Sand Control 159

3.2.3.1. Intrusive detectors

These were the earliest form of flowline sand detector. They are known as sand
probes (also finger probes) and have been available since the late 1960s. They consist
of a hollow stainless steel cylinder. This can be inserted and removed under pressure
using isolation valves and a lubricator system. When the cylinder erodes through,
the pressure inside the cylinder increases to the flow stream pressure and this can be
detected with a pressure transmitter. They were originally designed to detect
erosion and then automatically shut-in in the well for a workover before serious
(integrity threatening) erosion could occur (Swan and Reimer, 1973). In modern
applications, they would normally be linked to an alarm. They are best placed on a
vertical section of flowline at least 20 diameters downstream of a bend or major
restriction.
A variation of the sand probe is an erosion probe (a modified corrosion probe).
The difference compared with the corrosion probe is that a stainless steel (corrosion-
resistant) cylinder is used. This probe can again be replaced under pressure.
Electronics are used to detect a change in electrical resistance and therefore provide
continuous measurement of erosion. A reference (out of the flow stream) piece of
the probe material is used to compensate for the effect of temperature on resistance.
In an alternative and simpler erosion detector, a probe is periodically retrieved and
weighed (weight loss coupon). The resistance-type probe can be deployed subsea if a
probe large enough to last the well lifetime is used (Braaten and Johnsen, 2000).
Calibration is required since the erosion rate depends on the precise sand size
distribution as well as flow conditions. Since production rate and phase distribution
affect results, this needs to be adjusted for (Megyery et al., 2000). The advantage of
the erosion probe is that it is directly measuring the consequence of sand production.

3.2.3.2. Non-intrusive detectors

These devices are acoustic and have largely (but not entirely) replaced the intrusive
probes due to greater sensitivity, cheaper installation and the ability to be retrofitted
in most fields (including subsea). An example of a sand detector is shown in
Figure 3.23.
Solid particles hitting a flowline wall will generate a high-frequency (100–
500 kHz) acoustic pulse in the metal. A sensor (essentially a sensitive, high-
frequency microphone) detects this pulse and converts the response to an electrical
signal that can be processed and measured. The sensor is determining the kinetic
energy of the impact (Ek). The kinetic energy is dependent on the impact velocity
(v) and mass of the grain (m):
1
Ek ¼ mv2 (3.25)
2
As the sensor physically connects to the flowline and picks up the impact of a
sand particle, it makes sense to place the sensor on the outside of a bend (ideally
downstream within two pipeline diameters). Digital processing filters out responses
outwith the 100–500 kHz band. In this frequency band the sensor picks up sand
impacts as well as some flow noise, and a threshold signal level is used before sand