Simulation of Sand Production Caused by Water-Hammer Events

A pressure pulse, known as a water hammer, can occur immediately after water-injection wells are shut in for emergency or operational reasons. Large pressure pulses may cause wellbore-integrity problems such as sandface failure and sand production. This paper proposes a new work flow to simulate water-hammer events, the resulting wellbore failure, and sand production in water injectors.

Introduction

For water-injection wells handling high injection rates, water-hammer signatures are observed when water injection is stopped. Designing water injectors and deciding how quickly or slowly to shut in wells requires careful attention.