Thesis Abstract

Abstract
Gravel packing is a critical technique in the petroleum industry for controlling sand production and maximizing well productivity. Various methods are employed to achieve effective gravel packing, including wire-wrapped screens, prepacked screens, expandable screens, and slotted liners. This research project aims to assess the different gravel packing methods used in the petroleum industry to determine their effectiveness, advantages, and limitations. The study will involve a comprehensive literature review to gather information on the various gravel packing methods currently in use. It will explore the key parameters that influence the selection of gravel packing methods, such as reservoir characteristics, well conditions, and economic considerations. Additionally, the research will investigate case studies and field applications to evaluate the performance of different gravel packing techniques in real-world settings. One of the primary objectives of this research is to compare the efficiency of wire-wrapped screens, prepacked screens, expandable screens, and slotted liners in preventing sand production and maintaining well productivity. The study will analyze factors such as screen design, particle retention, gravel placement, and screen plugging to assess the overall performance of each gravel packing method. Furthermore, the research project will examine the operational challenges and best practices associated with the different gravel packing techniques. This will involve an evaluation of equipment requirements, installation procedures, and post-packaging operations to identify potential issues and solutions for optimizing gravel packing efficiency. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable insights for petroleum engineers, well operators, and service providers involved in gravel packing operations. By comparing the effectiveness of different gravel packing methods and analyzing their performance under various conditions, this research aims to enhance the understanding of gravel packing techniques and improve decision-making processes in well completion and sand control strategies. Overall, this research project will contribute to the advancement of gravel packing technology in the petroleum industry by offering a comprehensive assessment of existing methods and highlighting opportunities for innovation and optimization. The outcomes of this study will help facilitate the selection of appropriate gravel packing techniques based on specific well requirements and reservoir characteristics, ultimately leading to improved well performance and production efficiency.

Thesis Overview

INTRODUCTION

Many reservoirs are comprised of relatively young sediments, which are so poorly consolidated that sand will be produced along with the reservoir fluids unless the production rate is reduced significantly. Sand production leads to many numerous production problems including erosion of down hole tubular, valves, fitting and surface flow lines, collapsed casing because of lack of formation support. Thus a means to eliminate sand production without greatly limiting production rates is desirable.

Sand production can be controlled using different methods but the method of utmost importance to this project is the mechanical method which basically involves the use of gravel pack (GRAVEL PACKING).

This method is considered the oldest and most effective sand   control mechanism. It is simply a down hole filter designed to prevent the production of unwanted sands which involves the placement of gravel across a perforated interval in the sand screen annulus and also in the perforation tunnel to prevent the influx of sand.

Inaccurate determination of gravel pack size, could lead to sand influx which could be detrimental to both the technical and economic aspect of production which is the overall objective of this project aimed at identifying means to selectively select appropriate gravel pack sizes from formation sands produced through sieve analysis to meet optimum sand control for maximum production without any detrimental effect to production hard wares.

In a gravel pack completion, sand that is larger than the average formation sand grain is placed between the formation and a screen or slotted liner with the aim of retaining most of the formation sand, but letting  very fine particles through it and be produced.

The two most common types of gravel pack completion are the inside casing gravel packing or internal gravel packing (IGP) and underreamed gravel pack or external gravel pack (EGP). The underreamed casing gravel pack provides better conductivity through the gravel but is limited to single zone completion.

1.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This project is aimed at

1. To study   the various types of gravel packing methods used in the petroleum industry.
2. To analyze sieve analysis data of formation sands gotten from OBEN13L in other to determine the appropriate gravel pack size used.
3. To make conclusions on the state of OBEN WELL 13L on the basis of sieve data analysis and give possible recommendations.

1.2 SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The scope of this project is limited to the mechanical method of sand control with more emphasis on the sieve analysis of formation sands gotten from OBEN13L.

1.3 METHODOLOGY

The method to be adopted for this project is the use of sieve analysis and sucier correlation to determine the gravel pack size to be used for OBEN WELL 13 with formation sands gotten from the case study as mentioned above and useful information gotten from the internet, textbooks, petroleum journals. This method simply involves collecting core samples and running them through different sieves with different opening sizes, usually sieves with larger openings at the top and sieves of smaller opening at the bottom and plotting each weight retained on each sieve against the sieve opening size to determine the average formation sand size which is used to find accurate gravel size using  sucier correlation.