A geomechanical approach for sanding risk assessment applied to three field cases for completion optimisation
Khalil Rahman A , Abbas Khaksar A and Toby Kayes ABaker RDS
The APPEA Journal 50(1) 623-636 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ09040
Published: 2010
Abstract
Mitigation of sand production is increasingly becoming an important and challenging issue in the petroleum industry. This is because the increasing demand for oil and gas resources is forcing the industry to expand its production operations in more challenging unconsolidated reservoir rocks and depleted sandstones with more complex well completion architecture. A sand production prediction study is now often an integral part of an overall field development planning study to see if and when sand production will be an issue over the life of the field. The appropriate type of sand control measures and a cost-effective sand management strategy are adopted for the field depending on timing and the severity of predicted sand production.
This paper presents a geomechanical modelling approach that integrates production or flow tests history with information from drilling data, well logs and rock mechanics tests. The approach has been applied to three fields in the Australasia region, all with different geological settings. The studies resulted in recommendations for three different well completion and sand control approaches. This highlights that there is no unique solution for sand production problems, and that a robust geomechanical model is capable of finding a field-specific solution considering in-situ stresses, rock strength, well trajectory, reservoir depletion, drawdown and perforation strategy. The approach results in cost-effective decision making for appropriate well/perforation trajectory, completion type (e.g. cased hole, openhole or liner completion), drawdown control or delayed sand control installation. This type of timely decision making often turns what may be perceived as an economically marginal field development scenario into a profitable project.
This paper presents three case studies to provide well engineers with guidelines to understanding the principles and overall workflow involved in sand production prediction and minimisation of sand production risk by optimising completion type.
Md. Khalilur Rahman (known as Khalil Rahman) is a principal geomechanics specialist with Baker RDS. His teaching, research and consulting career spans 22 years. In the past, he has held senior lecturer positions at the University of New South Wales and later at the University of Western Australia where he taught various petroleum engineering courses, led curricula development in petroleum engineering and conducted research and consulting activities in hydraulic fracturing optimisation, wellbore stability assessment and sand production prediction areas. In his university and industry positions, he has completed numerous research and consulting projects in petroleum geomechanics, published over 60 peer reviewed journal and conference papers, offered industry short courses and supported technology and software development activities. He obtained his PhD degree from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. Member: SPE and various SPE committees. Khalil.Rahman@baker-rds.com |
Abbas Khaksar, is a principal geomechanics specialist with Baker RDS, with 19 years of industry and research and development experience in petroleum rock mechanics, petrophysics and exploration. He has a BSc in mining engineering from Tehran University (1989), a MSc in petroleum geology and geophysics (1994) and a PhD in rock physics (1998) from the University of Adelaide. Abbas has worked extensively in petroleum geomechanics, being involved in more than 100 projects in many areas of geomechanics. Before joining RDS, Abbas was with Geomechanics International (GMI) 2000-5, as a petrophysicist, geomechanics specialist and manager-consulting services in the Asia-Pacific. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Adelaide (1999-2000), working on pore pressure prediction and CO2 sequestration. He is a short course instructor and has about 50 publications and conference presentations in reservoir geomechanics and rock physics. Member: SPE and FesAus. Abbas.Khaksar@baker-rds.com |
Toby Kayes is a principal geomechanics specialist and a senior manager with Baker RDS based in Kuala Lumpur. He has 16 years of industry experience in all areas of petroleum geomechanics including drilling optimisation, wellbore stability, pore pressure prediction, stress sensitive reservoir modelling, hydraulic fracturing and sand management. This is based on sound soil and rock mechanics experience he gained as a civil engineer working for Arup before joining the petroleum industry. He has also worked as a wireline engineer, log analyst, research scientist and consultant for Schlumberger specialising in petroleum geomechanics. He obtained his BEng in civil engineering from the University of Bristol and researched sand production physics at the University of Cambridge with a Schlumberger Cambridge Research award. He is a Chartered Petroleum Engineer and Chartered European Engineer. Member: SPE committee for sand management; the external advisory board for the Centre of Integrated Petroleum Engineering and Geoscience, University of Leeds; and, the Energy Institute. Toby.Kayes@baker-rds.com |
