Most of the test protocols developed to evaluate sand-screen designs were based on scaled-screen test coupons. There have been discussions regarding the reliability of such tests on scaled test coupons. This paper presents the results of tests on wire-wrapped screen (WWS) and slotted liner (SL) test coupons for typical onshore Canada McMurray formation sand.

A unique sand control evaluation apparatus has been designed and built to accommodate all common stand-alone screens that are 3.5 in. in diameter and 12 in. in height. This setup provides the capability to have a radial measurement of pressure across the sandpack and screen for three-phase flow. Certain challenges during testing such as establishing uniform radial flow and measuring the differential pressure are outlined. Produced sand is also measured during the test. The main outputs of the test are to assess the sand control performance and the mode of sanding in different flow directions, flow rates, and flow regimes.

It was possible to establish uniform radial flow in both high- and low-permeability sandpacks. However, the establishment of radial flow in sandpacks with very high permeability was challenging. The pressure measurement at different points in the radial direction around the screen indicated a uniform radial flow. Results of the tests on a representative particle size distribution (PSD) from the McMurray Formation on the WWS and SL test coupons with commonly used specifications in the industry (aperture sizes of 0.012, 0.014, and 0.016 in. for WWS and 0.012, 0.016, 0.018, and 0.020 in. for SL) have shown similar sanding and flow performances. We also included aperture sizes smaller and larger than the common practice. Similar to previous tests, narrower apertures are proven to be less resistant to plugging than wider slots for both WWS and SL. Accumulation of fines close to the screen causes significant pore plugging when conservative aperture sizes were used for both WWS and SL. In contrast, using the test coupon with a larger aperture size than the industry practice resulted in excessive sanding. The experiments under linear flow seem more conservative because their results show more produced sand and smaller retained permeability in comparison to the testing under radial flow.

This work discusses the significance, procedure, challenges, and early results of physical modeling of stand-alone screens in thermal operation. It also provides insight into the fluid flow, fines migration, clogging, and bridging in the vicinity of sand screens.

为评估沙筛设计而开发的大多数测试规程都是基于按比例缩放的筛分试样。已经有关于在按比例缩放的试样上的这种测试的可靠性的讨论。本文介绍了加拿大典型陆上McMurray地层砂的丝网筛（WWS）和开槽衬管（SL）测试样的测试结果。

设计和制造了一种独特的防砂评估设备，以容纳直径为3.5英寸，高度为12英寸的所有常见的独立筛网。此设置提供了径向测量跨沙堆和筛网的压力以测量三相流的能力。概述了测试过程中的某些挑战，例如建立均匀的径向流和测量压差。在测试过程中还会测量出砂。该测试的主要输出是评估防砂性能以及在不同流向，流速和流态下的打磨模式。

在高渗透率和低渗透率的沙包中都可以建立均匀的径向流。然而，在具有很高渗透率的沙袋中建立径向流是具有挑战性的。围绕滤网的径向不同点处的压力测量表明均匀的径向流。在具有行业常用规格的WWS和SL测试试样上，McMurray地层的代表性粒径分布（PSD）的测试结果（孔径分别为0.012、0.014和0.016英寸（对于WWS和0.012、0.016， 0.018和0.020英寸（对于SL）已显示出类似的打磨和流动性能。我们还包括了比常规做法更小和更大的孔径。与以前的测试类似，对于WWS和SL，较窄的孔也被证明比宽的孔更不易堵塞。当WWS和SL都使用保守的孔径时，靠近筛网的细粉的堆积会导致显着的孔堵塞。相反，使用孔径比行业惯例更大的测试样板会导致过度打磨。线性流下的实验似乎更为保守，因为与径向流下的测试相比，其结果显示出更多的出砂量和较小的保留渗透率。

这项工作讨论了热运行中独立筛网的物理建模的意义，过程，挑战和早期结果。它还提供了对砂筛附近流体流动，细粒迁移，堵塞和桥接的深入了解。