For many years oil and gas producers have to deal with solids along with hydrocarbons. The management of solids' production such as sand has been mostly a reactive process that can have a significant impact on productivity and risk of an asset. Regardless of the sand management strategy adopted, the process is a complex one that involves a large number of disciplines and skills; completion engineering, geomechanics, production, process engineering and risk management are key areas of knowledge that is required to manage sand production problems effectively. This course addresses all the areas required to develop a sand management strategy including well construction, flow assurance and production engineering.
Course Level: Skill Duration: 4 days Instructor: Juan Tovar
Designed for you, if you are...
A practicing production or process engineer
A completion or petroleum engineer involved in well completion design or production management
An asset manager in charge of a field producing or expected to produce hydrocarbons and sand
How we build your confidence
Knowledge transfer is carried out through tutorials, crosswords, presentations and video. A significant contribution from the class in terms of experiences, case histories and questioning of the subjects discussed is considered essential to fulfilling the objectives for the course.
The benefits from attending
Attendants of the course will gain extensive knowledge in all the aspects of sand management; from identifying the causes of sand production to its transport, separation and disposal. Participants will learn to develop strategies for managing sand production for both production and water injection wells. This knowledge will result in:
Pro-active understanding and strategic planning to manage the problem
Detailed development of operational conditions for production and injection wells
Maximisation of a well’s potential under a specific sand management program
Mitigation of risk to the asset and improved reserves recovery
Topics
Introduction - How sanding occurs - Modes of sand production
Properties of sand particles - Mineral composition of sandstones - Clays - Grain size characterisation
Sand control methods - Sand management - Slotted liner and screens - Gravel packs - Frac-pack - Chemical methods - Expandable screens
Sand transport - Sub-surface sand transport - Sand transport in pipelines
Erosion - Factors affecting erosion mechanisms - API recommended practice RP 14E - Erosion rate modelling
Sand detection - Probe detection systems - External detection systems - Monitoring and sensors placement
Sand separation - Sand separation principles - Sand removal from vessels and pipes - Other sand removal methods
Sand disposal methods - Dumping - Re-injection - Ship to shore - Conversion of sand into usable materials
Developing surveillance programs for production and injection wells - Surveillance strategy - Designing a monitoring program for production wells - Designing a monitoring program for injection wells
"The course was very technical, the instructor's methodology to present the course and answer questions was excellent" - Sr. Production Engineer at Repsol
"The course is very much related to our daily activities. The instructor is very knowledgeable about the subject." - Superintendent at Dragon Oil
"Instructor had huge practical experience and is using it to back up every statement or theory." - Production Foreman at Dragon Oil