Research on precision accuracy of sand control for deep-water heavy oil field in Haute Mer A Block

Haute Mer A block is a sanding deep-water heavy oil reservoir in Congo sea, it had a low productivity after being applied to gravel pack technique which followed the conventional accuracy of sand control principle. In order to obtain a reasonable accuracy of sand control, the maximum sand concentration was proposed based on different design principles of offshore heavy oil field, and an unconventional design rule was developed according to a gravel pack experiment and “analytical method by three curves”. The relative permeability, residual permeability and sand concentration could be considered by this method. Results show that the permeability reached the peak when the ratio of pack median grain size to formation median grain size varied within the range of 8 to 9, and accuracy of sand control designed by this new standard come to a higher productivity index 4 times than those designed by Saucier’s method. The problem of low oil production after sand control in Haute Mer A block had been resolved, and this may provide a new ideas for the design of sand control accuracy in heavy oil field.