Understanding AICD Gravel Packing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Pedroso ◽  
Kesavan Govinathan ◽  
Ian Mickelburgh ◽  
Philip Wassouf ◽  
Carolina Latini
Keyword(s):  
Success Rates ◽  
Job Evaluation ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Potential Alternative ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Alternative Scenarios ◽  
Gravel Packing ◽  
Job Simulation ◽  
Gravel Pack

Abstract In recent years, it has become common practice for operating companies to make a significant effort in the planning of gravel pack installations, especially in their most important wells. Typically, the placement of the gravel pack is accurately modelled, and multiple contingencies developed for potential alternative scenarios to reduce the overall risk of execution. After the pack has been placed, the use of down-hole gauge data enables the gravel pack to be fully evaluated in order to confirm success and investigate any issues or failures. This understanding feeds into improved designs and ever higher success rates for future completions. The most challenging gravel packs Operators are installing today are those placed in long horizontal open holes, around screens fitted with Inflow Control Devices (ICDs) or Autonomous Inflow Control Devices (AICDs). Simulating gravel pack placement in wells such as these requires the effective modelling of unusually dynamic and complex flow paths. Until recently, no simulator could adequately model these treatments. Most jobs have also been done without the downhole gauges necessary for a complete job evaluation, which has resulted in a lack of data for job evaluation and understanding. Consequently, completions requiring the pack to be placed around ICD/AICD screen assemblies have, until recently, been done without the assurance of pre-job gravel pack placement modelling. The lack of an adequate simulator has also meant that, even on these complex and valuable wells, Operators have been restricted to simple volumetric evaluation of their success. With no way to understand actual packing mechanisms or investigate root causes of failures, the assumptions made on how packing occurs in these complex wells have remained unconfirmed. Recent evolution of gravel pack simulators has made the effective pre-job simulation, and post-job evaluation, of gravel packs placed around ICD/AICDs a reality. This paper presents the results of the first evaluation of a multi-proppant deep water horizontal alpha beta gravel pack around AICD screens. It facilitates the understanding of how such gravel packs are placed, validates the packing efficiencies, and illustrates the benefits of using multiple gravels for packing.

Autonomous Inflow-Control Devices Boost Production While Managing Sand

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 71-72
Author(s):  
Chris Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Oil Reservoir ◽  
Oil Viscosity ◽  
Alpha Wave ◽  
Offshore Technology ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Heavy Oil Reservoir ◽  
Gravel Packing ◽  
Gravel Pack

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 30403, “Sand Production Management While Increasing Oil Production of a Gravel-Packed Well Equipped With Rate-Controlled-Production Autonomous Inflow-Control Devices in a Thin Heavy-Oil Reservoir Offshore China,” by Shuquan Xiong, Fan Li, and Congda Wei, CNOOC, et al., prepared for the 2020 Offshore Technology Conference Asia, originally scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur, 2–6 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2020 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. A 2018 infill development campaign for a horizontal well offshore China targeted improved production through the installation of autonomous inflow-control devices (AICDs). However, because the well requires gravel packing to manage the sand, the integration of AICDs and the gravel pack was an issue. An integrated work flow was followed to deliver the AICD application successfully in an offshore heavy-oil reservoir with major uncertainties in remaining oil thickness and water/oil contacts. AICD completions ensured balanced contribution from all reservoir sections and limited water production significantly while the gravel pack kept the valves safe from the effects of sand. Field Description The field is a low-amplitude fault anticline oil field developed on the basement uplift. The structure is relatively gentle (Fig. 1). The reservoir lithology is mainly feldspathic quartz sandstone, with an average porosity of 22%, an average permeability of 397 md, a reservoir pressure coefficient of 1, an oil density of 0.92 g/cm3, and crude oil viscosity of 150 cp. The current methodology for gravel packing with ICDs/AICDs in the well uses a multiple alpha-wave technique whereby at least one conventional standalone screen joint is deployed at the toe of the well to provide a return path during the buildup of the alpha wave. The flow rate is reduced progressively to maximize the dune weight until screenout is observed. Once the gravel-packing operation is complete, the standalone-screen section at the toe is isolated before the well is placed on production. This technique does not allow a complete pack to be achieved and will allow more gravel to build up around the zonal isolation packers. This methodology is most applicable in unconsolidated sands with high net-to-gross reservoirs where borehole collapse will occur early in well life. One technique to provide sufficient flow path through the screen assembly is to integrate sliding sleeves into each screen joint. However, in long lateral wellbores, this may be prohibitively expensive and requires multiple manual manipulations as the wash pipe is retrieved. The use of a temporary bypass valve is recommended to enable standard gravel-packing operations to be performed with ICDs without significant additional cost, complexity, or compromise. The dissolvable material is used with a valve located within the ICD/AICD housing to provide a high-flow-area path from the annulus to the tubing during completion operations.

Practical Optimization of Industrial Gravel Size in Gravel Packed Well

2011 ◽  
Vol 201-203 ◽  
pp. 383-387
Author(s):  
Jin Gen Deng ◽  
Yu Chen ◽  
Li Hua Wang ◽  
Wen Long Zhao ◽  
Ping Li
Keyword(s):  
Design Method ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Control Effect ◽  
Gravel Layer ◽  
Gravel Size ◽  
Sand Control ◽  
Gravel Packing ◽  
Gravel Pack ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Computing Method

In the design of gravel packing sand control, the reasonable selection of gravel size is one of the keys to implementing sand control measures successfully. Aiming at the defects of commonly used methods of gravel size design and the characteristic that the gravel used in field operation is actually a mixture of gravel with multiple grain diameters, this paper builds a model of pore structure in gravel layer through researching the gravel pack structure caused by the gravel of two grain diameters mixed under actual packing conditions, calculates and analyzes the pore sizes in gravel layer. Ultimately, based on Saucier method, this paper presents a new gravel size optimization idea for gravel packing sand control with multiple grain diameters mixed, which agrees with the actual situation of industrial gravel, and gives the idea’s computing method. Considering the ideality of the model in this paper, the author has modified the computing method to make it more fit for the actual packing situation. This gravel size design method also gives consideration to the impact of formation sand uniformity on sand control effect, so it have the characteristics of good practicability, wide applicability and more accurate than other conventional methods.

Scaling Roughness Effects on Pressure Loss and Heat Transfer of Additively Manufactured Channels

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Curtis K. Stimpson ◽  
Jacob C. Snyder ◽  
Karen A. Thole ◽  
Dominic Mongillo
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Metal Powder ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Roughness Effects ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Flow And Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
High Temperature Components ◽  
Small Channels

Additive manufacturing (AM) with metal powder has made possible the fabrication of gas turbine components with small and complex flow paths that cannot be achieved with any other manufacturing technology presently available. The increased design space of AM allows turbine designers to develop advanced cooling schemes in high temperature components to increase cooling efficiency. Inherent in AM with metals is the large surface roughness that cannot be removed from small internal geometries. Such roughness has been shown in previous studies to significantly augment pressure loss and heat transfer of small channels. However, the roughness on these channels or other surfaces made from AM with metal powder has not been thoroughly characterized for scaling pressure loss and heat transfer data. This study examines the roughness of the surfaces of channels of various hydraulic length scales made with direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). Statistical roughness parameters are presented along with other parameters that others have found to correlate with flow and heat transfer. The pressure loss and heat transfer previously reported for the DMLS channels studied in this work are compared to the physical roughness measurements. Results show that the relative arithmetic mean roughness correlates well with the relative equivalent sand grain roughness. A correlation is presented to predict the Nusselt number of flow through AM channels which gives better predictions of heat transfer than correlations currently available.

scholarly journals Analysis of Shunted Screen Gravel Pack Process and Calculation of Friction in Deepwater Horizontal Wells

Geofluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Fei Xu ◽  
Shengtian Zhou ◽  
Chong Zhang ◽  
Yi Yu ◽  
Zhao Dong
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Gauge ◽  
Calculation Model ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Carrier Fluid ◽  
Fracture Pressure ◽  
Open Hole ◽  
Packing Process ◽  
Gravel Packing ◽  
Gravel Pack

Shunted screen gravel packing is a kind of technology which is difficult to complete gravel packing with the conventional method in low fracture pressure formation and long wellbore length condition. According to the characteristics of LS 17-2 deepwater gas field, the shunted screen packing tool was designed and the gravel packing process and packing mechanism were analyzed. The variation law of the flow friction, flow rate distribution in multichannel, and other parameters of the shunted screen gravel packing were analyzed and calculated. The friction calculation model of different stages of gravel packing was established. A gravel packing simulation software was developed to simulate the friction in different stages of shunted screen gravel packing. The parameters such as sand-dune ratio, pumping sand amount, packing length, and packing time in the process of packing were also calculated. In deepwater horizontal well gravel packing, the results show that the friction ratio of the string is the largest in the stage of injection and α-wave packing. While the friction increases rapidly in the stage of β-wave packing because the carrier fluid needs to flow through the long and narrow washpipe/screen annulus. Particularly when the β-wave packing is near the beginning of the open hole, the packing pressure reaches the maximum. The calculated results are in good agreement with the measured results of the downhole pressure gauge. The model and software can provide technical support for the prediction and optimization of gravel packing parameters in the future.

Experimental Study of the Dynamic Permeability in Two-Stage Gravel Packs Considering Particle Blockage and Remigration

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minhui Qi ◽  
Mingzhong Li ◽  
Tiankui Guo ◽  
Yuan Li ◽  
Yanchao Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Silty Sand ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Permeability Characteristics ◽  
Gravel Bed ◽  
Dynamic Permeability ◽  
Gravel Size ◽  
Pore Blockage ◽  
Gravel Packing ◽  
Gravel Pack

Abstract The two-stage gravel-packing technique has been widely adopted in the development of unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs with high sanding rates and silt contents. Compared with the traditional gravel-packing operation, the lifespan and long-term conductivity of the two-stage gravel pack improve significantly. In the present study, an experimental study was undertaken to determine the dynamic permeability change of two-stage gravel packs during sand production. Thirty-nine groups of flooding tests were carried out with various experimental settings, and the pressure drop of each section (i.e., the sanding section, gravel bed I, and gravel bed II) was monitored dynamically during flooding. The permeability characteristics of each section were used to determine the mechanisms of sanding, pore blockage, and particle remigration under different packing arrangements. Using the proposed experimental setup, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to study the parameters that may affect the permeability of the sand pack, such as the two-stage gravel size, packing length, flooding rate, and silty sand content. Based on the observed permeability recovery phenomena in gravel bed I during the experiments, a dynamic permeability prediction model considering the remigration of deposited particles was proposed. Compared with the traditional deep-bed filtration model and the experimental results, the verification showed that the new model is more suitable for predicting the dynamic permeability of two-stage gravel packs.

Scaling Roughness Effects on Pressure Loss and Heat Transfer of Additively Manufactured Channels

2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Curtis K. Stimpson ◽  
Jacob C. Snyder ◽  
Karen A. Thole ◽  
Dominic Mongillo
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Metal Powder ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Roughness Effects ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Flow And Heat Transfer ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
High Temperature Components ◽  
Small Channels

Additive manufacturing (AM) with metal powder has made possible the fabrication of gas turbine components with small and complex flow paths that cannot be achieved with any other manufacturing technology presently available. The increased design space of AM allows turbine designers to develop advanced cooling schemes in high-temperature components to increase cooling efficiency. Inherent in AM with metals is the large surface roughness that cannot be removed from small internal geometries. Such roughness has been shown in previous studies to significantly augment pressure loss and heat transfer of small channels. However, the roughness on these channels or other surfaces made from AM with metal powder has not been thoroughly characterized for scaling pressure loss and heat transfer data. This study examines the roughness of the surfaces of channels of various hydraulic length scales made with direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). Statistical roughness parameters are presented along with other parameters that others have found to correlate with flow and heat transfer. The pressure loss and heat transfer previously reported for the DMLS channels studied in this work are compared to the physical roughness measurements. Results show that the relative arithmetic mean roughness correlates well with the relative equivalent sand grain roughness. A correlation is presented to predict the Nusselt number of flow through AM channels, which gives better predictions of heat transfer than correlations currently available.

Maintaining Production of Frac-Packed Wells by Inhibiting Scale Buildup and Fines Migration

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.. Liang ◽  
L.K.. K. Vo ◽  
P.D.. D. Nguyen ◽  
T.W.. W. Green
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Surface Modification ◽  
Scale Formation ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Well Production ◽  
Laboratory Results ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Gravel Pack ◽  
Pack Treatment

Abstract The forming of scale or the migration and intrusion of formation fines and sand into the proppant pack often drastically diminishes the conductivity of frac-packs and propped fractures which can negatively impact well production. This paper describes the development of a new surface modification agent (SMA) that can be applied during frac-packing operations or the remedial treatments of propped fractures or near-wellbore (NWB) formations. Studies were conducted to demonstrate the mechanisms by which this SMA simultaneously inhibits scale formation in the proppant pack while also controlling migration and intrusion of formation sand and fines. Once coated on the proppant as part of hydraulic fracturing, frac-packing, or gravel pack treatment, or when injected into the proppant pack and formation matrix, this SMA forms a thin film on the particulates, covering the fines and anchoring the particulates in place. The SMA coating also forms a hydrophobic film that encapsulates particulate surfaces, inhibiting chemical reactions that lead to scale formation in pack matrix and subsequent productivity loses. Experiments using packed beds of proppant, formation sands, and various fines were performed to simulate proppant pack conditions and formation fines before and after remedial treatments. It was observed that SMA treatments formed only a very thin film, which encapsulated proppant or formation particulates and created cohesion between grains, without plugging pore spaces. Additionally, laboratory results demonstrate that SMA treatments can effectively prevent buildup of scale in various sand packs as well as successfully controlling migration of formation fines into proppant packs to maintain fluid flow paths. In addition to remedial treatments, SMA treatment fluid can be applied while treating formations following a sandstone acidizing treatment, during treatment of formations before a high-rate water pack or frac-pack treatment, or as part of a pad fluid to treat the fracture faces before placement of proppant into a fracture and/or a screen annulus.

An Industry First: Concept Selection, Material Testing, and Modelling Process for a Successful Managed Pressure Open Hole Gravel Pack Project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Cheng Lin ◽  
Andrew G. Tallin ◽  
Xueyong Guan ◽  
Jiten D. Kaura ◽  
Sasha F. Luces ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Loop ◽  
Managed Pressure Drilling ◽  
Transport Velocity ◽  
Probability Of Success ◽  
Open Hole ◽  
Overall Evaluation ◽  
Qualification Testing ◽  
Gravel Packing ◽  
Gravel Pack ◽  
Modelling Process

Abstract One of the major technical challenges to this project was placing horizontal open hole gravel packs (HzOHGP) within the narrow pore pressure to frac-gradient (PPFG) margin in the target reservoirs. This paper addresses the steps taken to overcome this challenge. To maximize the use of the narrow PPFG margin, the project combined a managed pressure drilling (MPD) system with low gravel placement pump rates made possible by an ultra-light-weight proppant (ULWP).  Of the MPD systems available, the Controlled Mud Level (CML) system was selected over the Surface Back Pressure (SBP) system for several reasons. It enabled conventional gravel pack pumping operations and equipment and it accommodated the brine weight needed to inhibit the shales. A series of lab tests showed that the completion fluid density required to inhibit the reservoir shale reactivity was only possible using CML. An overall evaluation of CML showed that it was most suitable and offered the greatest flexibility for the gravel pack job design. The special ceramic ULWP had to be qualified and tested.  The qualification testing ranged from standard API and compatibility tests to full scale flow loop testing. The flow loop tests were needed to measure the ULWP transport velocity for the target wellbore geometry. Understanding the transport velocity is critical for gravel pack design and job execution planning. Once MPD and ceramic ULWP were selected, the gravel pack placement operations were simulated to demonstrate that their features increased the likelihood of successfully gravel packing in the target reservoirs.  Small PPFG margins decrease the probability of success of placing a HzOHGP.  In the target formations, the pressure margin is insufficient to safely execute HzOHGP conventionally; instead, the project combined MPD and the low pump rates facilitated by using ULWP to control circulating pressures to stay inside the narrow margin and place the gravel packs. The integration of CML and ULWP into in a gravel pack operation to control circulating pressures has never been done. The concept and its successful field implementation are industry firsts.

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