A new through-tubing sand control service from Halliburton solves the problem of controlling poorly consolidated formations in brownfield developments. Called SandTrap, the service consists of a pumpable resin that can be introduced though tubing to lock sand grains in place in the formation without adversely affecting producibility. Several features combine to facilitate the effectiveness of the treatment, including:
Operational simplicity with brine and solvent pre-flush stages, and two-component consolidation fluid and brine post-flush;
Displacement of connate water to improve resin bonding to the matrix;
Good consolidation performance, even in sands with clay content; and
Post-flush displaces the consolidation fluid to retain pat sand permeability.
According to the company, treated sands maintain almost 100% of their initial permeability following treatment. The system uses a solvent/resin mixture that causes the resin to be deposited as a thin film on formation surfaces. The low viscosity resin is internally catalyzed so no post-flush stages are requires to initiate the bonding process. Uniform and consistent placement of the resin is enabled by its low contrast rheology. Deployment can be down production tubing, via coiled tubing or with a workover string using a service packer. The service is suitable for new completions or to treat a failed gravel pack so the zone can be put back on production.
Recently, on a Gulf of Mexico gas recompletion with a 2-ft (.61-m) pay interval, SandTrap was bullheaded down production tubing. After treatment, the well tested 1.3 MMcfg/d sand free with flowing tubing pressure of 2,000 psi and shut-in pressure of 2,200 psi.
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