Considerations on sand control in natural gas wells

Mechanism of sand production in gas wells is complex and influenced by every operation performed into the well, starting from the opening of the production interval by drilling, and continuing with completion and putting into production as well as with the exploitation regime. Sand production along with fluids from gas reservoirs creates a series of potentially dangerous and costly problems. For selecting the most appropriate methods of sand-control all the data and information related to properties of reservoir rock, the history of sand production, the potential well flow rates as well as HSE and costs need to be evaluated. The conclusion of the authors is that the best results in sand control is achieved when the methods are applied before the production of sand may become an issue.