Development and Field Application of the Process for Sand Consolidation Employing EPOSAND Resin
Authors: Bezemer C. , Meijs F.H. 
Published: December 2007

This paper was prepared for the 41st Annual Fall Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, to be held in Dallas, Tex., Oct. 2–5, 1966. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon request to the Editor of the appropriate journal provided agreement to give proper credit is made.

Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines.

The system of sand consolidation employing "EPOSAND" resin utilizes a dilute solution of an epoxy compound and a curing agent. After the solution has been introduced into the pores of the sand, a liquid resin separates from the solvent and, after migration to the grain-to-grain contacts, hardens to form a strong bond between the sand grains.

Results are presented of a study of the essential steps of phase separation and liquid-resin migration. Determining factors proved to be the solvent properties and the wetting of the sand by the liquid resin.

In the development of the process for field use attention was given to suck aspects as: concentration of resin components in the solution, control of reaction rate, consolidation of wet sands and resistance of the consolidated sand to reservoir fluids. Some experimental work has also been done on the phenomenon of sand entrainment by fluid flow through loosely consolidated sand.

The result of this work was the consolidating fluid "EPOSAND", which gives strongly consolidated sands with relatively little reduction in permeability. "EPOSAND" can be used at temperatures and pressures normally occurring in loose sand formations. Sands treated with "EPOSAND" are resistant to oil and, through the application of chemical coupling agents, also to formation water. It proved necessary to remove connate water (e.g. by flushing with isopropyl alcohol) prior to injecting "EPOSAND" into the formation.

A discussion of field techniques is presented. The process employing "EPOSAND" has achieved a success ratio of over 90 per cent in more than 600 treatments.

Introduction

The influx of sand into the well bore when production is from poorly consolidated or loose sand formations often presents a serious problem. Numerous mechanical devices have been developed to prevent the sand from entering the well bore. Installed in the well bore opposite the producing formation, most of them act as down-hole filters. Slotted liners, wire-wrapped screens and gravel packs are examples of devices used in these sand-retaining methods.

Sand consolidation was introduced in the field some twenty years ago as an alternative method in combating the problem of sand influx in wells.