Sand was considered early within the design and planning of the Shearwater Development, a High Pressure High Temperature field in the Central North Sea. Having identified that the reservoir geology was such that sand production was likely, three main strands were followed to develop the sand management strategy, namely: • quantifying the erosion damage that should be expected if sand is produced, and revising the design where appropriate • establishing the performance of the sand detector system under representative multiphase flowing conditions, without in situ calibration by sand injection • documenting the options for retrofitting prevention/mitigation should these be required in future
This paper summarises the process followed by the Shearwater Project as an example of'best practice', being proactive in managing sand and erosion.