Initiation Of Sand Production In The Cold Production Process

The cold production process involves the simultaneous production of heavy oil containing large numbers of small bubbles of exsolved gas and sand from vertical wells through the use of progressive cavity pumps. A critical component of the process is the initiation of sand production, which occurs at the casing perforations and also in the near wellbore region and in the far-field. Development of predictive models for initiation of sand production requires identification of the dominant initiation mechanisms. This paper assesses the capability of sand matrix failure models to act as predictive tools for initiation of sand production. It compares the critical pressure gradients for sand production predicted by these models with the pressure gradients observed under field conditions and in laboratory experiments.