This $1,700,000 joint industry study resulted in an improved understanding of solids production mechanisms which led to the implementation of drilling, completion and operating strategies that reduced the costs and risks for oil and gas production from sanding-prone reservoirs.

The major components of the study included:
(1) a field study to investigate cause and effect relationships that can be identified and extracted through statistical analyses of the drilling, completion, production, and servicing records from more than 300 wells;
(2) a laboratory testing program to explore the hydraulic and constitutive behaviour of typical reservoir materials, and to investigate the near-field effects of stress changes and fluid flow on wellbore behaviour;
(3) the development of numerical modelling tools to enable the identification and understanding of cause and effect relationships, and to provide predictive capabilities for assessing new equipment and operating/servicing procedures; and
(4) implementation of a field testing program to assess in situ stress conditions under both virgin and depleted reservoir conditions, and to evaluate procedures identified during the study that participants may be able to employ to reduce solids production problems and potentially exploit the process in their own operations.

Contact: Peter Kis, Manager, Drilling & Completions

Tel: 780.450.8989 x284