UK: SPE’s European Forum to Highlight Importance of Sand Management

Aberdeen will see industry professionals gather later this month at the 5th European Sand Management Forum, with Peter Fowler of Chevron and Mike Hannan of the Department of Energy and Climate Change billed as keynote speakers.

The conference and exhibition, organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the Sand Management Network, takes place at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre on March 21 and 22.

It will focus on sand management strategy in the oil and gas industry and the importance of adopting a strategic approach, onshore and offshore, in order to manage costs. The conference will appeal to subsea and topside engineers and asset managers working in sand-producing fields.

Mr Fowler, Subsurface Manager for Britannia Operator Ltd and Chartered Petroleum Engineer, has over 30 years’ experience in exploration, appraisal, development and operations. His keynote address on Wednesday 21 March will discuss Chevron’s approach to sand management, looking at its worldwide operations, use of sand control technologies in Europe and adding value through reservoir management.

Mr Fowler said: “The consequences of an inappropriate sand control design include the increased risk of unplanned hydrocarbon releases through erosion of tubulars and the plugging of completion and/ or topsides equipment, leading to lost production. An integrated approach to sand management is required to minimise the safety, environmental and financial consequences of producing fluids from a formation prone to sanding.”

Mike Hannan, Senior Petroleum Engineer at the Department for Energy and Climate Change and keynote speaker on Thursday 22 March, will look at the issues surrounding reservoir management and reliable production from wells which are prone to sanding, along with environmental and safety considerations.

The conference will also see presentations from Shell UK, Total, Maersk and Hallilburton on asset management and integrity, rock testing and laboratory analysis, reservoir/ wellbore interface, sand monitoring and completion design and sand control selection.

Conference Chairman Tim Podger, of National Oilwell Varco, said: “With more and more oil and gas planned to be produced from sand prone reservoirs, this is an issue which is becoming an increasing focus for operators particularly when wishing to manage costs on a project and field life basis.

“Running since 2004 this bi-annual event has continued from strength to strength giving operators, service companies and consultants and academics the opportunity to come together, giving the platform to understand advances in specific sand management technologies and the application of these solutions as a process in improving production.”

A pre-conference workshop will be held on Tuesday March 20 which will give an introduction to sand management, discussing how it impacts operations, practical techniques and future technologies, as well as interactive demonstrations. The workshop will appeal to reservoir, production and integrity engineers, asset managers and geoscientists.

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Subsea World News Staff , March 19, 2012;