Publications

AR field is situated in Block-A, North Sumatera. The reservoir comes from Middle Miocene marine sand of MB sand and is categorized as HPHT reservoir (7,110 psi and 357oF). Considering the wells will produce at a high rate, the pressure drop at sand face might be very high, possibly leading to sand production. An informed decision is needed to optimize production and well completions in order to limit the impact of sand. Initially, the question is whether or not the well will produce sand. If the prediction confirms that sand will be produced, the next question is how to control the sand or to prevent sand production altogether. Sand production is a serious problem as it can affect production rates and damage equipment. The difficulty of sanding prediction in AR is that there is no producing experience. Underestimating the sand production may lead to costly sanding problems in the future, while overestimating may result in expensive installations of down-hole hardware and production reductions. To enhance the prediction validity, several approaches, i.e. stress-based concept, Van den Hoek, Exxon method, and porosity data, are utilized to crosscheck the result inherently. Stress-based concept using calculated P05 UCS (Uniaxial Compressive Strength), TWC (Thick Wall Cylinder strength) values of 14,845 psi will not produce sand, even with full depletion. Van den Hoek approach found that a very small quantity of sand, approximately 0.0035 liter/day, will be produced after 10 months of production. Exxon Method confirms that the rock would not fail at drawdown of 2,200 psi. Porosity data of around 13%, the sand production will probably be less. This paper is intended to share an integrated approach to assess the risk of sanding where there is a little or no producing experience or where, in the worst case, the strength of the formation is neither strong nor weak. As a result, production engineers will be able to optimize a completion strategy and well production.