Copyright 1999, SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1999 SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling
Technology Conference held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, 810 November 1999.
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Abstract
In January 1999, Petroleum Development Oman installed an
Expandable Sand Screen in the Rahab field. The expandable
sand screen was installed across a newly perforated production
interval in an existing well. The low production potential
precluded the economical installation of an Internal Gravel
Pack across the new interval for mandatory sand exclusion. On
the other hand, the limited production exposure provided an
opportunity to trial a novel, potentially more economical,
alternative to gravel packing. The opportunity was therefore
taken to trial an expandable sand screen. This trial is the first
application of an expandable sand screen in a producing well.
The installation of the expandable sand screen proceeded
smoothly. The sand exclusion performance to date has been
exemplary. Production tests show an increase in gross and net
production rate in line with expectations.
Introduction
Downhole sand exclusion is a prevalent issue across the oil
fields in the South of Oman. A large number of the producing
wells are conventionally completed with Internal Gravel Packs
(IGPs). The cost of gravel packing often prevents the
economical development of marginal reserves.
The Rahab field is part of Petroleum Development Oman's
Marmul Asset located in the South of Oman. A well
performance review of the Rahab field was conducted in late
1997. All wells were analysed and several well optimisation
opportunities have been identified. Downhole sand exclusion
is, however, mandatory because the surface facilities are
incapable of handling sand. The low inflow potential rendered
the majority of the identified opportunities uneconomical if
conventional internal gravel packing were used for sand
exclusion. A reliable and uncomplicated installation method
was therefore essential to develop the reserves in an
economical way. In view of the recent development of the
expandable sand screen and its expected simplified installation
and superior performance a trial was pursued.
The objectives of the expandable sand screen trial were
threefold:
1. To develop the reserves
2. To evaluate expandable sand screen technology as a
potential replacement of IGPs (both technically and
economically)
3. To test the expandable sand screen installation
technique
The purpose of this paper is to report on the preliminary
results of the trial.
Expandable Sand Screens
The expandable sand screen is a further development based on
the expandable slotted tubular. An expandable slotted tubular
is produced by cutting an overlapping slot pattern along the
length of a stainless steel tubular. The operation of expansion
is very simply to swage the pipe diameter to a larger size by
passing a tapered mandrel or cone through the inside of the
expandable sand screen.
Construction. The expandable sand screen consists of three
basic layers, see Figure 1:
1. A slotted base pipe structure
2. The filter media
3. An outer protection and encapsulating layer
The slotted base pipe is an expandable slotted tubular. The
filter media used in the expandable sand screen is a woven
metal-wire media specially developed for expandable screens.
The filter media is attached in an overlapping fashion to the
slotted base pipe, such that the dimensional increase of
expansion can be accommodated whilst sand integrity is
maintained. The filter media is sandwiched in position by
an outer protection layer, which is essentially, a micro-
expandable slotted tube formed around the outside of the
sand screen.
SPE/IADC 57565
Trial of an Expandable Sand Screen to Replace Internal Gravel Packing
Mark van Buren and Lon van den Broek, SPE, Petroleum Development Oman, Calum Whitelaw, Petroline Wellsystems
2 M.A. van Buren, L.H.W.M. van den Broek, C. Whitelaw SPE 57565
Screening Media Selection. During development, various
filter media types had been evaluated in laboratory tests by the
expandable sand screen vendor, with the final selection being
a woven metal wire cloth.
The final selection was based on overall good results of
flow tests, when compared with micro-slotted plate and
sintered metal membrane alternatives [1].
Qualification Testing. Up until the stage of this field trial, the
concept of expansion - of an expandable sand screen with a
woven metal-wire cloth of the type now standard had only
ever been carried out on fairly short test sections (less than one
meter) in the screen suppliers development premises.
The woven metal wire cloth had only just been qualified
and it was therefore felt prudent to expand a more sizeable
length of screen prior to the trial installation of a complete
joint in the Rahab field. The test was conducted in December
1998 at a test rig facility, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen.
Using the same base pipe size (5-1/2) and 230micron
filter weave as that intended for the production trial, a 15ft
expandable sand screen pup was expanded under worst case
conditions of being dry, i.e., no lubrication.
The purpose of this pre-job test was (1) to monitor the
expansion forces required to expand, (2) to asses the effects of
varying the speed of expansion (if any), (3) to build up
confidence in consistency by expanding over a larger length,
(4) to visually examine the filter media for any signs of
degradation or damage following expansion. The test would
also serve to highlight any manufacturing deficiencies.
The test went very well with normal expansion loads being
noted. The speed of expansion was varied half way through
the joint with no significant effect on the expansion load or the
expansion results. The weave was examined following the
test. No tearing of the weave was evident and no gaps in the
overlaps had appeared.
This test gave notable confidence to take the technology to
the next trial stage in Oman.
Petroleum Engineering
Rahab Field. The Rahab Field (discovered in 1977, on-stream
in 1981) is located on the Eastern flank of the South Oman
Salt Basin, some 20 km south west of the Marmul field in the
South of the Sultanate of Oman. The field is a simple domal
structure with a collapsed crestal area at the Gharif and Al
Khlata levels, the main producing sand stone reservoirs. The
base Nahr Umr unconformity provides the top seal for the
Gharif. The Gharif is sub-divided into the Upper, Middle,
Lower unit-1, Lower unit-2. A North to South trending
channel system which shales out towards the east and west
forms the Middle Gharif reservoir, over which the expandable
sand screen was installed. This reservoir produces primarily
under depletion drive with little aquifer support. The reservoir
and fluid properties of the Middle Gharif are tabulated in
Table 1.
A total of 25 vertical production wells have been drilled on
Rahab. Currently 21 wells produce some 207 m3/day of oil
with an 81 % watercut (1080 m3/day gross). Four wells are
closed-in or abandoned. The low potentials are attributed to a
combination of locally poor reservoir development, limited
lateral sand continuity in the Gharif reservoirs, and severe
reservoir pressure depletion.
The majority of wells in the Rahab field is completed with
gravel packs (internal and external) and is produced
commingled from two or four zones. Artificial lift, provided
by beam pumps, is required due to the depleted nature of the
reservoirs. Based on production splits, the Middle Gharif
currently produces around 21 m3/day of oil from six wells.
Candidate Well Selection. The Rahab well selection for the
trial expandable sand screen installation was based on the
following:
Sand exclusion requirement
Low expected inflow potential from zone of interest
thereby mitigating production loss for the asset team
in case of failure
The benefit of a simpler completion design in view of
an existing production packer close to the zone of
interest
Stable production rate from pre-existing bottom zones
would allow determination of production contribution
from zone of interest
The expandable sand screen would be installed across a
newly perforated production interval in the Middle Gharif
reservoir. The new production interval lies above two deeper
pre-existing production intervals, which have been completed
with internal gravel packs.
Sand Control Requirements. The Gharif reservoir units are
prone to sand failure and hence require sand control. The
sandstone is unconsolidated and friable as confirmed by sonic
transit times in excess of 310 sec/ft, a historical and typical
indicator of the high propensity for sand production. Secondly,
failed gravel packs demonstrated the Gharif sand units to be
capable of sustained sand production. Based on this sand
production potential and the fact that the artificial lift
equipment and surface handling facilities are not sand tolerant,
downhole sand exclusion is required.
Screen Aperture Sizing. The screen aperture size of 235
micron was based on the results of a core study performed on
a Middle Gharif core cut in a nearby Rahab well. The
dominant grain size varies between 80 and 420 micron but the
distribution shows the majority of grain sizes to be between
125 and 250 micron.
The close proximity of the zone of interest to the top of the
IGP packer prevented the use of underbalanced perforating in
order to clean the perforation tunnels. The aperture size of the
screen was checked to allow flowback of the perforation
debris through the screen.
SPE 57565 Trial of an Expandable Sand Screen to Replace Internal Gravel Packing 3
Inflow Performance. An expandable sand screen has a larger
effective wellbore radius than an IGP because no annulus is
required to accommodate the gravel pack. In addition to the
theoretical increase in productivity due to a larger effective
wellbore radius, productivity will also be higher because of
elimination of the pressure drop incurred when flowing
through the gravel pack.
Inflow calculations indicate only a 2% increase in
productivity when compared to an IGP because of the high
permeability of clean gravel. In practice, the migration of
perforating debris and formation fines into the gravel causes a
substantial reduction in permeability. Obviously, by omitting
the annulus packed with gravel, this phenomenon can be
avoided.
The installation of a wire wrapped screen straddle has also
been considered as an alternative to gravel packing. The
advantage of this sand exclusion method is the relatively
simple installation and favorable cost. However, from
previous experience it is known that this type of completion
suffers a far greater decline in productivity than is normally
seen with gravel packing. The reason behind this greater
decline is believed to be the influx of formation sand in the
casing / wire wrapped screen annulus. The porosity and
permeability of this sand influx pack is considerably smaller
compared to a carefully placed gravel pack due to the larger
variance in shape and size distribution of the formation sand.
One area of concern associated with the expandable sand
screen installation is the fact that the perforation tunnels are
not stabilised by pre-packing. The potential exists that during
the production phase the tunnel collapses, in particular when
water breakthrough occurs. The subsequent movement of rock
material may close off perforations and/or screen thereby
reducing the productivity of the well. Although pre-packing of
the perforations can be combined with the installation of an
expandable sand screen, it would diminish the potential for
cost savings.
Perforation Gun Selection. Big hole / gravel pack perforating
charges at 12 shots per foot with a 45 degree phasing were
selected for the perforating guns. Although from a rock
mechanical stability point of view (i.e., less sand production)
smaller hole entry diameters are preferred, the additional
inflow area (3.5 times) outweighed the potential for additional
rock failure.
The design of the expandable sand screen creates an
overlap between the perforations and its expanded slotted base
pipe as depicted in Figure 2. In order to maximise production,
the inflow area has to be maximised by minimizing this
overlap. The 45-degree perforating shot phasing was selected
as the optimal shot pattern for reducing the overlap between
the expanded slotted base pipe and the perforation holes. To
further minimise this risk, the zone of interest was perforated
twice.
Completion Design
The completion design consists of three main components, see
Figure 3:
1. Production Packer
2. Expandable Sand Screen
3. Snap Latch Seal Assembly
The production packer retains the expandable sand screen
during expansion and provides an additional sand seal during
the production phase.
The expandable sand screen is expanded against the inside
of the 9.5/8" casing across the newly perforated zone to
eliminate the casing / screen annulus. The unexpanded outside
diameter of the expandable sand screen is 5.906". The nominal
inside diameter of the 9.5/8" casing is 8.835". This expansion
ratio is achieved by pushing an expansion cone with a 7.375"
outside diameter through the screen base pipe. The installation
process utilizes so-called surplus expansion to push the screen
against inner wall of the casing. The 7.375" outside diameter
of the expansion cone dictates a minimum acceptable casing
drift of 8.5". The outside diameter of the expansion cone also
makes it necessary to pre-install the cone below the production
packer because of the pass-through restriction of the packer
inside diameter.
The snap latch is required to space out the completion.
This is done because in this case there is no pressure
indication when stabbing into the pre-existing production
packer while circulating.
An extended seal assembly is required to accommodate
both the upward string travel while setting the packer as well
as the slight shortening of the expandable sand screen during
expansion.
Expandable Sand Screen Installation
After scraping of the perforation interval and circulating the
well to clean brine, two TCP runs were performed using big-
hole perforation charges. The newly perforated zone was
scraped again and its gauge established using an 8.5" flat
bottom mill. Subsequently, the perforation tunnels were acid
washed using a wash tool with swab cups.
Next, the expandable sand screen was installed across the
newly perforated zone. The complete installation sequence is
illustrated in Figure 4, which depicts the deployed phase, the
expansion phase, and the installed phase.
Deployment. To expedite the deployment, the expandable
sand screen completion had been partly pre-assembled in a
field workshop. The completion was transported in two parts
due to its overall length. The ESS top connector (including
the pre-installed expansion cone) had been made up to the
production packer. The snap latch seal assembly had been
made up to the bottom of the expandable sand screen. This
arrangement allowed replacement of the expansion cone with
a smaller one in case of undergauge casing.
After on-site assembly, the entire completion was picked
up to the drill floor, latched into the 7" casing elevators, and
lowered in the hole. Next the packer running-tool was made
4 M.A. van Buren, L.H.W.M. van den Broek, C. Whitelaw SPE 57565
up and the completion run in hole on 5" HWDP and 3.1/2"
drillpipe. After spacing out the completion using the snap
latch, the production packer was set and tested.
Expansion. The expansion string used 5" HWDPs on top of
6.1/2" DCs with two 4.3/4" DCs and the expansion mandrel at
the bottom to generate sufficient weight to expand the sand
screen. The 4.3/4" DCs are necessary to pass through the
packer inner-diameter restriction. The mandrel is designed to
catch a ledge inside the pre-installed expansion cone and drive
the cone down. The expansion force was expected to be
approximately 10 kdaN.
During the expansion, the slack-off rate was controlled at
3m/min keeping the expansion force very smooth and fairly
constant at an indicated weight of 10-12 kdaN.
When the expansion cone had bottomed out in the internal
profile, 20 kdaN weight was set down to confirm full
expansion. Subsequently, the expansion string was pulled out
of hole.
Production Results
The production test data, Figures 56, show an initial gross
production increase of 65 m3/day, rapidly dropping to a
sustained 28 m3/day gross after the expandable sand screen
installation. During the workover, brine losses were
encountered. The high initial gross production results from the
back-production of brine that was lost to the formation.
The net oil increase amounts to 8.4 m3/day, in line with
the expectation. The net oil expectation was determined by
simulating the inflow from the interval for the given reservoir
conditions and fluid properties (see Table 1) using an average
permeability of 600mD. The inflow model only accounted for
the perforations and assumed that no sand exclusion had been
installed. Therefore, the agreement between expected and
actual production results after the workover demonstrates that
the perforations have not been closed off.
Although the six months of production data suggest that
the Middle Gharif is contributing well, it is still too early for a
comprehensive analysis of the production results. Moreover,
further trialling of expandable sand screens will be necessary
establish the effectiveness of the expandable sand screen as a
replacement for internal gravel packing.
Sand measurements, as shown in Figure 7, provide
evidence that the screen filter medium is intact. Initial sand
production results immediately following the installation were
high but stabilised rapidly. This is believed to be caused by the
initial production of perforating debris and crushed formation
created during the perforations.
Conclusions
The expandable sand screen has been shown to provide
reliable downhole sand exclusion without significantly
affecting the well inflow performance. This trial has proven
that the installation of such a sand screen is quick and simple.
As such, the expandable sand screen holds promise as an
economical alternative to internal gravel packing.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Petroleum Development
Oman and the Omani Ministry of Oil and Gas for supporting
the publication of this paper. Special thanks are also extended
to Eddie Flesch and Geir Owe Egge of Baker Oil Tools for
their efforts in making this trial a success.
References
[1] Metcalfe P. and Whitelaw C., The Development of the First
Expandable Sand Screen, paper OTC 11032, presented at the
1999 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, May
1999.
Porosity 27 %
Permeability 100 1400 mD
Reservoir temperature 46 deg C
Initial GOR 0.7 m
3
/ m
3
Oil density 26 API
Viscosity @ 50 deg C 75 mPas
Net reservoir thickness 30 m
Table 1: Middle Gharif Reservoir Properties
SPE 57565 Trial of an Expandable Sand Screen to Replace Internal Gravel Packing 5
Figure 1: Expandable Sand Screen Construction
Expandable
Base Pipe
Attach filters
to base pipe
Expandable
Base Pipe
Filtration
Media
Expandable
Shroud
Production Packer
7" Pup Joint
Expandable Sand Screen
Snap Latch Seal Assembly
Pre-Existing
Production Packer
Figure 3: Completion Components
Figure 2: Overlap of Perforation Pattern
and Expanded Base Pipe (Schematic)
6 M.A. van Buren, L.H.W.M. van den Broek, C. Whitelaw SPE 57565
Figure 4: Expandable Sand Screen Installation Sequence
Figure 5: Gross Production Rate History
ESS installation
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SPE 57565 Trial of an Expandable Sand Screen to Replace Internal Gravel Packing 7
Figure 6: Net Oil Production Rate History
Figure 7: Sand Production Measurements
ESS installation
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