جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "sand production" در نشریات گروه "مهندسی معدن"

Around 70% of the world's hydrocarbon fields are situated in reservoirs containing low-strength rocks, such as sandstone. During the production of hydrocarbons from sandstone reservoirs, sand-sized particles may become dislodged from the formation and enter the hydrocarbon fluid flow. Sand production is a significant issue in the oil industry due to its potential to cause erosion of pipes and valves. Separating grains from oil is a costly process. Oil and gas companies are motivated to reduce sand production during petroleum extraction. Hydraulic fracturing is one of the parameters that can influence sand production. However, understanding the complex interactions between hydraulic fracturing mechanisms and sand production around wellbores is critical for optimizing reservoir recovery and ensuring the integrity of production wells. This article explores the integrated simulation approach to model hydraulic fracturing processes and assess their effects on sand production. Two-dimensional models were created using the discrete element method in PFC2D software for this research. The fractures' length in the models varies based on the well's radius. The angle between two fractures at 90 and 180 degrees to each other was also modeled. In the first case, the length of the fracture is less than the radius of the well, in the second case, the values are equal and finally, the fracture length is assumed to exceed the well radius. The calibrated and validated results demonstrate the change in sand production rate in comparison to the unbroken state.

Sand production is a complex mechanism that reduces oil and gas production and leads to wellbore instability, tubing erosion, and even erosion of surface installations. The hydrodynamic action of the flow on the surface leads to the breakup of solid particles from the surface. This is one of the main sources of sand production. The sand production may be affected by the combination of flow rate and the stress regime around the wellbore. In this paper, sand production in a vertical wellbore is numerically studied. A 3D finite element model in various stress regimes (i.e., normal, strike-slip, and reverse based on Anderson's classification) presenting various conditions of reservoirs was used. A typical drawdown pressure was chosen to simulate the production in the wellbore. The numerical model uses a sand production criterion based on the velocity of the fluid flow, the porosity of formation, transport concentration, and sand production coefficient to determine the initiation of sand production. The sand production volume was determined for a duration of a week in all cases. The most erosion of materials in all models occurred near the junction of the wellbore and perforation. This is an expected result since based on rock mechanics, the junction of the wellbore and perforation is also the location of the most stress concentration. It was concluded that the collaboration of high-stress concentration and high-pressure drawdown caused the excessive sanding problem. The results of the paper provide insight into the effect of stress regimes and orientation of perforation on the volume of sand production.