SAND PRODUCTION CONTROL IN KAZAKHSTAN OILFIELDS USING A MULTIPHASE CFD-DEM MODEL

Sand production is a significant issue in Kazakhstan’s oil and gas fields with unconsolidated formations involving the multiphase flow (water-oil) of reservoir fluids and solid particles. The sand control approach includes the multiscale mechanisms of sand production, particularly fluid flow and particle movement. This study investigates sand production and oil recovery in multiphase flow using coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) modeling on a cubic sandstone sample, focusing on a traditional vertical producing well. The weak sandstone formations model was used to simulate sand particle extraction from Object 2 of the Karazhanbas oilfield. The four cases with different sieve sizes and one without sieve were simulated. The sieve sizes were chosen based on sample particle size distribution (PSD). The transient sand production behavior in simulations without a sieve was observed and showed qualitative agreement with the literature data. Sieve size significantly impact sand production, with smaller sieves reducing extraction rates. Effective sand control was achieved with sieve diameters up to 3d50 (average particle diameter), beyond which further increases did not prevent sand production. The sieve implementation had a multiplicative effect: controlling sand production and improving the oil recovery factor by up to 21%.