SPE 165188

Sand Control in Shallow Unconsolidated Sandstone Oil Reservoirs at

Staatsolie N.V. Suriname
S. Toelsie, SPE and P. Goerdajal, SPE, Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname N.V.

Copyright 2013, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE European Formation Damage Conference and Exhibition held in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 5–7 June 2013.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
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Abstract approach for sand control practices and the most

Hydrocarbon production from unconsolidated sand cost effective sand control solutions in
reservoirs requires sand control usually consisting of unconsolidated shallow sand reservoirs.
the installation of a screen combined with
gravelpacking. Several existing criteria such as Introduction
Tiffin, Saucier and Coberly can be used for optimal The Staatsolie oilfields are located in marshy area of
selection of the sand control design. Sand and fines the coastal plain of Suriname with oil reservoirs from
production in oil and gas wells are one of the main Paleocene and Eocene age, as illustrated in Fig. 1.
challenges and can result in failures of production These reservoirs are shallow reservoirs with depths
systems. Especially in unconsolidated sand varying from 800-1,400 ft with mainly unconsolidated
reservoirs, proper sand control practices are sands of high porosities (>30%) and permeability’s
required to prevent reservoir sand production. At ranging from 5 to 12 Darcies. The conventional sand
Staatsolie sizing of sand control design is based on control method applied on these shallow, low-
the Saucier method incorporating the results of pressure, heavy-oil unconsolidated sand reservoirs
reservoir sand particle size distribution of side wall is the installation of formation sand sized wire
core samples. wrapped screens and gravelpack completion on
A Staatsolie-Suriname in-depth research of sand uniform and non-uniform distributed reservoir sands
control practices in shallow, low-pressure, heavy-oil and produced with progressive cavity pumps. In
unconsolidated sand reservoirs completed with unconsolidated reservoirs, sands are being
progressive cavity pumps will be presented. The produced with the well fluid due to its low
conventional sand control method applied is the cementation and restraining forces. Formation sand
installation of formation sand sized wire wrapped samples derived from side wall core samples
screens and gravelpack completion on uniform and confirms the unconsolidated nature and indicates
non-uniform distributed reservoir sands. Stand alone the need for applying sand control methods to
screen completions have revealed its application in prevent formation sand being produced. Therefore
uniform distributed reservoir sands. Sand production the sand control technique is gravelpacking with
and control on depleted and complex reservoirs openhole or casedhole completions in vertical wells
based on the conventional method has become a as shown in Fig.2. This technology has proven its
major challenge. In Suriname, in three onshore application for almost 30 years in the Staatsolie
fields approximately 1,500 wells are completed and oilfields to control sand production. With improved
are in production. With improved sand control sand control practices, well failures have been
practices, failures have been reduced to less than 5 reduced to less than 5 wells per year. Other well
wells per year. failures are corrosion of the innertubes of the
The study has demonstrated the challenges and wirewrapped screens, damage of the screen wires
benefits of sand control in these complex resulting into sand production in high watercut and
unconsolidated Tertiary reservoirs. This has resulted depleted reservoir wells, corrosion on the landing
into increased production and economic benefits. nipples of the screen, failure on the completion
Results of lab tests and field cases will be presented packer and improper sand cleaning after completion
and recommendations will be given on the best of a new well resulting into sand production.
2 SPE 165188
A one well pilot of the so-called “wormhole”
technology has revealed that the grain size
distribution of the formation sand significantly
influences the sand production behavior related to
fluid production rate. With the “wormhole”
technology no downhole screen and gravelpack
completion is installed in order to allow sand
production and try to optimize well productivity with
reduced near wellbore skin. For the shallow low
potential wells, the low fluid production rates does
not completely supported the movement of the
formation sand for being produced, as can also be
proved with the Stokes Law. The grain sizes along
with the other parameters of the Stokes Law have a
main influence in sand movement. This pilot has
confirmed that sand production in barefoot
completions will be achieved as long as all the
parameters for sand movement and keeping it in
solution are supported by the fluid production rate.
Also the foaminess nature of the produced fluid
negatively impacts the required drag forces on the
restraining formation sand forces to keep the sand
grains mobilized.
Stand alone screen (SAS) completions are applied
in pilot wells within the three oilfields. 2D and 3D
screens were installed on wells with mainly uniformly
distributed reservoir sand patterns derived from
Gamma Ray (GR) logs. The success of this
application is in detail presented in reference 1.
Based on these installations the application of GR
log shapes in gravelpack completion design,
especially for unconsolidated shallow reservoirs,
was evaluated and will be further addressed in this
paper. Lab analysis of sidewall core samples and
correlation with typical well log shapes has been
performed to test its applicability for sand control
design for the described type of reservoirs.
Geology of Staatsolie Oil Fields
The Guiana sedimentary basin consists of offshore
and onshore sediments. The onshore part of the
Guyana sedimentary basins is composed of the
coastal plain of the Guyana’s where sediments are
deposited in a passively trailing margin environment
with minor tectonic activities. In the coastal plain, the
basement onshore is overlain by sediments starting
from the Late Cretaceous era , whereas offshore the
sediments are much older. The sediments are
mainly clastic sediments deposited under fluvial to
marine conditions and are gently dipping to the
North at an angle of about 1 degree. The Staatsolie
oilfields are located in the marshy area of the coastal
plain of Suriname with oil reservoirs from Paleocene
and Eocene age. A stratigraphic column of the
coastal plain of Suriname is presented in Fig. 3.
These reservoirs are shallow reservoirs with depths
varying from 600-1,400 Ft. Oil has been generated
from a Cretaceous source rock and subsequently
migrated updip to the South, into overlying
sediments. Oil accumulations are mostly found in
stratigraphic traps. Regional shale beds, which act
as seals, prevented extensive vertical migration.
Oil production from the Paleocene unconsolidated
sands in the Tambaredjo field, the so-called oil-
bearing T-sands, are mainly of fluvial-estuarine to
coastal marine origin. These sands are deposited on
the Late Cretaceous unconformity surface, during an
overall transgressive period, as multilateral and
vertically stacked sand bodies. The river channels
have changed their course regularly and rapidly
resulting in a random distribution of the sand bodies
over large surfaces. It is therefore very difficult to
make accurate sand thickness and vertical grain
size distribution predictions for sand control
practices as the stacking pattern of the river bars
changed continuously. These reservoir sands are
subdivided into lowermost T1 sand and
progressively shallower T2 and T3 sands and are
covered by regional deposited transgressive shale
that onlaps in the South on the Cretaceous surface.
Oil production from the Eocene unconsolidated
sands, the so-called oil-bearing N1 and O2-sands,
are deposited in an estuarine delta environment with
predominantly tidal-estuary and fluvial influences.
Production from these reservoirs is obtained from
the Calcutta and the Tambaredjo NW field which are
younger fields in operation less than 7 years. With
the complexity in the distribution patterns and the
unconsolidated nature of the encountered
reservoirs, sand control is required to prevent sand
production. Sand production can cause a variety of
well problems with economic implications on well
production. To prevent sand production, formation
sand sized filter equipment (production sand-screen)
and predefined sized sand (gravelpacking) is
installed. To determine the required gravelpack sand
and screen size, formation sand samples must be
analyzed for grain size distribution analysis which is
also widely being used to classify sedimentary
environments. Grain size distribution is mainly
affected by factors as: distance from shoreline,
distance from the source (river), source material,
topography and transport mechanism.
History of Sand control at Staatsolie
The conventional completion method applied from
the first drilled and completed wells in 1982, were
openhole gravelpack completion. Initially a lead seal
was also installed to seal off the annulus between
the 5.5” casing and the tell tale and to hold the
gravel and screen in place. The majority of those
wells are producing for almost 30 years without sand
production. Since those wells were not producing
any solution gas, the use of the lead seal was left
out. Drilling wells in new areas where the wells had
also gas production, this completion method resulted
into several sanding failures of gravel and formation
sand. To solve the gravel migration problem, a
packer was set to seal off the annulus. The regular
gravel size used was the 20/40 US Mesh gravel with
SPE 165188
12 gauge wirewrapped screen in openhole and
casedhole completion as depicted in Fig. 2. In 1996,
evaluation of the sand control design revealed the
presence of coarser reservoir sands in the northern
part of the field and consequently the application of
16/30 US Mesh gravelsize and 16 gauge
wirewrapped screen was justified. This completion
was continued mainly for the oldest field while for
the younger fields with reservoirs of Eocene age,
SCD assessment revealed the application of the
20/40 US Mesh gravelsand with 12 gauge screens.
In 2003 a two well pilot was executed with 3D SAS
completions. Based on the positive results of these
two wells an expanded SAS installation was
executed mainly on uniform distributed sand
reservoirs1. Overall cost effective completions with
stand alone screens (SAS) were promising besides
the minor encountered sanding failures. These were
mainly due to improper sizing of the formation sand
size with the 2D screens and or improper sand clean
out after completion with the 2D and 3D screens.
After having worked over those wells no sand
production was encountered hereafter. Screen-less
and gravelpack-less completion, the so-called
Wormhole technology, was experimented on a well
to allow as much as sand production especially in
these unconsolidated sand reservoirs. This
completion has revealed the significance of grain
size distribution in achieving sand production.
Coarser sand is much difficult to be taken along with
the produced fluid at a certain rate than fine sands.
Finally, less sand production was achieved with this
technology than initially expected. Also no typical
wormholes were achieved but more a near wellbore
collapse of the completed reservoir.
In 2011 an extended review of SCD at the oldest
field was executed to confirm the application of
Appraisal well SCD at Development well SCD. This
method confirmed for almost 60% of the analyzed
wells while the remaining 40% resulted into the
application of even coarser or finer gravel sizes.
Considering the strong changes in the depositional
conditions of these shallow reservoirs even within
well spacing’s of 200 meters, an efficient SCD for
SAS completions should be mainly based on well by
well data analysis. However at gravelpacked
completions a reservoir sand distribution patterns
has revealed its effective application.
. sand grains together. These forces will remain
Causes of sand production
Sand production from unconsolidated reservoirs is
mainly related to the degree of consolidation which
is referred as the amount of cementation material
present in the rock matrix. Younger aged formations
have little cementation and are poorly consolidated
or are unconsolidated formations with very low
compressive strength (below 100 psi). These
formations have the tendency to produce sand
where the sand particles can flow easily with the
reservoir fluid. Properly applied sand control design
3
significantly reduces formation sand production
which is extensively applied on the wells at
Staatsolie. Nevertheless, sand production can also
be associated with sources related to operational
affects such as:
• Reservoir fluid flows to the wellbore due to
pressure differences between the wellbore and
the reservoir. In unconsolidated reservoirs, the
flow of formation fluid may trigger sand particles
to move, due to drag forces exerted by the fluid
turbulence. This detaches sand grains especially
fines and fine grained sands and carries them
along with the produced fluid to the wellbore.
The effect becomes greater with higher fluid
viscosity, higher flow rate and high pressure
differentials during drawdown. With high flow
rate the sand grains can be moved up to the
surface facilities while at low flow rates the sand
grains settles down in the production string or
wellbore affecting the well production.
• Pore pressure reduction throughout the life of
a well, where depletion created an increasing
amount of stress on the formation sand. These
sands were then separated from the matrix and
reservoir fine sands were produced along with
the well fluid through the initially well designed
sand control screen and gravelpacking.
Recompletion of these failed wells successfully
restored the last well production.
• High production rate leads also to sand
production. Production of reservoir fluid creates
pressure differential forces combined with
friction drag forces, which exceeds the formation
compressive strength. With exceeded critical
flow rate, sand production occurs. This type of
failure has mainly occurred on the 2D SAS
completed wells. Production rate control was
applied to minimize formation sand production
afterwards.
• Water influx causes sand production by
reducing capillary pressure between the sand
grains. Since sediments were initially deposited
in water, the sand grains are water-wet. As oil
moved into the formation, the water was
displaced, except for a thin layer surrounding
individual sand grains. These fluid conditions,
the presence of two fluid phases, results in
significant capillary pressure forces pulling the
effective until the water concentration increases
so that the single-phase flow of the wetting
phase results in portions of the reservoir. When
this occurs, the formation experiences strength
reduction, resulting into sand production. This
effect has not been experienced intensively in
the high watercut areas up to now. However it
should be considered as a potential problem in
the near future.
4 SPE 165188
• Completion failures can also result into
significant amounts of sand production. Typical
well failures in gravelpack completions have
been identified as corrosion of the innertubes of
the wirewrapped screens, damage of the screen
wires resulting into sand production mainly of
the depleted wells, corrosion on the landing
nipples of the screen or damage of the
completion packer resulting into sand production
and improper sand cleaning after completion of
the well. The last failure occurs immediately
after taking a new completed well into
production. With gravelpacked completion
mainly gravel is retrieved while at the SAS well
formation sands are found during the clean out
job.
Sand control practices at Staatsolie wells
Sand production is commonly associated with
shallow unconsolidated sandstone formations of
Tertiary age with limited natural cementation where
the sand grains are held together by small cohesive
forces and low degree of compaction. Older
sandstone formations are more consolidated than
younger Tertiary sediments due to the content of
cementing material and degree of compaction. The
restraining forces that hold the formation sand in
place are natural cementation (compressive
strength), friction between sand grains, fluid
pressure in the pores of the rock and capillary
forces. Compressive strength is mainly controlled by
inter-granular cementation. In weak and
unconsolidated sand reservoirs, sand is produced
when the drag forces caused by the flowing
reservoir fluids exceed the natural inherent cohesion
(restraining forces) of the formation. Unconsolidated
sand reservoirs with permeability of 0.5 to 8 Darcies
are most susceptible to sand production. This starts
primarily during the first flow or when the reservoir
depletes or water breaks through. In order to control
potential sand production problems in wells, the
application of customly sized devices should ensure
formation sand production is stopped with
maintained maximum well productivity.
The Staatsolie oil reservoirs from Paleocene and
Eocene age, are shallow reservoirs with depths
varying from 800-1,400’ with much unconsolidated
sands of high porosities and high permeability’s.
These reservoir sand types are typical for being
produced with the well fluid due to its low
cementation and restraining forces. Formation sand
samples derived from side wall coring method
confirms this unconsolidated nature and indicates
the need for applying sand control systems to
prevent formation sand being produced. To fulfill this
requirement of the reservoir sands the conventional
sand control method applied is the installation of
formation sand sized wirewrapped screens and
openhole or casedhole gravelpack completion on
uniform as non-uniform distributed reservoir sands.
The common used gravel and screen sizes are:
20/40 US Mesh gravel and 12 gauge screen. For the
wells located in the northern part of the field coarser
reservoir sands are encountered and so the 16/30
US Mesh and 25 gauge screen is applied. Even this
combination has not resulted into significant sand
production. SAS completions have revealed its
application mainly on uniform distributed reservoir
sands.
Gravelpacking method:
For proper gravelpack placement the fluid and
technique is refined based on well conditions,
probability of success, and the cost. Within
Staatsolie a combination between the Conventional
procedure and Crossover gravelpack string design is
selected as the most efficient and effective packing
method. Gravel placement involves those operations
required to transport gravel from surface to the
completion interval to develop a downhole filter that
will allow the flow of fluids into the well but will
prevent the entry of formation sand. The gravelpack
is placed so that a uniform pack with a uniform
porosity is formed around the screen and the pack is
not damaged to restrict well productivity. It is
expected that the gravelpack should also prevent
formation collapse near the wellbore.
For the gravel – placement technique, the properties
of the fluids to transport the gravel slurry to the
completion interval is very important. With the
conventional packing techniques, it is recommended
that the gravel is placed at low concentrations with
low – viscosity fluids.
Within Staatsolie the conventional packing concept
is applied which involves the placement of gravel
suspended in a transport fluid pumped at low gravel
concentrations. Typically, the transport of fluid is
filtered brine (8.8 ppg, NaCl, KCl) with gravel added
at a concentration of 2 sacks/min. The gravel is
commonly mixed into the fluid through a gravel
injector (funnel) while pumping at rates from about 1
– 2.5 bbl/min. Gravel is transported into the annulus
between the screen (OD: 3.5”) and casing (7”) or
open hole where it is packed into position from the
bottom of the completion interval upward as shown
in Fig.4. The transport fluid then returns to the
annulus through the wash pipe inside the screen
that is connected with the work string. An increase in
pumping pressure is observed when the gravel level
reaches the telltale screen. No further gravel
placement is required above this point in the well.
The amount of blank between the tell tale and the
screen is called the gravel reserve. Its purpose is to
replace the gravel in the gravelpack that may be lost
owing to settling over the life of the completion
interval.
The workstring is configured based on the
Crossover Method which consists of a cup-type
crossover tool, crossover gravel-pack tool and a
standard completion packer. A wash pipe inside the
SPE 165188
screen is also attached to the assembly.
The packer/crossover assembly has five major
functions.
1. A means for setting and testing the packer.
2. A flow path for the sand slurry to be pumped
down the workstring and out through the ports in
the ported extension below the packer.
3. The capability either to circulate fluids through
the screen and out the workstring/casing
annulus (circulating position) or to the bullhead
the fluids into the formation (squeeze position).
4. A means to release the crossover tool assembly
from the packer.
5. The capability to reverse circulates and cleans
out the workstring after release from the packer.
Sand control Design (SCD)
SCD of production wells at Staatsolie is based on
sieve analysis of sidewall core (SWC) samples from
appraisal wells (drilled with a grid pattern of 2,000
meters) of the specific development area within the
oilfield. The derived design is then applied on
development wells (drilled with a grid pattern of 200
meters) during development stage of the field. A
reevaluation of this method at randomly selected
wells within the two fields has confirmed its
application for gravelpacked screen completion but
requires a detailed well analysis for SAS
completions. Casedhole completion is mainly
applied on wells where free gas influx is expected or
insufficient top or bottom sealing is encountered with
water bearing sand layers.
Selected SWC samples were cleaned and a
weighed fraction were dry sieved through a stack of
sieves with openings of 2000 µm, 1000 µm, 500 µm,
250 µm, 125 µm, 63 µm and a pan. After sieving the
weight of sediments retained on each sieve was
measured and processed in a Microsoft Excel
Spreadsheet computer program for the execution of
grain size analysis. For optimal SCD at Staatsolie,
the common Saucier gravel-sizing technique is
applied. Saucier suggests that the gravelsize for
controlling unconsolidated sands should be five to
six times the median diameter (D50) of the formation
sand grain size. This is derived from the cumulative
weight percentage curve as illustrated in Fig. 5. A
generalized particle size distribution (PSD) envelope
of formation sands in the Staatsolie producing fields
as depicted in Fig. 6 reveals a widely ranged
reservoir sand distribution with median size, d50,
range of 48-1975 microns representing fine to very
coarse grains. Fig. 7 displays the applied sand
control at randomly selected wells within two oil
fields and Fig. 8 displays the calculated gravel sizes
of those wells. The selection of the gravel and
screen size is based on the smallest calculated
gravel and screen size in the completed T-sand
interval. This confirms the increase in formation sand
particles correlated to coarser calculated gravel
5
sizes moving from south to north. The majority of the
wells predict completion with 16/30 US Mesh gravel
and 16-gauge wire-wrapped screen. Due to the
availability of 25-gauge screens for this gravel size,
gravelpack completions were continued with 16/30
US Mesh gravel and 25-gauge screen. No sand
production has occurred up to now at these wells
with this completion. Moving to the north, coarser
gravel than the 16/30 US Mesh can also be applied
and provides evidence for a coastal marine
influenced depositional environment of the reservoir
sands.
It is essential to have a reliable representative
sample of the reservoir sand for an effective SCD.
The use of SWC samples for SCD has its benefits
as well as its disadvantages. The main
disadvantages which can affect a SCD are related to
the representativeness of the used sample:
• Low side wall coring efficiency in unconsolidated
reservoirs influences the sample quality and
quantity.
• Contamination with drilling mud resulting into a
smaller estimated d50 of formation sand and the
application of finer gravel sand. This will have an
effect on the well productivity.
Application of Geophysical well logs for SCD – a
case study
As having Geophysical well data always available of
all wells, an indepth study to apply these for SCD
was performed. For this study a total of 76 wells
were randomly selected from one of the oil fields at
Staatsolie. From these wells SWC samples of
completed reservoirs were analyzed to derive a
SCD. Also interpreted well logs were collected to
derive the typical well log shapes of the completed
reservoirs. Hereafter, correlations were aimed to
derive between Gamma Ray (GR) API values of
completed reservoirs and the median formation sand
sizes at the wells.
The GR log represents the vertical formation grain
size profile of different lithologies in the subsurface.
Typical gamma ray readings of sand containing
reservoirs displays API values between 15-30 API
and shales more than 75 API. The amount of clay
matrix tends to increase with decreasing grain size,
which will be displayed on the GR-log representing
the shaliness of a formation that changes with
increasing depth. These changes are associated
with variations in grain size and sorting distributions
that are controlled by the depositional environment
of the sediments. An interpretation of these logs
combined with sieve analysis results of SWC
samples from completed reservoirs in selective wells
would confirm the SCD determination method
derived from well log interpretations of complex
depositional environments.
Fig. 9 illustrates the identified log shapes overlain at
a conceptual geologic model of the Tambaredjo
field. This confirms the complexity of the depositional
6 SPE 165188
environment of the reservoir sands and the
combinations in the log shapes. A correlation
between the uniformity and sorting coefficient
reveals the main distribution pattern of the
Tambaredjo reservoir sands as shown in Fig. 10.
The majority of the sands are uniform to non-
uniformly distributed with well to poorly sorted.
Uniform reservoir sand is mainly well sorted, but well
sorted reservoir sands do not necessarily have a
uniform distribution. Above all, poorly sorted
reservoir sands are predominantly non-uniformly
distributed. A correlation of well log interpretation
and particle size analysis is depicted in Fig.11. This
correlation explains the strong effect of the
depositional environment on the grain size
distribution. The quality and quantity of the reservoir
sand sample is expected to strongly influence the
derived distribution patterns. Therefore a
representative amount of reservoir sand sample is
highly recommended, such as a full core sample or
a tight scale samples side ware core sample. A
correlation between the GR API value and the d50,
as illustrated in Fig. 12 confirms no direct correlation
between the median formations sands size and the
GR API value. This confirms that no straightforward
SCD can be derived from well log interpretations,
using gamma ray logs as source for vertical
distribution profile of unconsolidated sand reservoirs.
This concludes that these reservoirs with a complex
depositional environment, requires the execution of
particle size analysis of formation sand samples to
obtain an effective sand control design. Well log
interpretations only contribute in understanding the
vertical particle size distribution of these sands.
Conclusions
1. Sand control design cannot directly be derived
from well log interpretations, but requires particle
size distributions of the unconsolidated sand
reservoirs. No significant correlation can be
derived between GR-API value and median
formation grain size (Df50) for the
unconsolidated sand reservoirs at Staatsolie.
This indicates the impact of the complexity of
reservoir sands depositional environments on an
effective SCD.
2. The quality and quantity of available SWC
sample can significantly influence the design
results. The results from dry sieve analysis
method can be poor, especially if large
quantities of fine particles are present.
3. Fines content in the producing reservoirs should
also be taken in consideration for optimal sand
control design in especially the unconsolidated
reservoirs.
4. During the sieve analysis methodology the fines
content of less than 63micron is not accurately
measured. Accurate fines measurement should
be supported by laser particle size analysis to
have a reliable SCD that efficiently controls the
formation sands.
Acknowledgement
Without the co-operation among the different
departments, writing this paper would have been
impossible. Their valuable contribution is
appreciated. The authors also thank the
Management of Staatsolie Maatschappij N.V. for
permission to publish the paper.
References
1. Haskell, J.B., Toelsie, S., Mohan, A., (2010),
“Optimization of sand control for Unconsolidated,
Shallow, and Low-Pressure Sandstone Reservoirs: A
Suriname Case Study”, SPE 133461
2. Sparlin, D.D., Hagen Jr., R.W., (2000), “Selection
and design of sand control methods”, International
Completion Consultants Incorporated, SPE
3. Chen, J., Chen, S., Altunbay, M.M., E. Tyurin, (2010),
“ A new method of grain size determination for sand-
control completion applications”, SPE 128011
4. Himes, R.E., S.J. Ruiz Jr., Halliburton Members,
(1986), “New Sidewall Coring Techniques to Improve
Gravelpack Design”, SPE 14813
5. Maly, G.P., and Kreuger, R.F., (1971), Improper
Formation Sampling Leads to Improper Selection of
Gravel Size, SPE 3041 and Journal of Petroleum
Technology, P. 1403-1408
6. McLaren, Patrick and Bowles, Donald, (1985), The
effects of sediment transport on grain-size
distributions, Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, Vol.
55, No. 4, P. 0457-0470
Nomenclature
D50 = median grain size of gravel-pack sand
d50 = formation sand diameter, 50 percentile
SPE 165188 7

Fig. 1—Location Map of Staatsolie Oil Fields

Production
String

Conductor
casing

Production
casing

PCP pump

Underreamed
and gravel Perforated
packed interval and gravel
packed
interval

Reservoir
sand

Fig. 2—Schematic overview of openhole and casedhole gravelpack completions at Staatsolie

8 SPE 165188

Fig. 3—Stratigraphic Column of the Coastal Plain of Suriname with identified Reservoir sands in the
Lower and Upper Saramacca Formation

Fig. 4—Gravelpacking method schematic2

SPE 165188 9

Fig. 5—graphical formation grain size distribution overview and calculated SCD results of an analyzed SWC
sample.

Fig. 6—Generalized PSD envelope for Producing Fields within Staatsolie.

Note: green lines are data based on 300 samples in 2010, while pink curves are
based on additional 520 sample analysis in 2012.
10 SPE 165188

Fig. 7—Bubble map showing the actual sand control at selective wells
SPE 165188 11

Fig. 8—Bubble map showing the distribution of the calculated gravel sizes at selective wells
12 SPE 165188

Fig. 9—conceptual geologic model of the Tambaredjo field overlain with identified log shapes of the reservoir
sands in selected wells.

Fig. 10—relation uniformity coefficient against sorting coefficient

SPE 165188 13

Fig. 11—well log and SWC particle size distribution correlation of a well

Fig. 12—Correlation GR-value against median grain size of completed reservoir sand