Micron Rating and Quality Assurance of Woven Metal Mesh Material for Premium Sand-Control Screens

Abstract

Abstract On of the major issues associated with quality assurance of woven metal mesh material for premium sand control screens is accurate and precise measurement of the micron rating. Standard tests for characterizing filter media are established by national authorities such as the British Standards Institute (BSI), American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and the International Standards Organization (ISO). The standards typically define in detail recommended testing equipment, methods of operation and procedures for processing and interpreting the data. The challenge is selecting the appropriate test and methodology to provide a meaningful micron rating to woven metal mesh filter media used in premium sand control screens. One of the more common methods of measuring the micron rating of woven metal mesh material for premium sand control screens is known as the "glass bead" test. There are several variations of this test method used throughout the industry without any standardization. Therefore, it is difficult to use this or any other method to obtain a micron rating for quality assurance of a woven metal mesh unless the end user understands the limitations of the method used in the measurement and consistently uses the same source for the information. This paper discusses the pros and cons of the various methods of measuring micron ratings. The consequence of using only the micron rating of a woven metal mesh for premium sand control screens is also discussed