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Erosion Resistant Screen Technology

Delta Screens collaborated with Chevron in their development of a coating to increase sand screen erosion resistance. 

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Scroll down to Learn More, or see SPE Paper SPE-210128-MS 

Summary of Program and Results 

  • A design optimized coated sand screen was developed that increases the erosion resistance of conventional sand screens. 

  • Computational fluid dynamics and laboratory testing were conduced to determine the design optimization.

  • The program required designing a test fixture and flow loop to test the mesh filtraiton media

  • A coating was developed with rigorous testing at Delta Screens on mesh samples.

  • The screen has now been deployed and adopted with success in Gulf of Mexico and Angola. 

  • The increased erosion resistance will improve completion life and recovery, critical in deepwater and other high reentry cost wells. 

Business Need 

  • Chevron worked with Delta Screens to develop a ‘design optimized coated sand screen’

  • Target applications were where cost effective increased screen life would improve recovery/well economics - deepwater, high rate wells with fines, and high re-entry cost wells

  • Computational fluid dynamics modeling and rigorous laboratory testing of mesh coatings and screen elements optimized the design

  • Installations in Gulf of Mexico and Angola have demonstrated improved erosion resistance

The test set-up was designed to efficiently test various coatings, working fluids, and flow rates for different durations. 

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The set-up was designed to efficiently test various coatings, working fluids, and flow rates for different durations. Item 7 is the test screen mesh disc. 

Filtration Media Testing  

  • Flow rates and sand content replicated well conditions

  • Fluid modeling iterated with testing of multiple coatings

  • Numerous other areas of screen design affecting erosion were optimized as part of the process 

  • Acid testing was also performed to confirm the screen was suitable for stimulation completions

Uncoated Filter Media

Failure Point

1.57 hours at 15 GPM

Aperture at 25 Microns 

This represents a loss of sand control 

Coated Filter Media 

Failure Point 

7 hours at 15 GPM

Aperture at 25 Microns 

This represents a loss of sand control

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  • The  25 micron dimension change is based on  typical acceptance values for the  mesh of +25 / -25  or for some operators at +25 / - 50, micron.

  • Coating eroded uniformly, acting as a homogeneous layer with the substrate.

  • Coating was found to not affect welds, burst/collapse, but section lengths were shorter.

Failure Point

Time to failure testing demonstrated the design objective of double screen life for the filtration media had been achieved, and more. 

Results

  • Coatings outperformed expectations 

  • 10 Different coatings were erosion flow loop tested on mesh samples

  • An initial target was set to double the erosion life from uncoated screens

  • Several functional, fabrication, manufacturing and quality control requirements were addressed

  • Example requirements included burst/collapse, pre-conditioning host wire before coating, coating uniformity, coating thickness tolerance, inner/outer layers

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