Identifying the Formation Failure Mechanism and Controlling Sand Production from the Upper Tuscaloosa Formation in the East Heidelberg Field Mississippi

摘要

Wells previously completed in the upper Tuscaloosa andChristmas Green formations in the Heidelberg Field in JasperCounty, Mississippi have exhibited a trend to produceformation sand sometime during their productive lives.Historically, traditional sand control methods have been usedto control this sand production.In order to determine formation failure mechanism, a studyusing a systematic process had been conducted in completionsnear Jasper County, Mississippi to determine the failuremechanism. Because of the success in other areas, the sameprocess was used in the upper Tuscaloosa and ChristmasGreen formations in a four-well field development. Theprocesses not only were capable of confirming the formationfailuremechanism but also were capable of controlling sandproduction without limiting fluid deliverability in the fourwells. From this study, a hypothesis was formulated todetermine the cause of formation failure.The four-well case history will discuss the systematicapproach used to confirm the formation failure mechanismand the technology that was then employed to remediate thefailure mechanism and to allow these wells to be economicallyproduced.The discussion will cover eight completions in fourwellbores in the East Heidelberg Field. Completion andstimulation technologies will be discussed, including the useof a conductivity enhancement modifier. The effect of theconductivity enhancement and surface modifier on the UpperTuscaloosa and Christmas Formation will be shown.The results of the study enabled proper methods to beestablished to control sand production.