The starting point for any kind of sand
control with respect to geo-mechanical
approach is proper sampling and sand screen
analysis. Sieve analysis data for 97 different sand types from three oil fields
in the Niger Delta area was collected and analyzed. A database of sand types
was established based on nine variables that were calculated for the sand
types. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the number of significant
variables in the database, and to provide a basis for a prediction model for
slot widths. 5 suitable sand types were then selected for laboratory testing,
and four slot widths were determined for each sand type.


