Study on sand control technology for Lower Miocene reservoir in Ca Tam field: Technical assessment, economic efficiency and application potential
Abstract
During oil and gas production, reservoir pressure depletion and increasing water cut lead to weakened wellbore mechanical strength, resulting in the onset of sand production. At the Ca Tam field, this issue is even more severe because the formation is geologically young and poorly consolidated; the critical sand-production threshold pressure is very close to the initial reservoir pressure, while the bottomhole pressure remains at a very high level. Sand production significantly reduces the actual oil recovery compared to the design expectation, and may cause wellbore damage, surface facility failures, and safety risks due to erosion of the platform’s protective systems.
This paper presents the theoretical basis of sand production and sand control, and analyzes production challenges in the Lower Miocene reservoir of the Ca Tam field. Based on this analysis, an optimal solution is proposed - the installation of sand-control screens using coiled tubing without the need for a conventional drilling rig.
References
Le Viet Hai, “Investigate solutions to effective exploitation of lower Miocene reservoir at Beluga”, 2024.
Nguyễn Văn Hùng, “Công nghệ tính toán, ngăn ngừa và xử lý trào cát vỉa trong các giếng khai thác”, 2024.
Arman Salahi, Ali Naghi Dehghan, Seyed Jamal Sheikhzakariaee, and Afshin Davarpanah, “Sand production control mechanisms during oil well production and construction”, Petroleum Research, Volume 6, Issue 4, pp. 361 - 367, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.ptlrs.2021.02.005.
Viện Nghiên cứu Khoa học và Thiết kế Dầu khí biển (NIPI), “FDP mỏ Cá Tầm”, 2023.
Nicholas Moses, “Ca Tam sand control completion study for Vietsovpetro”, 2023.
SLB, “Geomechanical modeling of the lower Miocene Reservoir in Ca Tam field & application for completion”, 2023.
R.J. Saucier, “Considerations in gravel pack design available to purchase”, Journal of Petroleum Technology, Volume 26, Issue 2, pp. 205 - 212, 1974. DOI: 10.2118/4030- PA.
Giin-Fa Fuh and Nobuo Morita, “Sand production prediction analysis of heterogeneous reservoirs for sand control and optimal well completion design”, International Petroleum Technology Conference, Beijing, China, 26 - 28 March, 2013. DOI: 10.2523/IPTC-16940-MS.
Siti Aishah Mohd Hatta, Irzee Zawawi, Anish Gupta, M. Safwan Ahmad Nadzri, Nurfarah Izwana Salleh, Suzanna Juyanty Jeffry, Natasha Md Sharif, Izza Hashimah Ishak, and M. Azuwan Maoinser, “Sand prediction for a cost-effective marginal green field development”, SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Brisbane, Australia, 23- 25 October 2018. DOI: 10.2118/192090-MS.
Y. Wang, “Sand prediction by different criteria and validation through a hollow cylinder test”, 46th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Chicago, Illinois, 24 – 27 June 2012.
1. The Author assigns all copyright in and to the article (the Work) to the Petrovietnam Journal, including the right to publish, republish, transmit, sell and distribute the Work in whole or in part in electronic and print editions of the Journal, in all media of expression now known or later developed.
2. By this assignment of copyright to the Petrovietnam Journal, reproduction, posting, transmission, distribution or other use of the Work in whole or in part in any medium by the Author requires a full citation to the Journal, suitable in form and content as follows: title of article, authors’ names, journal title, volume, issue, year, copyright owner as specified in the Journal, DOI number. Links to the final article published on the website of the Journal are encouraged.
