Patent ID: 8869897

Claim:
A method for preventing production and formation of a loose sand particle from a production zone of an underground formation during production of a production fluid, the method comprising the steps of: converting in the production zone both the loose sand particle into a magnetized loose sand particle and a cemented sand particle into a magnetized cemented sand particle, where the production zone comprises the loose sand particle, the cemented sand particle and the production fluid, and where the cemented sand particle has a mean cementation strength to the production zone; introducing a magnetic source into a wellbore such that the magnetic source is located proximate to the production zone, where the wellbore traverses the underground formation; operating the magnetic source such that a continuous magnetic field is generated such that both the magnetized loose sand particle and the magnetized cemented sand particle within the continuous magnetic field experience a continuous repulsive magnetic force directed away from the wellbore, where the continuous magnetic field penetrates through the production zone for a distance from the magnetic source and where the continuous repulsive magnetic force is less than the mean cementation strength; producing the production fluid from the production zone to the wellbore at a production rate such that both the magnetized loose sand particle and the magnetized cemented sand particle experience a production fluid drag force directed towards the wellbore that is less than or equal to the continuous repulsive magnetic force; and maintaining both the magnetic source and the production rate of the production fluid such that within the distance from the magnetic source the production fluid drag force is less than or equal to the continuous repulsive magnetic force, such that the net difference between the continuous repulsive magnetic force and the production fluid drag force is in a range up to the mean cementation strength, such that the magnetized loose sand particle is not produced into the wellbore and such that the magnetized cemented sand particle is not converted into a magnetized loose sand particle.