Sand pack holder

A sand pack holder is provided for testing the properties of a sand sample or testing the performance of an oil recovery process in the sample. The sample is pressurized within the holder to simulate reservoir condition. The holder comprises: a housing forming an open-ended longitudinal bore; a tubular, radially deformable or expandable sleeve extending through the bore in spaced relation with the housing sidewall, so an annulus is formed; a sand sample packed in the annulus; sealable open ends of the annulus and the sleeve passageway; ports formed at each end of the annulus so that pressurized fluid may be injected into the sand sample at one end and discharged from the other; a port for injecting pressurized fluid into the sleeve passageway to radially expand the sleeve to compressively load the sand pack against the housing sidewall; the housing sidewall forming a plurality of measurement ports communicating with the annulus; and measurement devices, such as pressure probes, having hollow stems threaded into the measurement ports, the stems having sand exclusion screens at their inner ends for preventing sand ingress. By locating the sand pack in the annulus instead of in the deformable sleeve, the measurement devices need to connect only with the housing instead of with the sleeve. The need for flexible connections is obviated and measurement ports can be readily accessed.