An Evaluation of Plastic Sand Control Methods Used in the South Louisiana Area
Authors: Miles Leon H. , DeShazer W.A. 
Published: December 2007

American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc.

This paper was prepared for the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME Symposium on Formation Damage Control, to be held in New Orleans, La., Feb. 7–8, 1974. 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 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. 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 advent of MER allowables on offshore Federal leases has stimulated the development of sand control methods which would effectively halt sand production with a minimum amount of permeability damage. The sand control problem is compounded when permeability damage. The sand control problem is compounded when the formation is silty and dispersed with clay.

Atlantic Richfield faced this problem in a recent shallow Pliocene discovery. Conventional sand control methods which had Pliocene discovery. Conventional sand control methods which had been used successfully in other areas were found to be unsatisfactory because of the high clay content of the formation. Production problems early in the development life of this field led Production problems early in the development life of this field led to a coordinated laboratory and field study of different methods of sand control.

The laboratory tests were conducted on fresh core samples using procedures developed to simulate field practice and formation conditions as nearly as possible. Three generalized techniques were investigated,resin coated gravel slurry,internally catalyzed sand consolidation andexternally catalyzed sand consolidation.

These methods were then compared on the bases of permeability impairment, mechanical strength, and stability upon permeability impairment, mechanical strength, and stability upon exposure to oil and water production.

The evaluation was used to develop a generalized field procedure for the application of a resin coated gravel slurry procedure for the application of a resin coated gravel slurry squeeze treatment over long perforated intervals. When applied to the problem field, this treatment was responsible for one of the highest average per well rates on the Gulf Coast.

Introduction

In a recently developed field in the South Louisiana District, Atlantic Richfield encountered a sand series which proved to be oil productive but was considered by many to be of marginal significance. These sands, of Pliocene age, were unconsolidated, very fine grained, and interbedded with silt and clay. Sand free production could be achieved only at low uneconomic rates. The production could be achieved only at low uneconomic rates. The poor sand quality and the necessity for multiple completions poor sand quality and the necessity for multiple completions virtually eliminated the use of gravel packing for sand control.

Engineers were faced with a choice of several consolidation techniques, none of which appeared to be ideally suited to the formation. Experience with sands believed to be similar in character led to early completions with an externally catalyzed phenol-formaldehyde resin. phenol-formaldehyde resin.