World’s First Pilot Installation of Boron Diffused Erosion Resistant Through Tubing Sand Screen (ER TTSS) in a Producing Gas Field: A Novel Application in Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Navaratnam Dharshana , Rosland Eadie Azahar , Azman M Fairuz , XianLung Ivan Chee , Kah Meng Tham , Kamarul Zaman Nur Hazrina , Ibrahim Kamal Sarah Nabilah , Salleh Khiril Shahreza , A Rahim M Shamir , M Zin A Zulkifli , Manaharan Ilangkabilan , Madon Bahrom , Hamidun Mohd Fadzli 
Published: October 2023

Assets in Peninsular Malaysia mainly consist of brown fields, characterized by shallow and unconsolidated reservoirs. The occurrence of sand production poses a significant problem, causing disruptions to gas production. During the initial planning of Field A’s development, sand production was unexpected due to the reservoir’s competence. Consequently, the wells and facilities were not designed to handle this issue. The presence of solid particles in gas wells with high production rates can create an exceedingly erosive environment, necessitating restrictions on most wells. Considering it is a brown field, conducting workover operations can be economically unfeasible. The most cost-effective solution for the field involves implementing remedial sand control methods. However, the challenge lies in determining the technology that can provide a sustainable solution. To address this, a pilot project was initiated, introducing the innovative Boron Diffused Erosion Resistant Through Tubing Sand Screen (ER TTSS) technology. The results obtained after installing this technology showed promising improvements in well performance.

Boron diffused ER TTSS represents an advancement of the conventional wire wrapped screen (WWS). The WWS design features a simple open structure without a base pipe, making it versatile for various installation requirements. The distinctive aspect of this design lies in the boriding process, where the WWS undergoes treatment with Boron Carbide in a furnace, creating an exceptionally hard and wear-resistant surface layer in addition to enhancing resistance against high-speed corrosion and erosion. In Field A, seven strings were selected as pilot candidates based on their locked-in potential. To establish a detailed design for the sand screens, considerations were made regarding the screen opening size, screen length, and optimal installation locations. Sand samples from these wells was essential to accurately determine the appropriate screen slot sizes for long-term sand-free production. Following the successful installation, strict adherence to bean up procedures was maintained to prevent screen erosion damage and allow for natural sand packing downhole. Concurrently, acoustic sand sampling (ASM) and online sand sampling (OSS) technologies were employed during flow back to monitor solids until the desired gas rate was achieved.

The wells underwent a 6-month flow period during which frequent sampling was conducted. As a pilot project, various success criteria were established as part of the performance metrics such as proposed target rate versus actual flowing parameters, screen condition post retrieval, effective screen lifespan and slot size tolerance. The implementation of Boron sand screens has yielded a profit of USD $34 million, as demonstrated by the significant increase of 40 MMscfd in production after several months. The payout period was achieved in less than a month of production.

Production upset caused by sand is a common issue particularly in late field life. However, with the right sand management technology along with effective designing and planning, sand issues can be mitigated at well level for a sustainable gas production. Positive results from Field A have proven the effectiveness of diffused Boron ERTTSS for replication in similar fields with LIP due to sand.