Successful Case of Resin-Based Chemical Sand Consolidation as a Remedial Sand Control Treatment

Abstract

The Mahakam delta in east Kalimantan, Indonesia, yields gas as the main hydrocarbon production with giant reservoirs ranging from shallow to very deep zones. Reservoirs consists of clean sandstone with high permeability. Due to the field maturity, production gradually moved from the deep, consolidated zones into very shallow, unconsolidated zones. Sand production often causes significant problems at the surface when the well is online. The best approach to sand control is to keep it inside the reservoir, because it could create problems not only at surface but within the wellbore as well. Sand consolidation has been a common approach applied in Mahakam field for more than a decade. Several products have been utilized, including laboratory testing and field trials. The case history is based on a well that had been treated using 2 different sand consolidation products in the past, but both eventually produced inadequate results. Sand continued to break through after each treatment, hence the reserves could not be drained in full. Since the reservoir still had promising reserves, another remedial sand consolidation treatment was planned. This treatment was executed by utilizing a tension packer with a J-slot mechanism in order to focus injection of the resin into the zone of interest. Additionally, there was a challenge with another open zone above the subject interval. The remedial sand consolidation treatment using a resin-based chemical delivered excellent results. Even though this reservoir had been exposed to 2 different chemical treatments in the past, by using the resin-based sand consolidation product, the well was still able to be produced at target rates without sand production. In conclusion, resin-based sand consolidation solutions can unlock prolific reserves that may have been a significant challenge with traditional methods.