FES Funded Projects Outputs Show only Author
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Novel Laboratory Methodology for Fines Migration Testing for SAGD Wells The near-wellbore permeability loss owing to the release and migration of naturally fine particles
impairs the well productivity in oil reservoirs. The damage would be intensified in the presence
of restrictions such as sand control screens used in unconsolidated formations due to retardation
and accumulation of fine particles resulting from flow convergence and high volumetric flux. In
this study, sand retention flow tests in unconsolidated sand packs with different sand screens
resulted in fines migration under salinity reduction and consequently high permeability loss near
the sand screens. The sand pack represented a high permeable oil sand reservoir around a SAGD
well producer with a relatively high content of fine clay particles. In general, sand screens with a
low open flow area and narrow aperture size caused higher permeability loss under the same flow
conditions. Higher salinity reduction yielded higher mobilized fines concentration, causing high
permeability loss of the sample.
A 3D numerical model considering the sand screen geometry simulated the fines migration
process and matched the observed pressure drops with acceptable accuracy. The initial mobile
fines concentration for the model was set upon assuming an instant fine particles release
mechanism under salinity change. The model incorporates governing equations of fluid and
species transport in porous media associated with variations in porosity and permeability by
retained fine particles. Two objective functions of dimensionless pressure drop along the whole
and top-interval of the sand pack determined the model parameters through an optimization
algorithm. The calibrated model could predict the dimensionless pressure drops for the near
screen interval with sufficient accuracy. It was confirmed that the matching parameters were
nearly independent of the sand screen. However, different values for different salinities were
obtained, confirming their dependency on flow properties along with the porous media.
Keywords: Numerical modeling, Fines migration, Unconsolidated sands, Sand control screenT07-P03 University of Alberta Activity 2021-05-01 T07-P03 Permeability decline by fines migration near sand control screens in steam assisted gravity drainage: A numerical assessment The near-wellbore permeability loss caused by the release and migration of naturally fine particles impairs the well productivity in oil reservoirs. The damage would be intensified in the presence of restrictions such as sand control screens due to retardation and accumulation of fine particles resulting from flow convergence and high volumetric flux.T07-P03 University of Alberta Publication 2023-02-15 T07-P03 Near-Wellbore Permeability Damage by Fines Migration in Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage Wells This thesis investigates the flow performance impairment or permeability damage under the fines migration process near the SAGD wellbore producers completed with sand control screens. A new sand retention testing (SRT) procedure was developed to replicate a more representative fines migration process in SAGD wellbore conditions to evaluate the flow performance of sand control screens. The investigation factors included different sand control screen specifications, flow rate, flow salinity, fines content, and sand and fine particles size distributions. The research was conducted in two experimental and numerical stages.
The first stage comprised extensive SRT experiments to investigate the hydrodynamic and chemical effects of the fines migration process, evaluate the reliability of previous testing procedures for replicating representative fines migration process in SRT experiments, and troubleshoot the set-up deficiencies. T07-P03 Publication 2022-11-30 Rahman Miri
T07-P03 In-situ Combustion: A Comprehensive Review of the Current State of Knowledge This paper is related to In Situ Combustion. ISC has some advantages compared to SAGD process including higher thermal efficiency, small heat loss and it can be applied in deeper and high-pressure reservoirs. This paper reviews the ISC and investigates the issues and possible solutions.T07-P03 University of Alberta Publication 2023-12-01 Juan David Antolinez Jimenez, Rahman Miri,
Nouri, A. T07-P03 Sand Control Screen Selection for Cased Dual-Annulus Gas Wells based on Scaled Laboratory Tests This paper is under preparation and related to sand control in dual annalus gas wells.T07-P03 University of Alberta Publication 2023-12-20 T07-P03 Near-Wellbore Salinity Effect on Sand Control Plugging by Fines Migration in Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage Producer Wells The study investigates the impact of formation water salinity on fines migration and the flow performance of sand control screens in steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) wells. Researchers conducted sand retention testing (SRT) under representative rock and multiphase flow conditions. They developed a novel SRT methodology that incorporated the salinity effect in multiphase flow through sandpack and sand control screens. The results revealed that reducing salinity significantly decreased the retained permeability of the screen coupon due to fines migration. This research highlights the importance of considering salinity effects in sand retention tests for SAGD wells, especially where high saline formation water is diluted by low-saline condensate steamT07-P03 University of Alberta Publication 2024-03-04 T07-P03 A Review of Fines Migration around Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage Wellbores T07-P03 University of Alberta Publication 2021-10-01 T07-P03 Formation Damage in SAGD: A Review of Experimental Modelling Techniques This review investigates formation damage mechanisms in SAGD operations, focusing on near-wellbore effects induced by high temperature and pressure. It synthesizes experimental observations and modeling approaches addressing fines migration, inorganic scaling, wettability alteration, and mineral transformations. The paper proposes a new experimental framework to evaluate formation damage in SAGD wells and guide mitigation strategies. This research was funded by Future Energy Systems (FES) under the project “Thermal Well Design and Testing (T07-P03)”.T07-P03, T07-P03-LBP1 University of Alberta Publication 2025-02-12 Fernando Rengifo Barbosa, Rahman Miri,
Nouri, A. T07-P03, T07-P03-LBP1 Thermal Effects on Fines Migration: Insights from Sand Pack Experiments This study investigates the influence of thermal and salinity variations on fines migration in SAGD reservoirs through high-pressure, high-temperature sand retention testing (SRT). Laboratory experiments with synthetic sand mixtures and slotted liner coupons revealed how repulsive electrostatic forces influence fines mobilization, transport, and retention. Findings provide insights into designing field strategies to mitigate permeability impairment and enhance oil recovery. This research was funded by Future Energy Systems (FES) under the project “Thermal Well Design and Testing (T07-P03)”T07-P03, T07-P03-LBP1 University of Alberta Publication 2025-07-01 T07-P03, T07-P03-LBP1 Innovative In Situ Combustion Technique: Dynamic Interval Air Injection (DIAI) for Enhanced Oil Recovery This study proposes a novel enhancement to the Toe-to-Heel Air Injection (THAI) process through Dynamic Interval Air Injection (DIAI), which dynamically adjusts injection zones to enhance combustion progression and oil recovery. Lab- and field-scale modeling demonstrated a 3.5-fold increase in oil displacement and improved oxygen efficiency compared to conventional THAI, highlighting DIAI’s potential for optimizing ISC performance. Funding for this work was provided by Future Energy Systems (FES) program under the project “Thermal Well Design and Testing (T07-P03)”.T07-P03, T07-P03-LBP1 University of Alberta Publication 2025-07-21 T07-P03, T07-P03-LBP1
