Advances and challenges of sand production and control in oilfields: A review

Sand production poses a critical issue in the oil and gas industry, particularly oil fields with unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs, resulting in equipment damage, wellbore instability, and heightened operational costs. The main causes of sand production include water breakthrough, unconsolidated f...

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Main Authors: Muhammad Muhammad, Azad Anugerah Ali Rasol
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Results in Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025006747
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author Muhammad Muhammad
Azad Anugerah Ali Rasol
author_facet Muhammad Muhammad
Azad Anugerah Ali Rasol
author_sort Muhammad Muhammad
collection DOAJ
description Sand production poses a critical issue in the oil and gas industry, particularly oil fields with unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs, resulting in equipment damage, wellbore instability, and heightened operational costs. The main causes of sand production include water breakthrough, unconsolidated formation, reduction in pore pressure, high production rate, gas to liquid ratio and phase change. Despite advancements in sand control methods, no single solution is universally effective for all reservoirs. Current technologies involve using advanced materials for screens, gravel packs, chemical treatment, different methods of sand prediction models, and emphasizing the integration of real-time monitoring systems to enhance sand control effectiveness. This paper discusses and analyzes the mechanisms of sand production, advanced sand management strategies, sand predictions model and monitory sensors, and challenges associated with sand control techniques, including mechanical, chemical methods, and hydrocyclone desanders. This paper highlighted some of the most used chemical agents in laboratory and field experiments for sand consolidation, are evaluated to determine their effectiveness in sand mitigation. Emphasis is placed on the limitations of existing chemical treatments and hydrocyclone desander, and the need for advanced chemical remediation techniques. Surface systems can be adjusted and maintained more easily than downhole sand control systems. Surface chemical treatment strategies such as introducing chemical sand coagulation-flocculation enhance hydrocyclone desander efficiency as new innovative sand control technology will serve as potential solutions for maintaining reservoir integrity and minimizing sand production.
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spelling doaj-art-97ea3971f23d435da6e47d4a02ea6d6b2025-08-20T02:47:40ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-03-012510459610.1016/j.rineng.2025.104596Advances and challenges of sand production and control in oilfields: A reviewMuhammad Muhammad0Azad Anugerah Ali Rasol1Department of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia; Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corperation Institute for Oil and Gas (MPRC-UTM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia; Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny Island, NigeriaDepartment of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia; Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corperation Institute for Oil and Gas (MPRC-UTM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia; Corresponding author at: Department of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia.Sand production poses a critical issue in the oil and gas industry, particularly oil fields with unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs, resulting in equipment damage, wellbore instability, and heightened operational costs. The main causes of sand production include water breakthrough, unconsolidated formation, reduction in pore pressure, high production rate, gas to liquid ratio and phase change. Despite advancements in sand control methods, no single solution is universally effective for all reservoirs. Current technologies involve using advanced materials for screens, gravel packs, chemical treatment, different methods of sand prediction models, and emphasizing the integration of real-time monitoring systems to enhance sand control effectiveness. This paper discusses and analyzes the mechanisms of sand production, advanced sand management strategies, sand predictions model and monitory sensors, and challenges associated with sand control techniques, including mechanical, chemical methods, and hydrocyclone desanders. This paper highlighted some of the most used chemical agents in laboratory and field experiments for sand consolidation, are evaluated to determine their effectiveness in sand mitigation. Emphasis is placed on the limitations of existing chemical treatments and hydrocyclone desander, and the need for advanced chemical remediation techniques. Surface systems can be adjusted and maintained more easily than downhole sand control systems. Surface chemical treatment strategies such as introducing chemical sand coagulation-flocculation enhance hydrocyclone desander efficiency as new innovative sand control technology will serve as potential solutions for maintaining reservoir integrity and minimizing sand production.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025006747Sand productionSand controlChemical consolidationSand predictionSand monitoring
spellingShingle Muhammad Muhammad
Azad Anugerah Ali Rasol
Advances and challenges of sand production and control in oilfields: A review
Results in Engineering
Sand production
Sand control
Chemical consolidation
Sand prediction
Sand monitoring
title Advances and challenges of sand production and control in oilfields: A review
title_full Advances and challenges of sand production and control in oilfields: A review
title_fullStr Advances and challenges of sand production and control in oilfields: A review
title_full_unstemmed Advances and challenges of sand production and control in oilfields: A review
title_short Advances and challenges of sand production and control in oilfields: A review
title_sort advances and challenges of sand production and control in oilfields a review
topic Sand production
Sand control
Chemical consolidation
Sand prediction
Sand monitoring
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025006747
work_keys_str_mv AT muhammadmuhammad advancesandchallengesofsandproductionandcontrolinoilfieldsareview
AT azadanugerahalirasol advancesandchallengesofsandproductionandcontrolinoilfieldsareview