Sand erosion

The technical and commercial threats

posed by solids produced from the reservoir

formation are well known to Oil & Gas

Operating Companies and Asset Managers.

Proactive strategies are required to manage

the impact of these solids on production and

to maximise productivity.

Solids production is typically episodic

and can cause extreme damage almost

instantaneously. The consequences can

include reservoir damage, erosion of choke

valves, erosion and accelerated corrosion

of pipework, reduction of corrosion inhibitor

performance and the filling of Separators:

all resulting in reduced productivity. Reliable

instantaneous management of solids in

offshore and subsea systems is of

vital importance.

Teledyne Cormon offer state of the art

measurement products and advocate an

integrated measurement and control approach

to solids management by providing directcorrelation

tools between process measurement

(volumetric flow and velocities, choke position,

chemical inhibition-rates, pressure

and temperature) and real-time intrusive

erosion & corrosion measurement of particle

impact effects. These are then linked to alarm

management functions. This facilitates an

instantaneous response to solids production

thereby mitigating damage. The approach

also provides the platform for the development

of reliable empirical models/algorithms for

the trending of the reservoir behaviour and

establishing safe operational limits in terms

of erosion damage. Teledyne Cormon

PTEC™ range products provide options for

Pressure, Temperature, Erosion or Corrosion

measurement in a single probe (see data

sheet CMEP023).

Teledyne Cormon Sand Erosion Probes can

detect the minute quantities of material lost

due to the erosion effects of the impact of

entrained solids. Teledyne Cormon’s unique

CEION® metal loss measurement technology

has exceptional resolution and extended

sensor life giving both high sensitivity to

erosion and low cost of ownership. Field

applications have documented the very high

sensitivity of the probes to particles of all sizes,

ensuring that low velocity fines for example,

undetectable by acoustic methods, can be

measured. (See references overleaf).