Modelling of Sand Transport Through Wormholes

One of the key mechanisms in the cold production (CHOPS) process is the development of high permeability channels (wormholes), which increase the access to the reservoir. In order to model the growth of wormholes in the field, it is necessary to predict the flow of sand along the wormholes. The laminar flow of sand and oil through an open channel within a wormhole was modelled using an analytical Bingham Mohr-Coulomb model. This model was tested by comparing its predictions to oil and sand flow rate measurements obtained in pipe flow experiments reported in the literature. The model for sand transport was used in developing a field wormhole growth model.