All oil & gas wells produce sand – either a little or a lot! Conventional sand control, which includes production limits or completions, has two downsides:
1. neither method achieves maximum production
2. both methods fail at some point – allowing solids to overwhelm the surface facility
Solids handling then becomes an expensive maintenance problem, HSE incident, or downtime production loss. What if the facility handled sand without interruption or equipment downtime? Even better, what if sand co-production improved recovery or restarted shut-in wells? Facilities Sand Management (FSM) skillfully handles solids to sustain production while minimizing the effects on operations.
FSM methodology uses five discrete steps: Separation, Collection, Cleaning, Dewatering, and Transport. All steps must be followed, with a focus on the approach – not a piece of equipment. Separation removes sand and solids from the flow stream, while Collection gathers the solids into a central location and isolate them from the process. Cleaning, if required, removes associated oil and Dewatering removes associated liquids – both to simplify handling and minimize handling volume. Transport brings the solids to disposal location, which may be discharge, landfill, ship-to-shore, or injection. Each step is integral to simplify operations and extend equipment life, and all steps can be incorporated into new or existing facilities. Solids handling should not be viewed as a waste stream treatment problem – it is a critical flow assurance task. FSM provides a degree of skill to solids handling to sustain flow in surface operations and enhance production. All content contained within this webinar is copyrighted by Dr. Hank Rawlins and its use and/or reproduction outside the portal requires express permission from Dr. Hank Rawlins.
