
WELCOME TO THE MAY 2024
TD TOOLS TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
MAY 2024
Is Sand Jet Perforating
Under-utilized?

Sand Jet Perforating (also known as Abrasive Jet Perforating) has been around for a long time. Both Halliburton and Dowell (SLB) began work in the early 1960's using pressurized sand slurry to perforate casing and create a tunnel in the rock formation. While this technology was still in its infancy, large strides were also being made in the explosive perforating realm. Wireline conveyed perforating became fast, inexpensive, and was only lightly regulated. It wasn't until coiled tubing came on the scene in the 1990's that abrasive jet perforating was rediscovered. Today, many people are not aware of the benefits that sand jet perforating has to offer.
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Making Up BHA with Sand Jet Perforator on Coiled Tubing
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Why should I consider sand jet perforating (SJP) for my next job?
Flexibility- Abrasive jet perforators can be run on many different types of workstrings- coiled tubing, production tubing, drill pipe, to name a few. Different types of abrasive may be used- natural sand, ceramic proppants, or other abrasives like bauxite- in sizes that vary from 20 mesh to 100 mesh. We often help our customers find locally sourced abrasives. TD Tools SJP tools can be equipped with different quantities of jets (from 2 to 12) to match the flow rate requirements of the work string.
Ease of mixing and delivering the slurry- There are multiple ways to mix the sand slurry. Some of our customers use batch mixing tanks to blend the sand, water, and gel and then use a centrifugal pump to send it to the primary pump. Others may use an "on the fly" mixing system like is found on a cement truck. TD Tools also offers the SandStream sand injection units for use in the U.S.
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SandStream Unit providing mixing for sand jet perforating
Reliability- Perforating and cutting using a sand jet is very reliable. The quantity of sand required for the job needs to be delivered at the proper flow rate, nothing more. Pump pressures and tubing string pressure loss can be modeled to insure that the program is designed effectively. Communication with the reservoir can be verified with a simple injection test.
Environmentally Friendly- The SJP process only requires sand, water, and gel. Often, the gel is simply a vegetable based product like guar or xanthan.
Safety- Since abrasive jet perforating does not use an explosives, safety issues related to transportation and tool assembly are eliminated. Governmental explosive regulation is also eliminated making the tools easy to store, transport, and use. In many countries, significant cost savings is achieved by reducing permitting and regulation.
Demonstration of Explosive Perforator Blast
Send Us Your Questions
The Mailbag is open! Please send us questions that you would like to see answered in future technology updates. You can submit questions to info@sandjetperf.com
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