Best Practice for

Stand-alone Screens

Ian Wattie
Completion Engineering Consultant
Yala Peak Limited

Sand Management Forum

26th – 27th March 2014
Aberdeen

1
 Stand-alone Screens
Best Practices
Industry Completion Failure Data
Data for OH Completions with Stand-Alone Screens
90

80
Highest Failure Rate for Major Operator: 15 Failures/19 Wells
Completion Failure %

70
Average Failure Rate from Industry Database: 39 Failures/110 Wells
60
Lowest Failure Rate of Major Operators: 4 Failures/71 Wells
50

40

30

20

10

0
Industry Worst Industry Average Industry Best

2
3
4
Plugged Screen ()

5
 0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000

200
400
600
800
1-Nov-10
1-Dec-10

1-Jan-11

1-Feb-11
1-Mar-11

1-Apr-11
1-May-11

1-Jun-11
1-Jul-11

1-Aug-11

1-Sep-11
BHP (psia)

BSW (% x 10)

6
Oil rate (bbl/d)
 Field Case Causes of Production
Decline/Disappointment
1. Sand control best practices for selection, design, manufacturing,
installation & start-up mostly not followed
2. First wells had no sand control based on log-derived UCS
3. Short length screens and large annular gap have much bigger
effect than other bad practices
4. Very short screens will plug or erode sooner due to higher
rates/metre
5. Very short (e.g. < 10 metres) screen mesh intervals are extremely
sensitive to anything less than ideal practice at every stage
6. Screen mesh size too small; very large D10 sand size
7. Screens run in brine > 250 NTU picking up debris
8. Screens needed to be worked past shale picking up swelling shale
9. Lower post-acid loss rate 0.5 bpm - did not clean off all filter cake
10. Production declines are fines plugging formation or screen
11. Sudden changes in production are wellbore collapse onto screen,
plugging the screen and reducing annulus permeability with re-
sorted sand, shale and residual mud-cake

7
 Sand Control Best Practices
Outline
• Sand failure risk assessment
• Sand control strategy selection
• Sand screen selection method
• Sand screen manufacturing QA & QC
• Completion installation practices
• Production start-up

8
 Sand Control Best Practice
• Sand failure risk assessment - risk of sand
production
– Strength characterisation
– Stress characterisation
– Formation failure modelling

9
 Comparison of Log Predicted UCS with Core Measured UCS

25000
Field-1 Samples
Field-2 Samples
20000
Field-3 Samples
Log Predicted UCS, psi

Field-4 Samples
15000 Unit Slope Line

10000

5000

0
0 2500 5000 7500 10000 12500 15000
Core Measured UCS, psi

10
Core Samples Used in UCS Testing

11
 Formation Strength Characterization
Use of Core Data to Establish UCS Range

Example Formation Strength Characterization

Core Measured Unconfined Compressive Strength vs. Depth
10000
Unconfined Compressive Strength, psi

8000

6000

4000

2000

0
7300 7400 7500 7600 7700 7800 7900
Measured Depth, ft MDRKB
12
Formation Stress Characterization
Principle Stresses = Vertical, Hz-max, Hz-min
Absolute Stress = Total Stress Acting at Depth
Net Stress = Absolute Stress - Pore Pressure
Depletion Forecast, so Net Stress increases over field
life

13
 History Matching with Field Data
Comparison of Field Sand Production Data with Model Prediction
Conventional Wells with Standard, Non-Stress Oriented, Perforations
3500

3000
Bottomhole Pressure, psi

No Sand Production
2500
Failure Prediction
Sand Production
2000
Unit Slope Line
1500

1000

500

0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Reservoir Pressure, psi
14
 Sand Control Best Practice
• Select strategy for sand management
– Produce sand to facilities, collect and dispose
– Prevent formation failure (wellbore orientation,
fracture and perforation tactics, resin stabilisation,
increase pressure, choke back well, shut-in well,
redrill well)
– Screen out at sand face (stand-alone screen,
gravel pack, frac-pack)

15
 Sand Control Best Practices
• Select and design stand-alone sand control screen
– Select most likely screen type
• mesh sizes around D10 from PSD
• select maximum od screen size to minimise annulus (max 1”
less than nominal hole size drilled)
– Sand screen mesh sizing by proven lab testing methods
• Plugging resistance test flow and return perms (screen & sand
pack)
• Sand retention
– RDIF selection by testing
• Drillability (inc. shale stability, loss control, rheology)
• Completability (inc. formation damage, screen plugging)
– Clean-up treatment by testing
• Screen coupon from production line mesh
• Sand as per PSD
• RDIF with drill solids (including shale)
• Clean-up fluid at representative volume
16
 Formation Sand Variation
Sample Selection
Particle Size Distribution of Formation Sand Samples
100
High Perm Sand Low Perm Sand Worse Case
90

80
Cumulative % (wt.)

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
1000 100 10
Grain Diameter (microns) 17
 Test Procedures for
Screen Qualification
Gradual Formation
Failure
• Flow at constant dP
• Produced solids conc. and
particle size
• Initial / final sand pack,
gravel and screen perms

18
 Reservoir Drill-In Fluid Selection
Performance Test Criteria

Fluid Loss Control Formation Damage

Bridging Agent PSD Filtrate / Solids Invasion
Bridging Agent Conc Filtercake Restriction
Polymer/Starch Conc Drill Solids Conc / Reactivity
Rheology Screen Plugging
Polymer Conc Filtercake Plugging
Reactivity
Shale stability

19
 Clean-up System Testing
• Integrated test of:
– RDIF (with drill solids inc shales)
– Clean-up fluid volume, circulation, pressure
and temperature, soak time
– Flowback onto screen
• Screen plugging measurements:
– flow initiation pressure
– retained flow capacity
– peak pressure

20
 Screen Plugging Tests

Formation Sand

Filtercake
12.2 ppg OBM
w/ 7.5% HCL +25% EGMBE
12.2 ppg OBM
w/ Super Pickle + Mark II

Formation Sand

12.2 ppg NaBr/KCL WB DIF #3 12.2 ppg NaCL/KCL/NaBr

w/ EDTA WB DIF w/ EDTA 21
 Integrated System Testing
Callanish & Brodgar Screen
DIF/Screen/Clean-up Test Results
Plugging Test Results
100 100

• Results graph of retained productivity

%Ret K
Capacity)

Peak dP
K

10 80
Screen

Peak dP (psi)
1 60
Flow
% Retained
% Retained

0.1 40

0.01 20

0.001 0
12.2 ppg 12.2 ppg 12.2 ppg NaCL/Fordacal/MilBarFordacal/MilBarKCOOH Fordacal
Enviromul OBM
OBM # 2Enviromul OBM KCL/NaBr WBM
OBM # 2OBM # 2328 OBM # 2328 WBM # 32326 WBM
SuperPickle + 7.5%
w/ SuperPickle + HCL + EDTA SuperPickle
w/ 7.5% HCL + + 7.5% HCL w/ + EDTAEDTA
HDC MarkII +25%
XYZ MarkII EGMBE HDC
25% EGMBE MarkII 25% EGMBE

Callanish(Halliburton) Brodgar(Baker)
22
 Sand Control Best Practices
• Procurement
– Qualification testing (for specific screen
design & manufacturing location supplying
project)
• Corrosion testing weave (completion &
production fluids)
• Bead testing mesh size
• Burst & collapse full size joint
• Assess assembly, inspection, repair and quality
control procedures
– Manufacturing quality control
• Inspect records for satisfactory performance
• Inspect screens for correct assembly and signs
of repair 23
 Sand Control Best Practices
• Field installation
– Drill reservoir with RDIF MBT < 5ppg (pit, not returns),
drilled solids < 50% and < 30ppb
– Avoid too much steering which leaves ledges
– Clean boats, rig piping, pumps, shakers and pits
– Pickle running string and washpipe
– Minimise time between TD and screens on bottom for shale
clock (3-4 days to do all the stiff wiper trip, casing clean-up
and RIH practices)
– Circulate open hole to RDIF with zero solids (i.e. same shale
stabilisers, same viscosity, same weight to keep hole
diameter)
– Clean casing to < 0.01% solids in brine returns (not just
NTU)
– Make-up all screen using dope-free ideally, or 1” paint brush
doping pin-end only (screen, wash-pipe, work-string)
– Hold acid treatment against sand face to soak filter-cake by
holding wellbore static with seals in sealbores 24
 DIF Quality Control
Solids Conc in Active System
(Initial CaCO3 = 52 ppb; Dilution Rate = 0 bbl/ft)
100.0

90.0 Modelled CaCO3 Modelled Drill Solids

Measured CaCO3 Measured Drill Solids

80.0
Solids Conc (ppb)

70.0

60.0

50.0
40.0

30.0

20.0

10.0

0.0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Horizontal Length (ft)
25
 Impact of DIF Quality on Filtercake Cleanup
MBT or Drill Solids Conc. (lbs/bbl) 14

12

10

Good Removal Poor Removal

4

0
8000 9000 10000 11000 12000

MBT in Pit Drill Solids @ Bit MD (ft)

26
 Sand Control Best Practices
• Production Start-up
– Limit drawdown
– Gradual choke opening
– Production or reservoir engineer witness
offshore to influence, observe, record and
react
– Repeat for re-starts following first few
production trips

27
 Lessons Applied New Field
1. Sand control selection practices followed – 
2. Sand control design practices followed – 
3. Sand control manufacturing quality practices followed – 
4. Sand control installation practices followed in procedure, and in
practice – 
5. 60 - 80 metre screens will avoid plugging and erosion due to
lower rates/metre – 
6. 60 - 80 metre screen mesh intervals are less sensitive than last
wells to anything less than ideal practice at every stage – 
7. Annular gap minimised, which has much bigger effect than good
/ bad practices – 
8. Screen mesh sized for very large D10 sand size – 
9. Run screens in clean brine < 0.01% solids – 
10.Avoid plugging screens by keeping shales from swelling – 
11.Ensure acid treatment effective by testing, uncontaminated
filter-cake, good placement & exposure time to filter-cake – 

28
 Sand Control Best Practices
Key Points Summary
• Core samples for sand strength
• Long screens, large OD screens
• D10 particle size screen pre-selection & test
• Soluble filter cake by lab testing & QC
during drilling & completion operations
• Prevent shales swelling (RDIF shale
inhibitors, shale avoidance, exposure time)
• Clean pits, pumps, pipes, shakers, brine
and pickle running string & wash-pipe
29
 Sand Control Best Practices
Industry Completion Failure Data
Data for OH Completions with Stand-Alone Screens
90

80
Highest Failure Rate for Major Operator: 15 Failures/19 Wells
Completion Failure %

70
Average Failure Rate from Industry Database: 39 Failures/110 Wells
60
Lowest Failure Rate of Major Operators: 4 Failures/71 Wells
50

40

30

20

10

0
Industry Worst Industry Average Industry Best

SPE 73772 An Evaluation for Screen-Only and Gravel-Pack Completions

SPE 110082 Current State of the Premium Screen Industry: Buyer Beware ….
SPE 135294 Comparison of Inflow Performance and Reliability OHGP and OHSAS Completions
30