EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF SAND PRODUCTION FROM PERFORATION CAVITIES

Sand production from perforation cavities has: been studied by means o f physical model experiments of an in situ perforation cavity on a 1:1 scale. The study focused on the mechanisms of cavity instability, san d production and, in particular, the effect of fluid flow The test sam ples were cylindrically shaped with a coaxial cylindrical cavity. The samples were loaded isotropically at the outer surface with fluid infl ow only through the non-perforated end surface. The evolution of a fai lure zone around the cavity was significantly affected by the fluid fl ow. The stress at initial failure of the cavity wall appears not to be significantly affected by the fluid flow.