What is the relationship between open area and well efficiency?
A1. This long contested issue is best addressed by examination of the results of experiments, aquifer model tests, and actual well performance comparisons where discharge rates and drawdown levels were measured on a variety of well screens with various percentages of open area. Although conducted at different times and at different locations, the tests and comparisons made by professionals in the ground water and petroleum fields arrived at similar conclusions. The results of the tests clearly show that screens with open areas of (1%) perform as well as screens with greater open area (36%). Results further indicate that the major contributor to well inefficiency is not the amount of screen open area but the near well losses caused by inadequate repair of the damage zone or incomplete removal of mud and fine-grained materials during development. The conclusions of these tests stress the importance of proper gravel pack and slot size selection combined with thorough well development tech
