Sand entering production wells is one of the biggest problems faced by oil companies, it’s also one of the toughest to solve. Sand production can cause severe operational problems, with the petroleum industry spending millions of dollars each year on sand cleaning, repair and re-drill costs.
The presence of sand in a production stream is an all too common issue for well operators, and for wells drilled in high permeability formations, sand production is not a question of ‘if’, but rather ‘when’. The effects of sand production are very costly and can be catastrophic. Typically, sand production results in the reduction of hydrocarbon production rates, and operational up-time, as sand management techniques are applied. In more severe cases, sand production can cause erosion and wear to downhole components and surface equipment, leading to a potential loss of containment and forcing operators to undertake expensive, time consuming repairs or replacement of wells and production facilities.
Understanding the location, nature and extent of downhole sand deposits allows operators to select the most effective remedial solution and target their application, leading to optimized wellbore clean-up operations with minimal production downtime. By identifying the exact origins of sand production downhole, operators can apply in-situ remedial action to eliminate the presence of sand directly at its source, enabling extension in the life of the well and avoiding costly workover or re-drill operations.
EV’s range of world leading visual diagnostic services provides the pinpoint, high definition intelligence required to fully understand downhole sanding issues. With a slick, mechanically simple toolstring, and flexible conveyance options, EV’s visual diagnostic solutions provide unrivalled, real-time decision-making capability to help optimize sand remediation strategies, reduce operating risk and minimize production downtime.