Offshore Sand Control and Well Stimulation Technology

Offshore, a form of sand control technology has been in commercial use since the early 1990’s. Offshore sand control technology combines two mature oil and gas technologies – hydraulic fracturing and gravel pack completions. The result has been a significant improvement in well life and reliability, productivity, and oil and gas recovery.

In many offshore regions, the geologic formations that produce oil and gas are unconsolidated, which means the sand that makes up these formations is loose or poorly bonded, much like the sand on a beach. As a result, this loose sand can end up inside the production piping in the well or production equipment on the surface. Sand production is highly undesirable since it can plug pipes and equipment, erode piping (much like sand blasting) and lead to corrosion of pipe and equipment. Eliminating sand production has been one of the main production challenges faced by engineers since the early days of offshore oil and gas development.

For more information, see briefing paper below: 

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Offshore Sand Control and Well Stimulation Technology (Updated July 20, 2016)

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