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Abstract Sand production can be challenging for many operators in all over the world. The production of formation sand and fines can cause erosion, or plugging to both surface and sub-surface equipment, resulting in major well intervention, environment disaster due to flow lines or vessels damage and sand disposal costs. This thesis is dedicated to study and evaluate Sand Production and Its Control in the Nile Delta Oilfields of Egypt, and offer a complete control system for subsurface and surface equipment protection, and this by prevent or reduce sand production, with mechanical or/and chemical well interventions, also adjustment the operating parameters whatever having control equipment or not. If the sand starts to migrate, we will follow it to stop and collect it at the nearest station, to prevent erosion and damage of the next stations. Sand grains migration stations start from the formation, wellbore, production tubing, completion accessories, x-mass tree, choke, flow line, plant manifold, and finally process equipment. So, the target is to stop the grain at the deepest station, because it will damage any station it will pass through. Focusing on the Nile Delta Oilfields of Egypt because it a great example which illustrates the problem of sand production and the proposed solutions. The reasons for the selection of Nile Delta are; the complex stratigraphic Column, pay zones nature, rock, reservoir, well nature, and the surface surrounding environment of Nile Delta of Egypt. selection of different wells from different areas represents the Nile Delta Oilfields of Egypt, and review the wells production and pressure performance history, then investigate the data to know the problem and recommend the suitable solution to avoid the sand production or the way to co-exist with the produced sand, this recommendations depend on data calculation, for example:, the study proved that the a lot of wells of K gas field(located west Nile delta) were put on production with rate higher than the maximum calculate gas rate, which leads to early production tubing and flow line erosion, also early water and sand production (such as well K-1 was put on production on rate 25 MMscf/d, with production tubing size 3.5” and flow line 4”, and depend on the study calculations the recommendation was to put the said well on production with rate not higher than 18 MMscf/d (initial reservoir pressure 4700 psig) , and when the reservoir pressure depleted (declined) to 1800 psig, the formation compressive strength decrease and fine migration started and with water production the cementing materials dissolved and increase the sand production and carry it to the surface. At that moment the well should recompleted with cased/open hole gravelpack. and the study illustrate a lot of recommendation and solutions for future work. Finally we will have a complete control system study from the pay zone to the last point of the plant process area. The study will illustrate the problem of sand production and the proposed solutions. Also it will consider an excellent guide and database for any researcher or company come to work in Nile Delta Oilfields of Egypt, and consequently this will leads to save a lot of effort, time, production, and money. |