WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER 2025
TD TOOLS TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2025
Is Sand Jetting Experimental?
When TD Tools first started designing and building sand jet perforating tools in 2007, many of our customers did not have first hand experience with abrasive jetting and some of them had not heard of sand jetting at all. Those first conversations included questions like "How do I know that we have cut a perforation?" and "Has this technology been used in a formation like mine?" Today, conversations begin with questions that include "Can I run a motor and mill with your sand jetting tool?" or "How many casing strings can you perforate at one time?" The focus has shifted from "Does it work?" to "How do I use the advantages of abrasive jetting in my well program?" However, for those unfamiliar with sand jetting today, the question might still be "Are you proposing an experiment on my well?"
Casing and Sandstone Samples From Sand Jetting Test, 1961- The Western Co.
The answer to the question above is no- considering sand jet perforating or cutting as a solution for a challenging well is not experimentation. The Western Company (later BJ Services), Halliburton, and Dowell (SLB) all began abrasive jet perforating in the late 1950's with success, however wireline conveyed perforators began rapid technological growth in the 1960's and became the accepted method for perforating. In the late 1990's sand jet perforating saw a resurgence due to a new conveyance method, coiled tubing, that reduced costs for running SJP tools in deeper wells. Another contributor to the renewed interest were documented cases of SJP's ability to reach beyond near wellbore damage and connect with the reservoir. With the advent of unconventional wells, SJP has been utilized to help break down tight formations and provide higher fluid injection rates into the formation.
Two Sand Jet Perforating Jobs Performed on the Same Well Pad
In the last two years alone, TD Tools sand jet perforators have been run on every continent except Antarctica. The tools have been used for a wide variety of job types:
-
New well completion
-
Completion of new zones in producing wells
-
Reperforation and stimulation of producing zones
-
Descaling with abrasive slurry
-
Tubing punches for intervention and decompletion
-
Multi-string perforations for plug and abandonment
-
Abrasive cutting/severing for abandonment
Job Locations for TD Tools Sand Jetting Tools
One of the primary reasons our customers use sand jet perforation is to provide better communication between the wellbore and the formation, plain and simple. The benefits of perforating without explosives are another driver for the technology- reduced regulation and permitting, ease of tool transportation and storage, increased safety, and cost reduction. Increased efficiency through combining job functions in one run (like plug setting and perforation) also produces significant cost savings.
With global experience in many different types of wells and performing many different types of jobs, TD Tools has the experience to provide a solution for your project providing a proven technology with proven results.
For more information about sand jet perforating contact Thomas Dotson at tdotson@tdtoolsinc.com
