Volumetric sand production model and experiment

A sand production model was developed for volumetric sand production predictions that take into account the effects of the external stresses and fluid flow rate. The model couples the poro‐mechanical behaviour of the solid–fluid system with the erosion behaviour of the solids due to fluid flow. It predicts reasonably experimental volumetric sand production data from a hollow cylinder test on a weak sandstone. The test results show that in weak and compactive sandstones, sand production is associated with decohesioning and plasticification of a zone around the inner hole which can then be mobilized by the hydrodynamic forces of the fluid flow. The sand production rate increases both with external applied stress and fluid flow rate but it is constant with time under constant external stress and fluid flow rate. In both cases a critical lower limit has to be exceeded for sand production initiation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.