypass any near-wellbore damage remaining from the
drilling/perforating phase of the operations. A TSO frac is used to achieve a high proppant concentration in the
near-wellbore area and achieve a highly conductive fracture connection between the wellbore and the reservoir. A
gravel pack screen installation and annular pack are used to provide formation sand control. New technology, in the
form of 3D frac design simulators, allows for the improved prediction of the frac geometry.
The key concept of the FracPac is the tip screenout design, which creates a wide, very high proppant concentration
propped fracture at the wellbore. The frac conductivity at the wellbore is the key FracPac feature, not the long frac
radius of the hardrock reservoir. However, current FracPac modeling takes the fracturing concept further by
designing for the stabilization of formation sands, prediction of critical drawdown pressure, and control of fines
migration by reducing radial flow velocity. As with any stimulation treatment, the removal of the effects of
wellbore damage is important. Proppant concentration in the near-wellbore area is critical. While reaching wellbore
screenout conditions is optional in conventional stimulation treatment design, in FracPac it is preferred, if not
mandatory.
Treatment analysis and execution is facilitated with Halliburtons weight-down FracPac service tool system, which
allows the operator to monitor the bottomhole treating pressure during the job through the annulus pressure.
Typical FracPac procedures can include:
• Step rate test / minifrac

• Use of Fracpro PT or StimPlan or GOHFER program to design treatment
• Pump rates up to 60 bpm
• Wellbore deviations greater than 50 degrees are common
• Crosslinked frac fluid systems such as SeaQuest service with gel loadings typically 20 to 40 lb per Mgal
• Proppant concentrations up to 12 ppg are common

Sand Control Theory
Chemical Consolidation
Sand control by chemical consolidation involves the process of injecting plastics or plastic forming chemicals into
the naturally unconsolidated formation to provide grain to grain cementation. The objective of formation sand
consolidation is to cement sand grains together at the contact points maintaining maximum permeability.
There are two basic types of chemical consolidation techniques:
1) Internally Activated Systems

2) Externally Activated Systems
The internally activated systems usually have a catalyst

and accelerator mixed with the resin solution. Most of
these systems are very temperature and time dependent
thus resulting in a limited amount of working time.
Some processes employ phase separation which
includes the use of a relatively dilute solution of resin
in a hydrocarbon solvent.
The externally activated systems or over flush systems,

use a high yield resin solution. Permeability is
established by pumping an over flush into the
formation, displacing all but a residual resin coating at
the grain to grain contact points. The over flush usually
will contain a catalyst which is extracted by the resin
and causes the resin to polymerize (see figure 1.25).
The consolidation systems were very popular in the late

1960’s and early 1970’s but have given way to the
mechanical methods due to cost, limitations on
longevity, and very loss success ratio in intervals
greater than 10 to 15 feet.
Combination Methods
Combination methods are those which combine both a
chemical consolidation system and a mechanical gravel pack system. In these systems a gravel pack is performed,
usually without a screening device in the hole, using a resin coated gravel packing sand. These systems are in very
limited use today, but definitely have a market.

Sand Control Theory
Sand Control Method Selection
Formation Characteristics
The type of sandstone formation and the type and amount of cementitious minerals will give you an indication of
whether a formation will produce sand. Results from well log data can identify more specific details of the
formation to provide the necessary background support to select the most appropriate sand control method to
prevent a given well or formation from producing sand.
Formation properties such as :
• Porosity (Ø)
• Permeability (k)
• Density (Pb)
• Temperature (F)
should first be defined to better understand their significance to

the selection of the most appropriate sand control method.
These properties can be determined from the logs run on the well.
For clarity and a better understanding of these properties as they
relate to sand control a definition of each is given :
POROSITY (Ø) is the void volume of the rock divided by the

bulk volume of the rock
Ø = Void Volume
____________
Bulk Volume
Porosity is the capacity of the rock to contain fluids and can be

expressed in terms of percentage or in decimal form.
Figure 2.4 is spheres illustrating maximum porosity of 47.6%.

The 47.6% is a calculated geometric maximum void space.
Figure 2.5 is spheres illustrating a calculated minimum void
space which yields 25.9%.
Ideally, regardless of grain size, porosity would be in direct

proportion as long as the spheres are the same size. This porosity
is known as primary porosity.
However, there are factors which affect primary porosity in

sandstone reservoirs which result in much lower porosity. For
example:
• Packing
• Sorting
• Cementation
• Angularity / Roundness
• Compaction

Sand Control Theory
Packing refers to the configuration in which the sand grains are geometrically arranged. Figures 2.4 and 2.5 are
good illustrations of packing.
Sorting is the gradation of the sand grains. The term “well sorted” refers to sand grains of very uniform shape and
size. “Poorly sorted” sand refers to sand grains of different shape and size. A poorly sorted sand will have less
porosity than a well sorted sand. Figure 2.6 is a good example of poorly sorted sand.
Figure 2.7 is an example sieve analysis plot of two different formation sands. The plot is sand grain size in inches
on the X axis plotted against cumulative weight percent plotted on the Y axis. Sand number 1 is more uniform in
size thus what is commonly referred to as better sorted. Sand number 2 is non-uniform in size or poorer sorted. As
can be seen the more vertical the S shaped curve the better sorted or more uniform the size of the sand is. The more
leaning the S shaped curve the less uniform or poorer sorted the sand.
Cementation is the material or formation component which bonds individual sand grains to each other. This
binding agent will be quartz, calcite, or in some instances clay minerals, or a combination of these minerals. This
binding medium will affect porosity. Thus, a well cemented sand will have a low porosity and a poorly cemented
sand will have a high porosity.
Angularity or Roundness of sand grains, in combination with packing and sorting also affects the porosity
because of the filling of void spaces by smaller sand grains or interlocking of angular sand grains Figure 2.6.
Compaction is the degree to which the overburden pressure alters the size and shape of the sandstone reservoir.
The effect of packing, sorting, cementation, angularity, roundness, and compaction on primary porosity, always
results in a porosity less than the maximum geometric void space.
Secondary porosity results from geologic agents such as leaching, fracturing and fissuring which occur after the
rock forming process. We normally do not see a lot of secondary porosity in sandstone formations.
PERMEABILTY (K) is the ability of a reservoir to permit flow or passage of reservoir fluids from the pore spaces.
Permeability is the measure of the interconnecting of the pore spaces. Permeability is measured in darcies. Most
producing formations have average permeabilities that are less than one darcy.
A permeability of one darcy is when one square centimeter of rock surface releases one cubic centimeter of fluid
under a pressure differential of one atmosphere per centimeter.

Sand Control Theory
BULK DENSITY (Pb) is the weight of the rock divided by the volume of the rock and is normally expressed in
grams per cubic centimeters.
Pd = Weight of Rock – Grams

____________________
Volume of Rock, Cubic Centimeters
The bulk density of the three common reservoir rock types are:
Dolomite – 2.87
Limestone – 2.71
Sand - 2.65
One common use of the bulk density log is to determine formation porosity as well as identify the formation. Once
the correct bulk density of a formation is determined, it is possible to convert bulk density to porosity by the
relationship:
Ø = Pg – Pb
___________
Pg – Pf
Ø = Porosity
Pg = Density of Rock Grain
Pd = Bulk density
Pf = Density of fluid
TEMPERATURE: Bottom hole static temperature is the static reservoir temperature at a given depth.
Having defined some of the formation properties, it is appropriate to discuss the relationship they have on the best
sand control technique to use.
Temperature is extremely important when selecting consolidation techniques. The table below shows the
temperature limitations of most of the consolidation systems. Temperature is also an important factor when
selecting gelled gravel pack carrier fluids and gel breaker concentration.
When pumping acids for tubular clean up or matrix acidizing, the formation temperature determines the type and
concentration of the corrosion inhibitor to be used.

Sand Control Theory
Permeability and porosity should be considered when selecting the type of treating fluids to be used in sand control
techniques. When considering consolidation techniques, permeability becomes a factor when the natural
permeability is low. Sandstone formations with less than 200 millidarcies permeability are normally not good
candidates for consolidation system selection.
Bulk density is used as well as sonic travel time in selecting the minimum under balance pressure needed to
overcome total skin damage at time of perforating with tubing conveyed perforating system.
Reservoir Fluid Properties are also beneficial in selecting the type of sand control method to be used as well as the
completion string design.
Oil Viscosity, cps

Oil Gravity, API
H2O Content, %
H2S Content, %
CO2 Content, %
The oil viscosity usually measured in centipoises or the oil gravity reported as API may or may not be available
depending on whether the well has been produced or a drill stem test has been run. However, the operator should
have a good estimate of either viscosity or API gravity based on wells in the same field or from geologist reports.
This information can be useful in selection of pack sand size, particularly is the sieve analysis indicates a choice of
a larger or smaller pack size. If the oil is a very low gravity crude ie. a relatively viscous fluid, depending on
perforation size and density it may be preferable to select the larger pack sand even though under normal
circumstances the smaller pack sand size would be preferred.
Corrosive gases such as H2S or CO2 content must be reported accurately along with well temperatures as they
have a direct influence on the type metals or alloys from which the down hole completion string will be
manufactured.
Type of Well
The types of well basically are as follows:
• New or Existing
• Gas or Oil
• Production or Injection
• Vertical or Horizontal
• Steam Injection
New or Existing
The significance of whether the well is new or existing is in the choice of selecting the method of sand control to be
used. In new wells any of the basic methods of sand control can be used. If the well is existing it is important to
determine if the well has produced much sand or not. If the well has produced sand the use of consolidation
techniques is restricted to consolidation after pre-packing the well. Consolidation systems are not acceptable should
there be any void behind the perforated casing. The resin stage will settle in the lower portion of the void space.
For this type of well mechanical methods or combination methods are preferred.
In new wells where it is preferred to use a combination method, it is recommended that the perforations be washed
sufficiently to create some type of small cavity outside the casing since the only consolidation achieved with the
consolidation method is that of the resin coated sand placed outside the casing.

Sand Control Theory
Gas or Oil
Whether a well is a gas well or oil well basically only affects the type of consolidation system selected. In oil wells
the type of consolidation systems selected. In oil wells the type of consolidation system used does not matter.
However, in dry gas wells it is preferable not to introduce a third phase to the system. Most formations are water
wet, and in gas wells it is preferable not to inject oil base fluids into the reservoir as it has been proven that the oil
base fluids are extremely difficult to produce back and usually result in severe production loss. It is recommended
that when treating gas wells the consolidation system be one placed with aqueous fluids.
In oil wells the placement fluids are not significant as long as the formation is not sensitive to the fluids being used.
However, if an aqueous system is to be used a non-emulsifier surfactant must be used to avoid possible emulsion
problems. Usually, an oil system is preferred because of the better cleaning action by the diesel carrier fluid to
remove crude oil from the formation sand in preparation to receive the resin.
Producer or Injector
Whether a well is a producer of an injector has very little bearing on the sand control method to be used other than
possible economics. However, it does have considerable significance on the down hole completion design.
Vertical or Horizontal
Whether a well is vertical, deviated, highly deviated, or horizontal has considerable influence on many aspects of
the well completion. The degree of deviation from vertical to fully horizontal should be very seriously evaluated
when selecting the sand control system to be used. If considering the mechanical systems the degree of deviation
influences the carrier fluid selected, the sand concentration that should be used, the pump rate, the perforation
density, perforation phasing, and the types of tools that can or should be used. If the well is fully horizontal it may
be desirable to use only the slotted liners or pre-packed screens in the hole. If the well deviation is greater than 65-
75 degrees from vertical and the well is cased, then it is preferred that the well be gravel packed in conjunction
with a wire wrapped or pre-packed screen.
Steam Injection
Steam injection wells pose some new problems not normally associated with sand control or gravel packing. Here
we find temperatures that can exceed by considerable amount what we normally encounter as high formation
temperature. These temperatures normally exceed the maximum temperature of the consolidation chemicals
available to the industry. We also encounter, particularly in what is called “Huff and Puff” wells, severe cyclic
fluctuation in temperatures the well is steamed in the injection mode then allowed to cool during the production
mode. These conditions place a severe strain on any natural cementatious material as well as any chemical
consolidation materials.
For many years the gravel packing systems were basically considered to have no temperature limitations,
particularly the pack sand. It was believed that any temperature limitations in the gravel packing systems were
limited to the placement fluids such as the gels. These limitations could be dealt with by large volume flushes
ahead of the gels to cool the well bore. However, it has since been determined that the high temperature steam will
dissolve graded pack sand used to pack the well. This problem become severe at high temperatures and high pH (8-
11). These problems have been dealt with in a number of ways, but most significantly, the industry has attempted
to control the pH and a number of artificial proppants have been evaluated.
Completion Method Used

Sand Control Theory
The completion method selected for the well should consider whether formation sand production may be a problem
or not during preplanning of the well. The choices of completion methods include:
• Perforated Casing
• Open Hole
• Single Zone
• Dual or Multiple Zone
• Multiple Zone Selective
Perforated Casing Completions pose the least restriction on selection of the sand control method used.
The chemical consolidation methods are very well suited for perforated casing completions. However, as has been
discussed earlier there should be no voids behind the casing. The length of the perforated interval can cause some
limitation – usually the maximum perforation length where consolidation can be used is 12-15ft.
The mechanical methods are also very adaptive to perforated casing completions, however there it is sometimes
difficult to successfully pack each perforation with pack sand which is an absolute necessity. There are several
variations in placement technique designed to cope with these problems.
The combination methods can also be used. They do however require some void space behind the casing to place
resin coated sand for better longevity. When used in new wells where no sand has been produced or washed form
behind the perforation tunnels, the volume of the consolidated pack sand will be small, thus stress on the
consolidated pack sand can cause relatively short durability. The combination systems also have the disadvantage
of having to be drilled out of the casing after the resin has been catalyzed.
Open Hole Completions limit the sand control techniques to either mechanical gravel packing or the combination
resin coated sand pack systems.
Chemical consolidation techniques are not adaptive to nor recommended for open hole completions. The reason for
this is the inability to control the separation of the various treating stages and where they enter the formation. Any
mixing of the treating stages will result in permanent damage to the permeability of the near well bore region.
In open hole completions the use of the combination systems, resin coated sand, is usually limited to placement
outside a slotted liner or wire-wrapped screen because of the difficulty drilling out through the center of the well
bore.
In Single Zone Completions the above conditions and recommendations are valid. Single zone completions do not
present the options or the problems that are encountered in the dual or multiple zone completions.
In the Dual or Multiple Zone Completion there are a number of options in well completion and the most common
of these are:
• Multiple Zone – Cased

• Mutiple Zone – Lower Zone Open Hole and Upper Zones Cased
• Multiple Zone – Openhole
In these situations all of the conditions previously mentioned are applicable for selecting the proper sand control
method. However, they do present several options and problems that are not present in single zone completions.
The first problem is the distance between perforated intervals. When two or more zones are to be produced
separately there must be sufficient distance between the zones to isolate one completion from the other by means of
a packer. If gravel packing is to used, it is desirable to have sufficient distance between the intervals to place a
production packer, accessories and blank pipe.
Length of Interval

Sand Control Theory
The length of interval to be treated is critical primarily for consolidation systems. The plastic consolidation systems
are very sensitive to permeability variations across the length of the interval to be treated. The best
recommendation for consolidation systems is to keep the interval length to 12-15ft. Much longer intervals have
been treated successfully, however the success ratio drops well below 50% when treating intervals of greater than
30ft. Also, the cost of a job increases significantly with increased length which makes economics a very important
factor.
For longer intervals the effect on gravel packing techniques primarily is on volume of materials required and strict
observation of all gravel packing design criteria. Frac-packing of long intervals at high pumping rates means that
the tools will be subjected to large amounts of erosion. The tool ratings must be checked to ensure that the service
tool is able to perform without failure at the job volumes and rates.
Other Factor to Consider

There are numerous other factors to consider when selecting the most appropriate type of system for sand control.
Some of these are:
• Economics
• Reliability
• Effect of Productivity
• Repair Costs
• Degree of Reservoir Depletion
• History of Sand Production
• Water Saturation
All of these factors must be evaluated on a well by well basis when selecting the appropriate sand control
technique. Under some circumstances a more expensive technique, such as consolidation, might be less expensive
than for example gravel packing if for instance the availability of a work over rig may cause the well to be shut in
for several days or weeks before a work over rig is available.
Reliability of the system has a big influence on the choice of sand control method selected. In some situations a less
reliable system may be acceptable from an economics point of view whereas in other well situations such as subsea
completions or offshore platforms where access to a work over rig is limited or extremely expensive, then
reliability of the system is a must.
Reliability as related to longevity of the system is extremely important in new wells or offshore locations, however,
it may be less critical in marginal producers or in depleted wells that may have only a short period of production
life left.
The effect of the system has on production is also a factor in selecting the appropriate sand control system. In some
instances the production capability of the well may exceed the desired or allowed production, then a less expensive
but longer lasting system might be acceptable.
Repair costs must also be considered as some less expensive completions or even some special completion designs
may appear to be much more attractive but can be very cost prohibitive to repair.
The degree of reservoir depletion also determines the economics of the completion as related to how reliable the
system must be and its effect on production capabilities.

Sand Control Theory
Formation Sampling
A relationship exists between the particle size and distribution of a given formation sand and the critical size
required for a gravel pack sand for that formation. In order to apply those criteria, it is first necessary to determine a
key numerical value for the structural grains that make up the sandstone formation. This determination is done
using formation sampling.
The integrity of the formation analysis depends much on the quality of the sample analyzed. The most preferred
sample is a full core obtained while drilling across the expected interval to be completed. However, this type of
sample is expensive to obtain especially if the exact interval to be completed is not known and long intervals of
formation must be cored.
Bailed or produced sand samples are not generally acceptable because sample segregation can occur. This results in
produced samples composed of finer materials and bailed samples composed of the coarser fractions. These
samples also represent an average of the particle sizes across the interval which is usually larger than the finest
sands in the formation.
Obtaining samples of the formation with a wireline sidewall coring tool or gun is the most popular method.
The gun is run into the open hole before casing and a hollow core barrel is fired through the filter cake into the
formation of interest. A retrieving cable attached to the core and core barrel retrieves the barrel, and the core
sample it contains from the well bore as the tool is pulled from the well. Each sidewall coring gun usually contains
30 core barrels that can be individually fired at selected depths. Several guns can be run in tandem or with a
logging tool to confirm positioning. This is a relatively inexpensive method for obtaining a number of small
samples across a zone of interest.
Typical penetration depths of sidewall cores are 8cm or less. Therefore the formation material obtained is of the
immediate well bore region. This formation is usually flushed with mud filtrate that penetrates the formation prior
to filter cake build-up, so cores taken subsequently are usually contaminated with mud clays. In unconsolidated
formations this contamination may be more severe since the unconsolidated sands can potentially intermix with the
mud and cuttings and become part of the filter cake. If this occurs there is no clear separation of the filter cake layer
and the formation sample when visually inspected. This makes cleaning the sample and removal of obvious
contaminants more difficult.
Contamination with mud fines can lead to erroneous results when analyzing the samples. The amount of artificially
introduced fines can be as high as 30% by weight. Since most of this material is 20 um or less in size, a sieve
analysis of these samples will be skewed toward the smaller sand size and result in an median grain diameter size
(d50) much smaller than the true value, consequently a finer pack sand is recommended and lower permeability
may result.
The Sieve Analysis
Sieve analysis on formation samples in preparation for a gravel pack design should be
formed on only material that is thought to be representative of the zone to be packed. It
is up to the analyst to use of discard any portions that, in his opinion, are not
representative or for other reasons do not justify consideration in the sieve analysis.
A typical sieve analysis procedure consists of the following 7 steps:
1. Composite sample is spread in conical pile on a suitable work surface

2. The pile is quartered with a spatula and two opposite portions selected
and combined for analysis
3. Similar divisions are made until a sample of approx 50 grams is
achieved.

Sand Control Theory
4. The sample is cleaned of hydrocarbons using acetone, naptha, and acetone flushes
5. Sample put into top of a standard sieve stack and shaken for 30 minutes to separate particles into
size ranges
6. Contents of each sieve emptied onto paper and weighed
7. Graph prepared by plotting cumulative percent points vs sieve sizes as shown in Figure 2.8
Figure 2.8

Sand Control Theory
There are several numerical measurements which can be used to characterize the size of the sand grains and their
degree of sorting. A measure of the median sand grain size is d50 defined as the diameter corresponding to the 50th
percentile. The d50 is read directly from the cumulative weight fraction plot obtained from the sieve analysis
(Figure 2.8).
Uniformity coefficient is a term which refers to the uniformity of the sand. A sand which includes grain sizes
contained in a narrow range (small standard deviation) is considered to be well sorted.
From Figure 2.8 The uniformity coefficient for the sample sand is calculated :
Uc = d 40 = .122 mm = 1.4186
____ ________
d 90 .086 mm
The sorting coefficient and % of fines are also used to aid in the determination of the best sand control method as
seen in the table below:
Sorting Coefficient Uniformity Coefficient % Fines Recommended Method

D10/d95 D40/d90 <44µm
Stand Alone Screens WWS /

Prepack / PoroMax® /
< 10 <3 <2
PetroGuard™ Mesh /
PetroGuard™ Wrap
Stand Alone Screens PoroMax /

< 10 <5 <5
PetroGuard Mesh
Gravel pack, PoroFlex®, or

PetroGuard™ Advanced Mesh
< 20 <5 <5
(formation should have few
streaks or laminations)
Gravel pack (consider allowing

< 20 <5 < 10
fines to pass)
Frac pack (move interface away

> 20 >5 > 10
from wellbore)
Today the particle size analyzer (PSA) provides an alternative method for determination of sand size
characteristics. The PSA works using a photo light detector which measures how much light is blocked by
particles. It translates these light measurements to create a similar plot to Figure 2.8.

Sand Control Theory
Clay Content and Formation Sensitivity
Clay minerals create major problems in designing treatments for many formations, especially ones that are
unconsolidated to begin with. Clay particles can fill pore spaces, line flow channels and block hydrocarbon
production. A particularly aggravating behavior of clays is not that they themselves block permeability, but that
they can swell in the presence of low salinity water and force the release of vast amounts of adjacent fines (325 US
mesh or smaller) such as silica, feldspars, calcite, and other non-selling clays. The migration of clays and fines
cannot be halted by gravel packing, even using 100 mesh pack sand. When a large amount of fines invade a gravel
pack its high permeability plummets to near zero.
Figure 6.11 shows this phenomenon in a typical Gulf Coast Miocene sand exposed to brine of decreasing Na brine
concentration.
Fresh water damage to a typical sand from East Bay,

offshore Louisiana decreases as sodium content
increases. Note severe effects of bay water, which
varies from 0 to less than 3% NaCl.
Clays are crystalline solids. They are inorganic block

polymers usually consisting of two or three layers. The
layers commonly encountered are cirstobalite (a form
of silica), a form of alumina and a form of magnesia.
An example of a two layer clay is kaolinite. Kaolinite,

commonly known as “China Clay” is one of the clays
most frequently found in oil and gas producing
formations. Kaolinite, for practical purposes, is a non-
swelling clay. However, it is an important component in migrating fines.
A three layer clay mineral is pryophylite a non-swelling talc like clay.
However, clays are rarely found in their pure state. Ions within the clay structure often exchange to form other
swellable clay compounds.
It is important in the analysis of a formation sample for a sand control recommendation to determine the overall
mineralogy of the sample separately to the mineralogy of the portion considered fines because:
1) The designer will better understand the degree of water and brine sensitivity of the zone to be
treated and better plan the workover treatment to minimize damage.
2) By precise identification of the clays and fines material present the designer may more accurately
select acids and stabilizing chemicals which will be effective and long lasting.
3) Many times the presence of minerals not normally found in oil bearing sands, such as Barite, tell
the analyst that the sample has probably been contaminated with mud solids, and is not entirely
representative of the formation.
Several instruments and tests which can aid the investigator in acquiring more knowledge about the mineralogy
are:
• X-ray diffraction
• Immersion Testing
• Capillary Suction Time Tester (CST Tester)
• Permeability Testing

Sand Control Theory
Sand Control Method Selection Guide
Sand Control Method Favorable Conditions Unfavorable Conditions Risks
Slurry Pack High Permeability Low permeability Insufficient blank

Undamaged wells Near or deep well bore coverage when top of sand
damage falls due to de-hydration.
High Rate Water Pack Highly deviated or Thin bed laminated Fines cutting screen when
horizontal wells reservoirs Multiple circulating at high rates
Near well bore damage producing intervals Very and large volumes.
High permeability long intervals
formations Thin, well Wells with deep formation
defined intervals damage
Frac-Pack Wells with deep Producing formation is Incomplete pack around

formation damage close to water screen, if there is a mixture
resulting from drilling or Thin oil layer with gas cap of high and low perm
production Undamaged, high sections within a given
Friable formations that permeability wells zone.
will produce sand at high Highly deviated well High Pressure collapsing
draw down pressures bores equipment.
Reservoir with thin Extremely long perforated
laminated layers intervals
Low permeability
formations where
stimulation is required
Stand alone screens Well sorted formation Non-uniform sand sizes Plugging of screens if
sand with large grain sizes High production rates may fines are mobile
Uniformity coefficient < 3 jet screens at perforations
and cause hotspots and
erosion
Expandable Screens Well sorted formation Non-uniform sand sizes Plugging of screens if
sand with large grain sizes High production rates may fines are mobile.
Uniformity coefficient <= jet screens at perforations Formation Sloughing,
5 and cause hotspots and preventing full expansion.
Cased hole functionality erosion Water production
(ID) is required in open collapsing screens.
hole Shale swelling collapsing
Open bore hole requires screens.
stabilization Loss of well if problem in
one area of zone.
Difficult intervention.
Resin consolidation Short intervals - 10-15ft Long production intervals Plugging of formation or
interval lengths Variable permeability loss of permeability
Uniform permeability Resins are clay sensitive
Subject to deterioration

Sand Control Theory
with time
Open hole horizontal Formation robust enough Production zones broken Water coning or
gravel pack to resist hole collapse by reactive shale intervals breakthrough.
Thin formations (<200ft Wells where zonal Formation Sloughing
thickness) isolation is required creating hot spots.
Highly productive Water production
reservoirs with limited mobilizing fines.
available pressure Shale swelling preventing
drawdown due to: complete pack.
Water/oil contact Loss of well if problem in
Water/gas contact one area of zone.
Gas/Oil contact Difficult intervention.
Very viscous oil
Mobile formation
particles
Large areal extent
reservoirs
Naturally fractured
formations
Low permeability
homogenous reservoirs
Extended reach well paths

Sand Control Theory
Slotted Liners
Slotted liners, although very commonly used several years ago, are not often used in modern sand control
completions. Slotted liners have been manufactured in a number of ways. The simplest is made of oilfield tubular
goods which has been slotted with a precision saw or mill. Typical configurations are shown in Figure 1.17. Some
have slots cut circumferentially, although this practice weakens the tubing in tension. Mill-slotted liners afford
strength and good service economically. They are particularly well suited to water wells and are used to a very
limited extent in oil and gas wells. This is particularly true as the industry progresses to smaller and smaller pack
sand sizes. The gauge
openings are determined by
the size of the vertical slots,
square cut in the pipe. These
gauge openings are
economically restricted to a
minimum slot width of about
0.020 inches. Total inlet area
is governed by the size and
number of slots in a given
diameter and length of pipe.
The slotted pipe has a number of severe limitations on its application in oil and
gas producing wells. They often cause restrictions on effective inlet area because
excessive slots to achieve the required inlet area severely damage the strength of
the pipe. They also have a tendency to plug quickly as sand builds up and blocks
the slot open area. Basically, slotted pipe is not recommended for use in oil and
gas wells. The user should not expect the inlet area and corrosion resistance
afforded by wire wrap screens. If slotted pipe is used, the slots should be
machined or sawed to a width equal to or less than the diameter of the smallest
pack sand grains.
Wire Wrapped Screens
A more commonly used screening device used in the mechanical methods of sand
control is the wire wrapped screen, shown in figure 1.18.
Wire wrap screens are manufactured by wrapping wire around a specially

constructed mandrel. The mandrel is made of standard oil field tubular goods
which have been drilled or slotted. In order to provide maximum flow area,
spacing or stand off should be provided between the mandrel and the wire wrap.
This stand off is created by rib wires that are run longitudinally down the outside
of the pipe.

Sand Control Theory
The wrap wire is typically 316L stainless material. Inconel 825 can also be used for corrosive environments. The
wrap wire may be square or it may be a keystone (or triangular) cross section.
The keystone shaped wire is always wrapped with the smaller dimension toward the mandrel which results in a
lesser tendency for the gap between the wires to clog since there will be minimum contact are between the wire and
the particle.
The size of the gaps between the wrap wires is called the gauge of the screen. This gauge determines the filtration
capacity of the screen. The gauge or gap width is measured in thousandths of an inch. For a screen that is called 6
gauge, the gap width between the wrap wire is 0.006”.
Stand Alone Screen Application Open Hole Gravel Pack Application
Dmin.
Illustration of Screen Gauge in Gravel Pack Application

Sand Control Theory
The screen gauge is set up to provide an interference with the smallest of the gravel pack proppant or sand grains.
If wire wrap screens are used as a stand alone down hole filter the size of the gap is usually sized to match the D10
size of the formation sand.
When wire wrap screens are used as part of a gravel pack to determine the recommended largest nominal gauge
size (inches) a manufacturing tolerance of 0.001” and a 0.004” interference are subtracted from the minimum grain
size. For example:
For 20 Mesh Sand Minimum grain size = 0.0331”

0.0331” – 0.001” (manufacturing tolerance) – 0.004” interference = 0.0281” or 0.028.
For 30 Mesh Sand Minimum grain size = 0.0232”

0.0232” – 0.001” (manufacturing tolerance) – 0.004” interference = 0.0182” or 0.018
A table showing a summary of common gravel sand / proppant sizes can be found in the back section of the Sand
Control Solutions catalog.

Sand Control Theory
Single Wire Wrap Screen
Single Wire Wrap screens is the original design where wire is wrapped around the longitudinal rib wires to form a
screen jacket. This jacket is then slipped over the perforated base pipe and welded at each end to hold the jacket in
place. A schematic of this screen construction is shown below.
WWS – Jacket type screen

• Continuous slot screen is manufactured by wrapping a shaped wire around longitudinal rods (ribs).
• The wire and rod are joined by resistance welding.
• Screen sections can be up to 30ft long.
• Jacket is slipped over prepared base-pipe and attached by welding each end.
Wrap Wirere Rib Wires
End Ringe
Gaugee Perforated Base
PetroguardTM Wrap on Pipe Screen

The method of manufacturing which causes the base-pipe to be turned while the wrap wire is fed along its length.
Once the screen is complete the cooling of the heat generated in the manufacturing process causes the wires to
“shrink” and bond tightly to the pipe.
• Wrapped directly onto the perforated basepipe, rather than being formed as a jacket and slipped on.
• Longitudinal rods provide stand-off between basepipe and wrapped wire.

Sand Control Theory
Pre-Packed Screens
Experiencing difficulty in gravel packing, particularly in highly deviated wells drove the design of the Pre-Pack
screen. A screen made by many of the major screen manufacturers to a more or less universal design.
Easy method for placing gravel pack in well
Gravel pack media may be re-sieved sand, man-made proppant, wire

mesh, fibers or other filtering medium
Provides back up “insurance” in wells which are difficult to gravel pack
This screen would be an insurance policy for incomplete or failed gravel

packs by providing a layer of the gravel pack sand sandwiched between
two layers of screen. This layer of sand would act as the gravel pack in
instances when a void occurred in a gravel packed interval.
The sand is the actual filter and is sized to control particulates while the
screens were sized to simply hold back the pre-pack sand as well as the
gravel pack sand which is normally the same distribution size. The
annulus between the inner and outer screens (or outer perforated pipe) is
filled packed with epoxy coated pack sand. The resin coated sand is cured
at 200F to bond the sand grains together.
There are three types of pre-packed screens.
Dual Screen Pre-Pack Screen

The first and oldest method is a dual screen pipe based pre-pack in figure
1.19. This dual screen provides built-in sand control and can be used when
gravel packing is not feasible. Its design is also ideal for horizontal wells
with a build rate greater than 15 degrees.
Perforated Pre-Pack Screen
The pipe-based pre-pack is similar to the dual screen pre-pack in that its
function is the same but the outer screen is replaced by a more robust
perforated pipe. This allows placement of the screen in directional wells
where the outer screen might be damaged during run-in.

Sand Control Theory
Low Profile Pre-Pack Screen
The small OD pre-pack was designed in an effort to give the operator

his desired ‘6” ID in a 5” OD pipe’. While we can’t get there, we can
supply him with a smaller OD than the dual screen pre-pack on the
same size base-pipe.
The inner screen is made up of a very small wire with the function of
holding back the pre-pack media from entering the production tubing
while the pre-pack is sized for the formation and the outer screen is
the more robust heavy wire wrap.
Halliburton was the first on the scene with this design known as the
Low-Profile Pre-Pack and later the Enhanced Low-Profile Pre-Pack
with the annulus sized with minimal sand depth while still
maintaining effective sand control.
This is still the most popular pre-pack screen design in use.
Mesh Screens
Woven mesh often provides better performance than wire-wrapped screen in unconsolidated formations. This is
especially true when it comes to filtering a high percentage of fines and in formations with more poorly sorted
sands.
PetroguardTM Mesh Screen
For sand control applications where a more efficient filtration media is required, the Petroguard
Mesh Screen provides effective solids filtration in a shrouded, non-bonded mesh screen.
The unique construction of Petroguard Mesh screen optimizes the inflow area and filtration
efficiency to provide superior sand control completion performance.
The Petroguard Mesh screen consists of a perforated base pipe and a non-bonded mesh filter
cartridge. The perforated outer shroud protects the mesh filter during deployment. The inner wire
wrapped drainage layer provides mesh stability and allows flow efficiency into the basepipe.
Features:
• Dimpled shroud
• Crimped End Rings
• Wire-wrapped inner drainage layer

Sand Control Theory
Poromax Screens
Combining the global gravel pack experience of Halliburton

with the recognized filtration technology of Purolator,
PoroMax screen is a premium shrouded, sintered laminate
screen product, engineered for optimum inflow area. These
screens retain the toughness of the highly successful original
PoroPlus® screen making them suitable for installations
with an extended reach and/or long open hole and for
installation through a casing window (such as for
multilateral completions), with or without centralization.
Features:
• 3166 Stainless steel or Alloy 20 wire mesh filter media
• 125 and 250 – micron filtration standard; other rating options are available
With substantially improved dirt-holding capacity and pressure drop performance due to the improved inflow
design, PoroMax screens are also suitable for high-flow applications. They can perform as a standalone or back-up
means of sand control in horizontal openhole completions, the most common application, or they can be used with
vertical/deviated gravel pack or FracPac™ applications.
Due to a proprietary sintering process, PoroMax sand control screens do not deform under extreme pressures.
• Increased Flow Potential and Remedial Options

The PoroMax screen design provides a low-profile screen–approximately 1⁄2" larger than the outside
diameter of the base pipe. This feature allows for a larger diameter base pipe than pre-packed screens
allow. This design is preferred when maximum ID/OD ratios for gravel packing are required
• Superior Plugging Resistance:

The filter mesh was selected because of its superior contaminant capacity and erosion resistance. The
PoroPlate filter medium captures the desired formation particles on the outer surface of the screen. The
finer contaminants pass through the coarse downstream mesh layers.
The low-profile open area of the outer

protective shroud plus increased annular space
increases the erosion resistance of the PoroMax
Screen vs. the standard PoroPlus screen.
Utilizing the same PoroPlus media as the
PoroPlus screen, PoroMax screens offer
superior erosion control coupled with improved
filtration capabilities.

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SAND CONTROL TRAINING MANUAL

I Sand Control Theory

II Gravel Pack Design

III Standard Gravel Pack Tools

IV Sand Control Job Design

V Sand Control Job Processes

VI Gravel Pack Calculations

1. Know the definition of :

2. What are the reasons or causes of sand production?

Sand Control Theory

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 1 Sand Control Student Manual

Perforated Pre-Pack Screen ....................................................................................................................43

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 2 Sand Control Student Manual

Sand Control Theory

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 3 Sand Control Student Manual

Sand Control Theory

How Much of A Problem is Sand Production?

What is Sand Control?

Sand control is the methods and / or techniques used to :

1) totally prevent the undesirable production of formation sand and

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 4 Sand Control Student Manual

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 5 Sand Control Student Manual

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 6 Sand Control Student Manual

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 7 Sand Control Student Manual

Basic Types of Sandstone Formations

Well consolidated sandstone formations will:

Friable sandstone formations (semi-competent sands) will:

Partially consolidated sandstone formations will:

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 8 Sand Control Student Manual

Totally unconsolidated sandstone formations will:

Characteristics of Cementitious Materials

Silts and Clays

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 9 Sand Control Student Manual

Reasons for Sand Production

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 10 Sand Control Student Manual

Improper Well Completion Practices

Why is Sand Production Undesirable?

• Safety and Well Control

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 11 Sand Control Student Manual

When Should Sand Control Be Initiated

Delay in initiating sand control

Studies have shown that sandstone formation failures

Grain by Grain movement away from the formation face

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 12 Sand Control Student Manual

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 13 Sand Control Student Manual

Predicting Sand Production

There are two problems with using these characteristics that

1) The reservoir characteristics are not constant

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 14 Sand Control Student Manual

• Experience in the area

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 15 Sand Control Student Manual

Detecting and Monitoring Sand

The erosion caused by production of formation sand can be

There are several methods that can be used to monitor sand

The Wellhead Shakeout Test is an occasional test run on a

Sand Traps are separators placed in the production lines that

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 16 Sand Control Student Manual

Copyright © 2010, Halliburton 17 Sand Control Student Manual

Sonic detectors such as the Sand Probes manufactured under

When sand in the flow strikes the probe it will generate an