Application of Bridging theory on Saucier gravel to examine the sand control effect

摘要

Gravel packing is one of the sand control techniqueseffectively used in oilfields with unconsolidated formation. Thetechnique most widely used for selecting a suitable sized gravelto control the production of formation sand was developed bySaucier. With this technique, however, no consideration isgiven to the size distribution of the formation sand sample,which probably results in failure in sand control. This paperreviews the technique outlined by Saucier, and then thebridging theory as well as an empirical formula for packedparticles is applied here to examine the sand control effect ofthe gravel chosen with Saucier formula. An offshore case inChina is also presented to illustrate the effect. The analysis willbe helpful in gravel packing design.