Assessing Sanding Risks and Sand Control Options Using a Geomechanical Approach in a Deepwater Oil Field, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Sand production can affect hydrocarbon recovery and increase operational costs. This paper describes a geomechanical evaluation for sand management decisions in the Golfinho field at 1500 m water depth offshore Brazil where most wells have been completed with gravel pack as the sand control strategy, and some experienced low productivity and failed sand control incidents. The potential of sand failure was assessed through a systematic approach focused on completions optimization and the applicability of stand-alone screens (SAS) in future wells. A comprehensive data review was conducted for wells located in two different areas of the field to construct a geomechanical model and perform sanding analysis. A poroelastic analytical sand production prediction approach was conducted to investigate the risk of sanding in the existing and planned wells under depletion conditions. Field sanding experiences in several existing production wells were used to build and verify a geomechanical sanding model for the two Maastrichtian and Santonian target reservoirs. A sanding model matched all sanding evidence for both reservoirs and was then used for sanding risk assessments and sand management optimizations in planned wells. The analysis revealed that the planned horizontal wells targeting the Maastrichtian will be sand-prone, while the Santonian reservoirs offer a low risk of sanding, where vertical open holes may not need sand control. The findings of the geomechanical sanding assessment were used to re-evaluate the sand control completion strategy in the study field.