Gravel Pack Screen Sizing Calculator

Sand control & well completion engineering: Calculate gravel pack grain size (Saucier rule), wire-wrap screen gauge, slot open area, and critical fluid entrance velocity.

Formation Sand & Completion Geometry

Formation Median Grain d_50 (in): From sieve analysis (~0.14 mm)

Formation Uniformity Coeff. C_u: d_40 / d_90 (<3 uniform, >5 poorly sorted)

Max Liquid Production Rate Q (BPD): Total liquid flow (oil + water)

Screen Base Pipe OD (in): Screen outer diameter

Screen Net Length L (ft): Producing screen interval

Screen Open Area (%): Wire-wrap slot open area percentage

Sand Control Design Outputs

Recommended Gravel Size (Saucier)

Screen Slot Width / Gauge

Slot Entrance Fluid Velocity (v)

Limit: ≤ 0.10 ft/s (API RP 19C)

Total Inflow Open Area (A_open)

Active slot flow area

Standard US Mesh Specification

Gravel pack proppant grade

External Screen Surface Area

π · OD · L

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a wire-wrapped screen and a slotted liner?

A wire-wrapped screen winds keystone-shaped (triangular) stainless steel wire around a perforated base pipe, providing high open area (6% to 15%) and non-clogging V-shaped slots. Slotted liners are machine-cut slots directly in casing with much lower open area (1% to 3%), suited only for low-rate thermal or heavy oil wells.

Why is entrance velocity limited to 0.10 ft/s?

At velocities above 0.10 ft/s, hydrodynamic drag fluidizes the gravel pack, creating voids behind the casing. Furthermore, sand fines carried at high velocity create abrasive slurry jetting that cuts through screen wires within weeks.

What does screen gauge mean?

Screen gauge is defined in thousandths of an inch. An 8-gauge screen has a slot opening width of 0.008 inches (0.203 mm). A 12-gauge screen has a 0.012-inch slot width.