Oileld Review

Concrete Developments in Cementing Technology

J ean Marc Boisnault
Dominique Guillot
Montrouge, France
AbderrahimBourahla
Timothy Tirlia
Anadarko Algeria Company
Hassi Messaoud, Algeria
Trevor Dahl
PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Chris Holmes
A.M. Raiturkar
Petroleum Development Oman
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
Pierre Maroy
Clamart, France
Charles Moffett
Hunt Petroleum Corporation
J ena, Louisiana, USA
Genaro Prez Meja
Ignacio Ramrez Martnez
Petrleos Mexicanos
Villahermosa, Mexico
Philippe Revil
Houston, Texas, USA
Robert Roemer
Aberdeen, Scotland
Perhaps the most difcult borehole uid to handle, cement is critical to the
performance and life of a well. Optimal slurry properties for placement of
standard oileld cements typically do not coincide with optimal mechanical
properties of set cement necessary for long-termzonal isolation. New
technology optimizes both slurry and set-cement properties simultaneously.
Si nce a awl essl y cement ed wel l bore prot ect s
t he condui t t hat l i nks reservoi r ui ds t o t he sur-
f ace where t hey are used, hi gh-qual i t y oi l el d
cement i s an essent i al i ngredi ent i n any success-
f ul wel l . The qual i t y and i nt egri t y of a cement j ob
can det ermi ne how l ong a wel l remai ns st abl e
and product i ve wi t hout requi ri ng repai r. In addi -
t i on t o promot i ng ongoi ng operat i onal saf et y and
success, t odays cement s must al so be desi gned
wi t h cost savi ngs and chal l engi ng operat i ng envi -
ronment s i n mi nd. Envi ronment al prot ect i on i s a
great er concern t han ever, especi al l y prot ect i on
of shal l ow aqui f ers duri ng and af t er dri l l i ng. A
good pri mary cement j ob i s essent i al because
remedi al cement i ng (squeezi ng) i s di f cul t t o
accompl i sh and provi des onl y t emporary, l ocal
zonal i sol at i on i t i s pref erabl e t o do t he j ob cor-
rect l y t he rst t i me. Overcomi ng t he t rade-of f
bet w een cement sl urry propert i es, i ncl udi ng
rheol ogy, ui d l oss, pumpabi l i t y and t hi ckeni ng
t i me, and mechani cal propert i es of set cement ,
such as compressi ve st rengt h, porosi t y and per-
meabi l i t y, i s a maj or chal l enge.
Traditional Cementing Approaches
There are several f undament al purposes f or pl ac-
i ng cement i n oi l and gas wel l s. Cement i s used
t o support t he casi ng. In addi t i on, i t hydraul i cal l y
i sol at es t he vari ous f ormat i ons t he wel l pene-
t rat es, t hereby prot ect i ng aqui f ers and prevent -
i ng ui d ow f rom hi gh-pressure t o l ow-pressure
f ormat i ons, whi ch mi ght resul t i n a l oss of hydro-
carbon product i on or excessi ve wat er product i on.
Cement guards agai nst ui d broachi ng t o t he sur-
f ace, whi ch coul d l ead t o a cat ast rophi c bl owout .
Cement al so prot ect s t he casi ng f rom corrosi on
by chemi cal l y aggressi ve bri nes.
In t he past , t he l east expensi ve mat eri al and
t echnol ogy t ypi cal l y di spl aci ng dri l l i ng ui ds
by pumpi ng Port l and cement behi nd casi ng
were accept abl e i n al l but t he most di f cul t
cases. Port l and cement mi xes easi l y wi t h wat er
t o produce a sl urry t hat i s readi l y pumpabl e and
can be pl aced anywhere wi t hi n hydrost at i c pres-
sure const rai nt s of a wel l bore. Prepared at t he
recommended wat er-t o-cement rat i o, Port l and
cement f ul l l s t he most i mport ant obj ect i ve,
hydraul i cal l y i sol at i ng t he f ormat i ons. Furt her-
more, Port l and cement i s readi l y avai l abl e worl d-
wi de and i s i nexpensi ve.
For help in preparation of this article, thanks to Andrew
Acock and Kevin England, Dowell, Houston, Texas, USA;
Tyler Bittner, Walter Chmilowski and Mike Roy, Dowell,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Leo Burdylo, Oileld Services,
Sugar Land, Texas; Erling Prado-Velarde, Dowell,
Villahermosa, Mexico; Tarek Ramadan, Dowell, Muscat,
Sultanate of Oman; and Eugene Toukam, Dowell, Hassi
Messaoud, Algeria.
CemCADE, CemCRETE, DeepCRETE, DensCRETE, DESC
(Design and Evaluation Services for Clients), FLAC (uid-
loss additives for cement), GASBLOK, LiteCRETE,
SqueezeCRETE, USI (UltraSonic Imager) and Variable
Density are marks of Schlumberger. Ping-Pong is a mark
of Parker Brothers, Inc.
16
Spring 1999 17
The usual met hod f or pl aci ng a sl urry i n a wel l
duri ng pri mary cement i ng operat i ons consi st s of
pumpi ng a seri es of ui ds down t he casi ng whi l e
t he ui d al ready i n t he wel l t he dri l l i ng mud
ows out t he casi ng-f ormat i on annul us t o sur-
f ace. The rst ui d pumped i s usual l y a preush
or spacer, or bot h, t hat separat es t he dri l l i ng ui d
f rom t he cement sl urry. The spacer must be com-
pat i bl e wi t h bot h t he dri l l i ng ui d and t he sl urry,
yet keep t hose ui ds apart t o precl ude cont ami -
nat i on of t he sl urry by dri l l i ng ui d. Such con-
t ami nat i on degrades t he qual i t y of t he set
cement . Thi s i s f ol l owed by as many as f our
sl urri es. The preush-spacer-cement seri es must
di spl ace f rom t he annul us al l ui ds ahead of i t t o
prevent devel opment of mud channel s wi t hi n t he
cement sheat h.
1
Such channel s al l ow f ormat i on
ui d mi grat i on. The presence of mud can al so
negat i vel y af f ect set -cement propert i es, f or
exampl e by i nduci ng shri nkage cracks, reduci ng
compressi ve st rengt h or i ncreasi ng permeabi l i t y.
A mechani cal pl ug i s t hen l aunched i nt o t he cas-
i ng and di spl aced t o t he bot t om of t he wel l by
anot her ui d, t ypi cal l y t he dri l l i ng ui d needed t o
dri l l t he next sect i on of hol e. At t he end of t he
operat i on, t he cement occupi es t he annul ar
space bet ween t he casi ng and t he penet rat ed
f ormat i on f rom t he bot t om of t he hol e up t o t he
desi red l evel .
Duri ng t he cement i ng operat i on, t he cri t i cal
goal i s t o mai nt ai n t he pressure i n t he annul us
bet ween t he pore and f ract ure pressures of t he
penet rat ed f ormat i ons at al l t i mes and al l dept hs
t hroughout t he openhol e i nt erval .
2
If t he annul ar
pressure becomes l ower t han t he f ormat i on pore
pressure, ui ds can ow i nt o t he annul us and
l ead t o a pot ent i al l y cat ast rophi c si t uat i on, a
bl owout . At t he ot her ext reme, i f t he annul ar
pressure becomes hi gher t han t he f ormat i on f rac-
t ure pressure, t hen annul ar ui ds can spl i t t he
surroundi ng rock, damagi ng t he borehol e and
escapi ng i nt o t he f ormat i on.
The rst f act or af f ect i ng annul ar pressure
duri ng dri l l i ng or cement i ng operat i ons i s t he
densi t y of t he ui ds, whi ch exert hydrost at i c
pressure on t he exposed f ormat i ons. The second
f act or, ui d rheol ogy, governs t he f ri ct i onal pres-
sures duri ng pl acement . Though densi t y i s a
paramet er t hat can be cont rol l ed easi l y duri ng
t he desi gn and operat i on phases, t he act ual
rheol ogy of a ui d i s more di f cul t t o cont rol or
modi f y. Once t hese propert i es have been
desi gned properl y f or a gi ven operat i on, such as
wi t h CemCADE cement i ng desi gn and eval uat i on
sof t w are or ot her si mul at ors, i t i s i mport ant t hat
t hey be mai nt ai ned w i t hi n reasonabl e t ol er-
ances duri ng t he ent i re pl acement operat i on.
The cement sl urry must be st abl e sol i d part i -
cl es t hat are denser t han t he wat er i n whi ch t hey
are suspended must not separat e f rom t he l i qui d
duri ng ei t her st at i c or dynami c condi t i ons. The
1. Bonett A and Patis D: Getting to the Root of Gas
Migration, Oileld Review 8, no. 1 (Spring 1996): 36-49.
2. Aldred W, Cook J , Bern P, Carpenter B, Hutchinson M,
Lovell J , Rezmer-Cooper I and Leder P: Using Downhole
Annular Pressure Measurements to Improve Drilling
Performance, Oilfield Review 10, no. 4 (Winter
1998): 40-55.
sl urry must not l ose excessi ve i nt erst i t i al wat er
t o t he f ormat i on when t he pressure i n t he annu-
l us i s hi gher t han i n t he f ormat i on. Excessi ve
ui d l oss f rom a sl urry can i ncrease t he vi scosi t y,
whi ch mi ght resul t i n i ncompl et e pl acement of
t he sl urry and bri dgi ng of t he annul us, and can
al so l ead t o vol ume reduct i on i n t he cement , pro-
duci ng channel s or ot her def ect s.
3
Fi nal l y, t he
sl urry shoul d not t hi cken or set premat urel y
duri ng pl acement .
Perf ormance of convent i onal cement sl urri es
ul t i mat el y i s a f unct i on of many vari abl es, i ncl ud-
i ng t he amount and t ypes of sol i ds, wat er, chem-
i cal addi t i ves, t emperat ure and pressure.
Wei ght i ng agent s i ncrease densi t y; ext enders
decrease i t . Di spersant s cont rol rheol ogy by
breaki ng l arger part i cl es i nt o smal l er ones, whi ch
can reduce vi scosi t y. St abi l i t y i s ei t her i nt ri nsi c t o
t he desi gn, or i mproved by usi ng f ree wat er con-
t rol or sol i d-suspendi ng agent s (ant i set t l i ng
agent s). Fl ui d-l oss cont rol i s achi eved by addi ng
FLAC ui d-l oss addi t i ves f or cement . Ret arders or
accel erat ors cont rol t hi ckeni ng t i me. Cl earl y,
chemi cal addi t i ves dene t he perf ormance of
Port l and cement sl urri es.
Once i n pl ace, t he cement sl urry shoul d set
qui ckl y and devel op adequat e st rengt h t o mi ni -
mi ze t he t i me spent wai t i ng on cement (WOC) so
t hat t he operat or can proceed wi t h t he next
phase of wel l const ruct i on as soon as possi bl e.
Limitations of Conventional
Cementing Technology
Good sl urry and set -cement propert i es are mut u-
al l y excl usi ve i n many convent i onal cement i ng
si t uat i ons. For exampl e, st andard hi gh-densi t y
cement s, whi l e necessary f or wel l cont rol i n
hi gh-pressure dri l l i ng, are di f cul t t o pump and
prone t o sedi ment at i on as wei ght i ng agent s set -
t l e out of suspensi on. Low-densi t y sl urri es wi t h
proport i onat el y hi gher l i qui d vol umes devel op
compressi ve st rengt h sl owl y and at t ai n l ow nal
compressi ve st rengt hs, l i mi t i ng t hei r val ue when
cement i ng product i on casi ng. Al t hough chemi cal
addi t i ves are cruci al t o successf ul cement i ng
operat i ons, t he ul t i mat e perf ormance of conven-
t i onal cement syst ems i s domi nat ed by t he
wat er-t o-cement rat i o.
The opt i mal wat er-t o-cement rat i o i s about
44% by wei ght f or a l ow-vi scosi t y, st abl e sl urry
of API (Ameri can Pet rol eum Inst i t ut e) Cl ass G
cement , one of t he most commonl y used Port l and
cement s i n t he oi l el d. Thi s gi ves a densi t y of
around 15.8 l bm/ gal [1900 kg/ m
3
]. Hi gher densi -
t i es can be reached by ei t her decreasi ng t he
wat er-t o-sol i d rat i o or i ncreasi ng t he densi t y of
t he sol i d bl end at a gi ven wat er-t o-sol i d rat i o.
When t he wat er-t o-cement rat i o i s cl ose t o t he
opt i mal val ue, t he bet t er choi ce i s t o reduce t he
amount of w at er; but t hi s qui ckl y l eads t o
unpumpabl e or unmi xabl e sl urri es. At t hat poi nt ,
t he onl y opt i on i s t o add wei ght i ng mat eri al s t o
t he cement , normal l y hi gh-densi t y mi neral s such
as bari t e, hemat i t e (t he most common wei ght i ng
agent ) or i l meni t e. The densi t i es of t hese mi ner-
al s are 35 t o 43 l bm/ gal [4200 t o 5200 kg/ m
3
],
whereas t he densi t y of Port l and cement i s about
27 l bm/ gal [3200 kg/ m
3
].
To achi eve l ower densi t i es, t he met hods are
reversed: ei t her i ncrease t he wat er-t o-sol i d rat i o
or add l i ght wei ght aggregat es. Anot her possi bl e
opt i on i s f oami ng t he sl urry wi t h gas usual l y
ni t rogen or ai r. When t he wat er-t o-cement rat i o
approaches t he opt i mal val ue, t he si mpl est
approach i s t o add more wat er t o t he sl urry, but
t hi s j eopardi zes i t s st abi l i t y, reduces t he st rengt h
of t he set cement and i ncreases porosi t y and per-
meabi l i t y. To rect i f y st abi l i t y probl ems, i nt erst i -
t i al wat er can be vi scosi ed usi ng col l oi dal cl ays
(bent oni t e or at t apul gi t e), sodi um si l i cat es or
hydrosol ubl e pol ymers. However, t hese cement
syst ems exhi bi t hi gher porosi t y and permeabi l i t y
once set , whi ch of t en precl udes t hei r use i n cri t -
i cal casi ng st ri ngs. Anot her t echni que consi st s of
bl endi ng Port l and cement wi t h l i ght er sol i d mat e-
ri al s such as di at omaceous eart h, perl i t e, y ash,
f umed si l i ca, bl ast f urnace sl ag or hol l ow mi cro-
spheres. Thi s met hod works onl y i n rel at i vel y
narrow densi t y ranges where t he wat er-t o-sol i d
rat i o i s mai nt ai ned above a gi ven t hreshol d f or
t he sl urry t o be mi xabl e and pumpabl e.
A f urt her probl em w i t h st andard cement
syst ems i s t hat remedi at i on of unsat i sf act ory pri -
mary cement j obs i s di f cul t . Squeeze cement i ng,
even when perf ormed sat i sf act ori l y, merel y pro-
vi des a t emporary pat ch. Convent i onal cement s
are di f cul t t o pl ace i n smal l def ect s, such as
part i al l y pl ugged perf orat i ons and damaged cas-
i ng, because of t hei r rel at i vel y l arge part i cl e
si zes and poor i nj ect abi l i t y.
18 Oileld Review
>
Particle-size optimization. A slurry made from particles of a single size (left) contains larger water-lled spaces than a slurry made from an optimized blend
of several particle sizes (right). The smallest particles ll the spaces between larger particles and function much like lubricating ball bearings.
3. Bonett A and Patis D, reference 1: 38.
4. For more on primary cementing: Fraser L, Stanger B,
Grifn T, J abri M, Sones G, Steelman M and Valk P:
Seamless Fluids Programs: A Key to Better Well Con-
struction, Oileld Review 8, no. 1 (Spring 1996): 42-56.
Spring 1999 19
Operat ors seek cement i ng mat eri al s t hat not
onl y are easi er t o pl ace t he f i rst t i me, but al so
of f er t he best l ong-t erm perf ormance. Cement s
t hat achi eve compressi ve st rengt h earl i er
reduce w ai t i ng t i me and i ncrease ef f i ci ency.
Because dri l l i ng a w el l i s t ypi cal l y t he cul mi na-
t i on of mont hs or even years of i nt ensi ve ef f ort ,
i ncl udi ng t he acqui si t i on and i nt erpret at i on of
sei smi c dat a and pl anni ng w el l const ruct i on, i t
i s cri t i cal t o achi eve 100% cement i ng success
at t he out set .
4
Concrete Improvement
Typi cal l y, cement s are wei ght ed wi t hout consi d-
erat i on f or t he part i cl e si zes of t he i ngredi ent s
(pri mari l y cement and wei ght i ng agent s). As t he
requi red densi t y i ncreases, convent i onal addi -
t i ves al one qui ckl y l ead t o ei t her an unpumpabl e
or unmi xabl e sl urry i f t he sol i d-t o-l i qui d rat i o i s
t oo hi gh, or t o a syst em t hat does not cont ai n
enough cement t o devel op a reasonabl e st rengt h.
A new syst em, CemCRETE t echnol ogy, i s con-
cret e-based sl urry t echnol ogy t o opt i mi ze sl urry
perf ormance duri ng pl acement whi l e ensuri ng a
hi gh set -cement qual i t y. By adj ust i ng t he part i -
cl e-si ze di st ri but i on (PSD) of t he di f f erent sol i ds,
t hi s t echni que uses more sol i d part i cl es i n a
gi ven sl urry vol ume whi l e keepi ng sl urry rheol ogy
reasonabl y l ow. Thi s al l ows sl urri es wi t h densi -
t i es as hi gh as 24 l bm/ gal [2900 kg/ m
3
] t o be
used t o cement cri t i cal casi ng st ri ngs i n wel l s
wi t h hi gh pressure gradi ent s.
Because many t radi t i onal cement sl urri es
have si ngl e-si ze part i cl es, t hey can be vi sual -
i zed as a box f ul l of Pi ng-Pong bal l s (previ ous
page). Bet w een each bal l , t here are l arge ai r-
f i l l ed voi ds. In a real sl urry, t he voi d space
w oul d be f i l l ed w i t h w at er rat her t han ai r. In a
hi gh-perf ormance sl urry w i t h engi neered PSD
opt i mi zat i on, part i cl es of t hree or more di f f erent
si zes are caref ul l y sel ect ed. A box of Pi ng-Pong
bal l s w i t h green peas and grai ns of sand f i l l i ng
t he voi ds i s crudel y anal ogous t o a t ri modal PSD
CemCRETE syst em.
By adj ust i ng t he PSD of t he sol i ds i n t he
bl end, CemCRETE t echnol ogy i ncreases t he
sol i ds per uni t vol ume of sl urry above t hat
of Port l and cement sl urri es. Thi s i ncreases
compressi ve st rengt h and reduces porosi t y and
permeabi l i t y by achi evi ng a hi gher packi ng
vol ume f ract i on (PVF) i ndependent of sl urry
densi t y. Packi ng vol ume f ract i on i s dened as
t he rat i o of t he sum of t he absol ut e vol umes
of al l part i cl es i n t he dry bl end di vi ded by t he
bul k vol ume of t he dry-bl end component s. Hi gher
PVF val ues general l y i ndi cat e bet t er set -cement
propert i es. For exampl e, hexagonal packi ng of
i dent i cal spheres resul t s i n a PVF of 0.74, but
random packi ng of t he same spheres achi eves
a PVF of 0.64. The packi ng vol ume f ract i on of
an opt i mi zed dry bl end i s i ncreased by usi ng
a t ri modal PSD, whi ch i n t urn decreases set -
cement permeabi l i t y (bel ow l ef t ).
Because t he remai ni ng ui d cont ent i s used
more ef ci ent l y, CemCRETE t echnol ogy usual l y
requi res l ower concent rat i ons of most chemi cal
addi t i ves compared t o t radi t i onal approaches.
Gas-mi grat i on t echnol ogy i s more easi l y appl i ed
because of t he l ower wat er-t o-sol i d rat i o and
because of t he l ower permeabi l i t y and porosi t y
of t he cement sl urry duri ng t he t ransi t i on f rom
l i qui d t o sol i d as t he cement set s. The 35 t o 45%
porosi t y, or wat er cont ent , of t he new hi gh-
perf ormance sl urri es i s si gni cant l y l ower t han
t he average 55 t o 75% porosi t y f or st andard
sl urri es (bel ow ri ght ).
In cont rast t o convent i onal Port l and cement ,
st at e-of -t he-art cement s cont ai n a speci c bl end
of part i cl es engi neered f or each speci c sl urry
densi t y. The PVF of t he opt i mi zed bl ends com-
monl y exceeds 0.80. The hi gh sol i ds cont ent
resul t s i n st abl e syst ems t hat di sconnect t he
sl urry densi t y f rom rheol ogy, requi re f ew addi -
t i ves and are easy t o mi x and pl ace i n operat i ons
t hat are as si mpl e as ordi nary j obs yet requi re no
speci al i zed equi pment . These syst ems exhi bi t
l ow porosi t y and permeabi l i t y once set , even
f or sl urry densi t i es as l ow as 10 l bm/ gal
[1200 kg/ m
3
]. M ore si mpl y st at ed, physi cs suc-
ceeds where chemi st ry of t en f ai l s.
Ext ended
l i ght wei ght
cement
15.8-l bm/ gal
Cl ass G
cement
CemCRETE
cement
0
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
P
e
r
m
e
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
,

m
D
>
Set-cement permeability. Permeabilities to gas
of set conventional and extended lightweight
cements can be as high as 0.20 mD. (Extended
lightweight cements have high porosities, typi-
cally 75%, because the slurry density is lowered
by increasing the water-to-cement ratio.) The
granulometric optimization of CemCRETE blends
results in set-cement permeability below 0.05 mD.
12.5-l bm/ gal
Ext ended
l i ght wei ght
cement
15.8-l bm/ gal
Cl ass G
cement
10- t o 24-
l bm/ gal
CemCRETE
cement
0
12
10
8
6
4
2
14
77%
porosi t y
59%
porosi t y
40%
porosi t y
M
i
x

w
a
t
e
r

n
e
e
d
e
d
,

g
a
l
/
s
a
c
k
>
Slurry porosity. High water content, or porosity,
of a cement slurry improves its pumpability, but
can lead to sedimentation in the slurry and
higher permeability and lower compressive
strength once the cement sets. Conventional
slurry porosities range from 55 to 75% or more,
whereas CemCRETE slurry porosities are typi-
cally 35 to 45%. Sized particles in the optimized
blend ensure high strength in the set cement and
good slurry rheology despite low water content.
20 Oileld Review
DensCRETE
cement
Convent i onal
cement
DensCRETE
cement
Convent i onal
cement
DensCRETE
cement
Top
sect i on
densi t y
M i ddl e
sect i on
densi t y
Bot t om
sect i on
densi t y
17.8
l bm/ gal
18.1
l bm/ gal
17.5
l bm/ gal
18.7
l bm/ gal
19.3
l bm/ gal
19.6
l bm/ gal
18.7
l bm/ gal
20.7
l bm/ gal
20.9
l bm/ gal
18
l bm/ gal
18
l bm/ gal
19.5
l bm/ gal
19.5
l bm/ gal
21
l bm/ gal
21.2
l bm/ gal
>
Sedimentation and segregation. In the BP settling test, a column of set cement cured under controlled pressure and
temperature is cut into sections and the density of each cylindrical section is measured. High-density conventional
cements tend to show greater vertical density variation because the weighting agent tends to settle out of suspension
as the cement sets. DensCRETE cements, or high-density CemCRETE cements, show little variation in density from top
to bottom because the network of particles and associated reduced water content inhibit sedimentation or segregation
of the heaviest particles. Each column represents a different cement type and density, with density variation measured
in the top, middle (where the designed density is most likely to be found) and bottom sections of the column.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
30 40 50 60
Sol i d vol ume f ract i on, %
Convent i onal sl urry
CemCRETE sl urry
Convent i onal sl urry (20% f l ui d l oss)
CemCRETE sl urry (20% f l ui d l oss)
P
l
a
s
t
i
c

v
i
s
c
o
s
i
t
y
,

c
p
>
Fluid-loss effects. As slurries lose uids to permeable formations, plastic
viscosity tends to increase. Compared with optimized slurries, conventional
Portland cement slurries tend to suffer greater increases in plastic viscosity
per unit of uid loss. The bottom two curves show the difference in viscosity
between an optimized blend and a standard blend. The top two curves show
the increase in viscosity after both slurries have lost 20% of their uid.
Optimized blends suffer less viscosication per unit of uid loss.
0
30 40 50 60
250
200
150
100
50
Sol i d vol ume f ract i on, %
M onomodal si l i ca suspensi on i n 0.15 M NaCl , PVF 0.5
Tri modal si l i ca suspensi on i n 0.15 M NaCl , PVF 0.8
P
l
a
s
t
i
c

v
i
s
c
o
s
i
t
y
,

c
p
>
Plastic viscosity of silica suspensions. A dry blend consisting of a
monomodal particle-size distribution produces a high-viscosity slurry
even at a relatively low solids content. The blend with the trimodal
particle-size distribution, typical of CemCRETE technology, achieves
better slurry properties and contains more solids per unit volume.
Spring 1999 21
The rheol ogy of CemCRETE sl urry i s decou-
pl ed f rom i t s densi t y (previ ous page, t op l ef t ).
These wat er-reduced sl urri es have const ant vi s-
cosi t i es even at hi gh densi t i es, l ow gel st rengt hs
and are easy t o pl ace. Low wat er cont ent di mi n-
i shes sedi ment at i on (previ ous page, bot t om), or
separat i on of l i qui d and sol i ds duri ng cement i ng,
yi el di ng hi gher compressi ve st rengt h and l ower
permeabi l i t y (previ ous page, t op ri ght ). The spe-
ci al l y engi neered part i cl e si zes al l ow easy mi xi ng
and pumpi ng because t he smal l est part i cl es act
l i ke bal l beari ngs t o provi de l ubri ci t y f or t he
l arger sol i ds i n t he sl urry. The compressi ve
st rengt h of set CemCRETE sl urri es, whet her of
hi gh or l ow densi t y, devel ops f ast er and reaches
hi gher l evel s t han convent i onal cement s (ri ght )
because of t he l ow wat er cont ent .
CemCRETE t echnol ogy benet s not onl y pri -
mary cement i ng appl i cat i ons, but al so remedi a-
t i on. Part i cl e-si ze opt i mi zat i on i nhi bi t s premat ure
dehydrat i on of t he sl urry and t he associ at ed f ri c-
t i on-pressure i ncrease t hat commonl y prevent s
any remedi al sl urry f rom achi evi ng deep penet ra-
t i on. Wat er-reduced pri mary cement s have a
l ow er i nci dence of cost l y remedi at i on t han
Port l and cement s.
Addi t i onal benet s are t hat CemCRETE t ech-
nol ogy does not requi re speci al i zed equi pment or
personnel , and whi l e never desi rabl e, mi xi ng
errors are bet t er t ol erat ed i n t he new sl urri es
t han i n Port l and cement . Opt i mi zed dry bl ends
may be mi xed wi t h f resh wat er, seawat er or sal t
wat er. Opt i mi zed sl urri es can i ncl ude conven-
t i onal def oamers, accel erat ors, di spersant s,
ret arders, ui d-l oss cont rol addi t i ves, ri ght -angl e
set (RAS) addi t i ves and GASBLOK gas mi grat i on
cont rol cement t echnol ogy. In f act , t he combi na-
t i on of speci al i zed gas-mi grat i on cont rol addi -
t i ves, l ow bul k shri nkage and rapi d st rengt h
devel opment of opt i mi zed cement s i s breaki ng
new ground i n gas-mi grat i on cont rol . Cl earl y, as
exempl i ed i n t he case hi st ori es t hat f ol l ow,
advanced cement i ng t echnol ogy can be t ai l ored
t o speci c needs by changi ng component s of
t he dry bl end.
Specialized Applications
There are f our broad appl i cat i ons of CemCRETE
t echnol ogy, encompassi ng l ow -densi t y, hi gh-
densi t y, remedi al and deep-w at er cement i ng
si t uat i ons. Li t eCRETE sl urry syst ems have l ow
densi t i es and are i deal f or cement i ng weak f or-
mat i ons or el i mi nat i ng a casi ng st ri ng or a ri sky
mul t i pl e-st age operat i on (bel ow). Li t eCRETE sl ur-
ri es of 9.7 t o 13 l bm/ gal [1166 t o 1563 kg/ m
3
]
perf orm comparabl y t o ordi nary 15.8-l bm/ gal
[1900 kg/ m
3
] sl urri es. Opt i mi zed l i ght w ei ght
cement devel ops compressi ve st rengt h earl i er
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
0 2 4
Ti me, hr
8 16 24
18-l bm/ gal DensCRETE sl urry
12-l bm/ gal Li t eCRETE sl urry
15.8-l bm/ gal convent i onal sl urry
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
v
e

s
t
r
e
n
g
t
h
,

p
s
i
>
Compressive-strength development. CemCRETE slurries, both low-density LiteCRETE
cement and high-density DensCRETE cement, develop compressive strength earlier
and reach higher levels than conventional cement slurries. Rapid compressive-strength
development reduces waiting-on-cement time and speeds well construction.
Convent i onal cement Li t eCRETE cement
Weak zone
LiteCRETE Stage-Operation Replacement
Convent i onal cement Li t eCRETE cement
Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 1
LiteCRETE Cementing Production Liner
Tai l
sl urry
1
2
LiteCRETE Cement Plugs
Convent i onal cement Li t eCRETE cement
Fi l l er
sl urry
>
New approaches to common problems. LiteCRETE cement (left) can replace stage-cementing operations, saving rig time and avoiding a complex, more
expensive operation. Here, the two-stage cementing operation on the left has a weak zone that is eliminated in the single-stage LiteCRETE operation on the
right. For cementing production liners (center) or casing across a weak or depleted zone, high-quality cement is placed across the primary pay zone as a
tail slurry at the bottom of the well. Shallower formations, isolated with lower-quality ller slurry, cannot be completed without additional cementing work.
LiteCRETE cement can be placed throughout the entire annulus so that any zone may be completed without additional cementing work, such as block
squeezes. Placing a higher density cement plug in a lightweight uid (right) can lead to instability as the uids intermix. Cement placement is improved by
matching low uid densities with LiteCRETE slurries, which prevents uid contamination and degradation of set-cement properties.
t han convent i onal cement , reduci ng WOC t i me.
In addi t i on, t hi s t ype of sl urry i s more st abl e t han
l ow-densi t y Port l and cement sl urri es because of
i t s l ow wat er cont ent . It i s st rong enough t o be
perf orat ed cl eanl y and wi t hst ands f ract uri ng and
st i mul at i on t reat ment s (above l ef t ).
5
DensCRETE t echnol ogy of f ers bet t er rheol -
ogy at hi gh densi t y, adj ust abl e densi t y at t he
w el l si t e and i mproved w el l cont rol duri ng
cement i ng (above ri ght ). Hi gh-densi t y, w at er-
reduced cement i s usef ul f or w hi pst ock pl ugs
and hi gh-pressure cement i ng operat i ons, f or si t -
uat i ons w here t he f ract ure and pore pressure
margi n i s narrow, and f or grout i ng (i nj ect i on
of cement t o consol i dat e seabed sedi ment s or
i nj ect i on of hi gh-st rengt h cement bet w een
pi pes such as t he l egs of of f shore pl at f orms). A
hi gh-perf ormance, hi gh-densi t y sl urry of 17 t o
24 l bm/ gal [2040 t o 2900 kg/ m
3
] has a l ow er
equi val ent ci rcul at i ng densi t y t han t hat of a con-
vent i onal hi gh-densi t y cement sl urry, al l owi ng
pl acement even when t he wi ndow bet ween pore
pressure and f ract ure pressure i s t i ght and con-
vent i onal hi gh-densi t y sl urri es are i nadequat e.
Sl urry densi t y can be adj ust ed by as much as
1 l bm/ gal at t he l ast mi nut e on l ocat i on wi t hout
pert urbi ng ot her sl urry propert i es. DensCRETE
sl urri es usual l y devel op compressi ve st rengt hs
wel l i n excess of 5000 psi [34.5 M Pa] and can
reach 20,000 psi [138 M Pa] i n especi al l y
demandi ng appl i cat i ons.
For remedi at i on of f aul t y cement j obs and
f or w at er cont rol , SqueezeCRETE t echnol ogy
of f ers a new sol ut i on f or wel l bore repai rs, such
as casi ng l eaks, l i ner t op l eaks, ol d part i al l y
pl ugged perf orat i ons, channel s behi nd casi ng,
l eaki ng st age t ool s, f ract ures or even squeezi ng
a gravel pack (bel ow). A SqueezeCRETE sl urry
syst em appl i es t he new t echnol ogy at t he
mi croscal e f or i nj ect i on i nt o very smal l gaps or
f ract ures i n pri mary cement s and casi ng.
Opt i mi zed sl urri es w i t h speci al l y engi neered
part i cl e-si ze di st ri but i ons penet rat e deepl y not
onl y because of t he smal l part i cl e si zes of t he
bl end, but al so because t hei r i mproved resi s-
t ance t o dehydrat i on reduces vi scosi cat i on dur-
i ng pl acement . The i mproved i nj ect abi l i t y t hat
resul t s f rom ne-si zed part i cl es i s key t o success
i n remedi at i on. In addi t i on t o hi gh i nj ect abi l i t y,
SqueezeCRETE cement has hi gh compressi ve
st rengt h and l ow permeabi l i t y. St rengt h makes
22 Oileld Review
Squeeze t hrough
gravel pack
M i croannul us
squeeze
Casi ng l eak
repai r
SqueezeCRETE Applications
Ol d perf orat i on
squeeze
Top of l i ner
squeeze
Repai r of channel
behi nd casi ng
>
Remediation success. Perhaps the most versatile application of CemCRETE technology, SqueezeCRETE slurries penetrate more effectively than other
cement slurries. SqueezeCRETE slurries repair small microannuli and leaks in casing, channels in cement and liner tops. They can also isolate old, partially
plugged perforations and even be placed through gravel packs.
>
Clean perforating. While conventional cements can shatter
during perforating, CemCRETE cement remains intact after
perforating. The perforation diameter is 0.4 in.
DensCRETE Applications
<Cementing high-pressure
formations. In high-pressure
wells with narrow pore-fracture
pressure windows, the friction
pressure increase in a tight
annulus during cementing can
fracture the formation (left),
leading to improper zonal
isolation. DensCRETE slurries
have lower viscosity, allowing
slurry placement throughout
the annulus. In deviated holes,
standard high-density slurries
are prone to sedimentation as
hematite particles settle on
the low side of the wellbore and
do not contribute to the total
hydrostatic pressure (right).
This instability can lead to
serious well control problems.
Spring 1999 23
SqueezeCRETE cement an appropri at e mat eri al
t o pl ug wel l s upon abandonment , al t hough i t i s
more commonl y appl i ed t o remedi at e wel l bore
probl ems t hat cannot be repai red wi t h t ypi cal
cement i ng mat eri al s.
SqueezeCRETE t echnol ogy succeeds where
st andard gel s used f or wat er-cont rol appl i ca-
t i ons mi ght f ai l , i ncl udi ng remedi at i on of cross-
f l ow behi nd casi ng and as a t ai l behi nd
convent i onal gel t reat ment s. When wat er cross-
ow behi nd t he casi ng i s di agnosed, t he pat h
t hrough t he pri mary cement sheat h mi ght not
yet be l arge enough t o pl ace ordi nary squeeze
sl urri es. On t he ot her hand, t he pat h may al ready
be so l arge t hat a st andard gel used f or wat er-
cont rol appl i cat i ons cannot perf orm correct l y
or wi t hst and t he di f f erent i al pressure once t he
wel l ret urns t o product i on. The advanced sl urry
experi ences a l ower vi scosi t y i ncrease f or t he
same vol ume of ui d l oss t han convent i onal
squeeze cement s. It s enhanced ui d-l oss cont rol
propert i es, commonl y bet t er t han t hose of
dri l l i ng ui ds, great l y i mprove sl urry penet rat i on
propert i es: i t can penet rat e 120 mi cron sl ot s
more t han 10 t i mes f art her t han wel l -di spersed
squeeze sl urri es (t op ri ght ).
Engi neered sl urry f or squeeze appl i cat i ons i s
pl aced af t er deep penet rat i on t hrough t he chan-
nel and set l i ke ordi nary pri mary cement . In t hi s
manner, SqueezeCRETE t echnol ogy rest ores t he
i nt egri t y of t he cement sheat h and provi des com-
pet ent zonal i sol at i on.
An al t ernat i ve t o f oamed cement , DeepCRETE
t echnol ogy, has been devel oped f or deepwat er
wel l s. Foamed cement cement pl us ni t rogen
or ai r requi res speci al i zed equi pment and a
cement i ng t eam t rai ned i n i t s use (as wel l as
avai l abi l i t y of ni t rogen when ai r i s not used),
w hi ch mi ght be l ogi st i cal l y chal l engi ng and
cost l y on some of f shore ri gs and pl at f orms.
DeepCRETE cement devel ops st rengt h f ast er,
even at t emperat ures as l ow as 39F [4C], so
WOC t i me i s reduced when ri g cost s are cal cu-
l at ed by t he mi nut e, such as i n deepwat er areas.
No speci al i zed equi pment cl ut t ers up l i mi t ed
oor space. Li t eCRETE sl urry syst ems can al so
subst i t ut e f or f oamed cement .
Tradi t i onal l y, cement j obs were pl anned by
i dent i f yi ng t he appl i cat i on of t he cement and t he
t ot al hydrost at i c l i mi t at i ons on t he pl aced
cement col umn. The l i qui d sl urry densi t y was
i nf erred f rom t he physi cal propert i es necessary
f or t he set cement . A maj or change preci pi t at ed
by new cement i ng t echnol ogy i s t hat t he i ni t i al
pl anni ng st ep i s t o deci de t he sl urry densi t y rst
and t hen t he sl urry porosi t y. From t hat , t he spe-
ci c gravi t y of t he dry bl end i s cal cul at ed and a
bl end desi gned accordi ng t o t he j ob paramet ers.
6
CemCRETE t echnol ogy resul t s i n cement
propert i es t hat ensure l ong-l ast i ng zonal i sol a-
t i on. It s st rong resi st ance t o corrosi on f rom aci d
st i mul at i ons and f ormat i on ui ds i s enhanced by
i t s l ow permeabi l i t y (above l ef t ). It s mechani cal
i nt egri t y i s hi gh, even i n workover, perf orat i ng
and ot her speci al i zed appl i cat i ons (above ri ght ).
Oi l f i el d cement must w i t hst and corrosi on
and CemCRETE cement s provi de good sul f at e
resi st ance w hen desi gned f or t hat purpose.
SqueezeCRETE sl urry St andard mi crocement sl urry
Inj ect i on poi nt Inj ect i on poi nt
>
Improved penetration of remedial cement. Squeeze cementing materials were injected through
the valve on the left side of the 120-micron slots shown in the photographs. As indicated by the black
arrows below the slots, the SqueezeCRETE slurry (left) achieved deeper penetration into the narrow
slot than the conventional microcement slurry (right), which lost more water earlier, viscosied and
plugged the left side of the slot. Improved penetration reects lower uid loss and reduced viscosi-
cation, allowing SqueezeCRETE slurry to better repair tiny wellbore defects.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Ext ended
l i ght wei ght
cement
15.8-l bm/ gal
Cl ass G
cement
CemCRETE
cement
C
e
m
e
n
t

s
o
l
u
b
i
l
i
t
y

i
n

m
u
d

a
c
i
d

a
f
t
e
r

4

h
r
,

w
t

%
>
Resistance to acid attack. Better zonal isolation
is inherent in all CemCRETE systems because of
their improved resistance to aggressive, corro-
sive uids, as demonstrated in laboratory tests
on cement solubility by acid or brine. This prop-
erty makes LiteCRETE systems particularly valu-
able for geothermal applications or when acid
stimulation is planned, since low density and
resistance to corrosive uids are of paramount
importance in those situations.
1.00
1.05
1.10
1.15
1.20
1.25
1.30
12-l bm/ gal
CemCRETE
cement
15.8-l bm/ gal
Cl ass G
cement
18-l bm/ gal
CemCRETE
cement
T
/
E
>
Cement integrity. The mechanical integrity of
cement, or its ability to withstand stresses from
perforating, hydraulic fracturing and other opera-
tions, is critical for long-term zonal isolation. The
ratio of the tensile strength (T) and Youngs modu-
lus (E) is one indicator of the relative performance
of different cements. The higher T/E of CemCRETE
cements reects their superior integrity.
5. For more on high-performance, lightweight cement
slurries: Moulin E, Revil P and J ain B: Using Concrete
Technology to Improve the Performance of Lightweight
Cements, paper SPE/IADC 39276, presented at the
SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology Conference,
Bahrain, November 23-25, 1997.
Revil P and J ain B: A New Approach to Designing High-
Performance Lightweight Cement Slurries for Improved
Zonal Isolation in Challenging Situations, paper
IADC/SPE 47830, presented at the IADC/SPE Asia Pacic
Drilling Technology Conference, J akarta, Indonesia,
September 7-9, 1998.
Sumartha I and Martinez R. J A: Application of a
New Technique for Lightweight Cement Formulation to
Improve Cement Placement in Campeche Bay Area,
paper SPE 39889, presented at the SPE International
PetroleumConference and Exhibition, Villahermosa,
Mexico, March 3-5, 1998.
6. Moulin E et al, reference 5.
Al so, t hei r l ow permeabi l i t y i nhi bi t s w at er per-
col at i on i nt o t he cement , sl ow i ng corrosi on (see
bot t om l ef t f i gure, page 19 ). Dest ruct i ve event s,
such as repeat ed f reeze-t haw cycl i ng, t ect oni c
act i vi t y, product i on-i nduced subsi dence and
t hermal expansi on duri ng product i on and t est s
pri or t o abandonment of w el l s, can i mpact
cement i nt egri t y.
Prot ect i on of shal l ow aqui f ers i s an ongoi ng
concern, so regul at ory requi rement s f or cement
perf ormance, such as i n wel l abandonment s, are
becomi ng st ri ct er i n many areas. Recent l y,
prudent operat ors have recogni zed t hat surf ace
casi ng shoul d be cement ed as caref ul l y as
product i on l i ners. New hi gh-perf ormance oi l el d
cement s have great er rel i abi l i t y t han t radi t i onal
cement s, even i n ext reme condi t i ons, so usi ng t he
best t echnol ogy avai l abl e mi ght hel p operat ors
meet st ri ct er envi ronment al prot ect i on st andards.
Duri ng 1998, more t han 250 CemCRETE j obs
were carri ed out i n 20 count ri es (l ef t ). Li t eCRETE,
DensCRETE and SqueezeCRETE t echnol ogi es
have been used i n most cases, al t hough
DeepCRETE t echnol ogy, i nt roduced at t he end of
1998, i s al so gai ni ng popul ari t y.
Elimination of Stage-Cementing Operations
In t he Hassi Berki ne el d i n t he Ghadames basi n
of Al geri a, Anadarko Al geri a Company uses
Li t eCRETE cement t o avoi d st age-cement i ng
operat i ons and bet t er prot ect t he suppl y of f resh
wat er comi ng f rom t he overpressured Al bi an
sandst one. The Al bi an aqui f er overl i es oi l -
produci ng Cambri an sandst ones and underl i es
sal t y Senoni an carbonat e and evapori t e rocks.
Addi t i onal geol ogi c compl i cat i ons i ncl ude t he
weakness of cert ai n f ormat i ons bel ow t he Al bi an
t hat are prone t o l ost ci rcul at i on duri ng dri l l i ng
and t he pot ent i al f or owi ng sal t . The previ ous
approach had been t o set a st age t ool bel ow
t he Al bi an, cement t he l ower zones, and t hen
i sol at e t he Al bi an i n t he second st age of cement -
i ng operat i ons.
St age cement i ng resul t ed i n hi gher cost s t han
a si ngl e-st age operat i on and subopt i mal zonal
i sol at i on t hat of t en requi red remedi al cement i ng.
Af t er caref ul consi derat i on of t he ri sks and
rewards of di f f erent approaches, Anadarko chose
a sol ut i on proposed by Dow el l engi neers
si ngl e-st age cement i ng usi ng a Li t eCRETE sl urry.
Key f act ors t hat make t hi s pref erabl e t o conven-
t i onal cement i ng i ncl ude rapi d set t i ng t i me, hi gh
compressi ve st rengt h, l ow set -cement porosi t y
and permeabi l i t y t hat resul t i n bet t er zonal i sol a-
t i on and superi or resi st ance t o corrosi ve f orma-
t i on ui ds (l ef t ).
24 Oileld Review
257 CemCRETE j obs worl dwi de i n 1998
>
Locations of CemCRETE operations. The size of each circle is proportional to the number of jobs in
the area. During 1998, more than 250 cementing operations using CemCRETE technology demonstrated
the versatility of optimized cement blends in a variety of critical casing operations. Stage-operation
replacement has been the most signicant application to date.
Fresh wat er
Typical Casing Program LiteCRETE Casing Program
Low f ract ure
gradi ent
Fresh wat er
Low f ract ure
gradi ent
The st age t ool creat ed a
weakness i n t he 9
5
/ 8-i n.
casi ng, requi ri ng 7-i n.
casi ng t o surf ace
9
5
/ 8-i n. i nt ermedi at e casi ng
cement ed i n t wo st ages t o
cover f reshwat er zone wi t h
l ow-permeabi l i t y cement
9
5
/ 8-i n. casi ng
cement ed i n one
st age wi t h
Li t eCRETE sl urry
7-i n. f ul l product i on
st ri ng
7-i n. product i on l i ner
repl aces t he f ul l st ri ng
due t o t he el i mi nat i on
of t he st age t ool
>
Elimination of stage-cementing operations. In the Hassi Berkine eld, Alge-
ria, LiteCRETE technology meets multiple operational challenges: protection
of freshwater supplies, high strength with low density and reduced cost and
risk. Senonian carbonate and evaporite rocks must be isolated from underly-
ing Albian sandstone, a freshwater aquifer. Oil production comes from deeper
Cambrian sandstones. By eliminating stage-cementing operations, a 7-in. pro-
duction string to the surface can be replaced by a 7-in. production liner.
Spring 1999 25
The cost savi ngs associ at ed wi t h t he si ngl e-
st age operat i on and decreased need f or remedi al
cement i ng were al so compel l i ng. A t ypi cal si n-
gl e-st age operat i on i n t hi s area can save al most
a f ul l day of ri g t i me and decrease cost s of ui d
cont ami nat i on t hat mi ght occur duri ng t he rst
st age of cement i ng. Addi t i onal savi ngs st em
f rom t he l ow i nci dence of remedi al work, whi ch
t ypi cal l y requi res t wo days of ri g t i me as wel l as
addi t i onal cement i ng cost s. The el i mi nat i on of
t he st age t ool removes a known weak poi nt f rom
t he 9
5
8-i n. casi ng st ri ng, maki ng i t possi bl e t o
repl ace a f ul l 7-i n. product i on casi ng t o surf ace
wi t h a 7-i n. product i on l i ner, savi ng on t ubul ar
and cement i ng cost s as wel l as ri g t i me (above).
7
In t he Uni t ed Arab Emi rat es, Abu Dhabi
Company f or Onshore Oi l Operat i ons (ADCO)
has perf ormed si mi l ar successf ul si ngl e-st age
Li t eCRETE cement i ng operat i ons.
8
Ongoi ng col l aborat i on bet w een engi neers
f rom Dow el l and Schl umberger Wi rel i ne &
Test i ng has i mproved i nt erpret at i on of bond l ogs
of l i ght wei ght cement i ng syst ems. In t he past ,
acoust i c propert i es were i ncorrect l y rel at ed t o
compressi ve st rengt hs of cement , resul t i ng i n a
f al se expect at i on of si mi l ar l og responses
bet ween 15.8-l bm/ gal Port l and and Li t eCRETE
syst ems. The new syst ems have compressi ve
st rengt hs as hi gh as 15.8-l bm/ gal Port l and
cement s, but t hei r acoust i c i mpedances are
bet w een 15.8-l bm/ gal cement s and ordi nary
l i ght wei ght cement s. Li t eCRETE syst ems di spl ay
a l ow er acoust i c i mpedance cont rast w i t h
dri l l i ng f l ui ds, produci ng a di f f erent l og
response, so l og i nt erpret at i on f or t hese syst ems
i s not as st rai ght f orward.
Fl ui d compensat ed CBL ampl i t ude (CBLF)
0 M V 50
Transi t t i me (TT)
400 sec 200
Transi t t i me (Sl i di ng Gat e) (TTSL)
0 M V 50
CCL (CCLU)
-35 5
Predi ct ed Ampl i t ude f or 100% BI f rom
Dowel l cement dat a (DCD PA 100 BI)
0 M V 50
Predi ct ed Ampl i t ude f or 80% BI f rom
Dowel l cement dat a (DCD PA 80 BI)
0 M V 50
10 20 i n.
Bi t si ze (BS)
10 20 i n.
Cal i per 1
(DCD CALI1)
0 100 API
Gamma Ray
(GR)
Gas f rom
LHF2 t o USGI
Li qui d f rom
USGI t o USBI
Bonded f rom
USBI t o LHF2
0.0000
0.3000
1.9000
2.0909
2.2818
2.4727
2.6836
2.8545
3.0454
3.2364
3.4273
3.6182
3.8091
4.0000
Cement map wi t h
i mpedance
cl assi f i cat i on
M i n Ampl i t ude
Soni c_VDL_Curve (VDL)
M ax
200 sec 1200
<
Evaluation of LiteCRETE cement using bond
logs. The USI UltraSonic Imager (USI) log,
cement bond log (CBL) and Variable Density log
(VDL) from a well in Algeria give information
related to the presence of a 10.85-lbm/gal
[1.33-kg/l] LiteCRETE cement behind 9
5
8-in.
casing. In the rst track (from left to right), the
green gamma ray curve shows minor lithology
variation with depth; the black curve indicates
bit size and the red curve hole size (as uploaded
from the CemCADE software). The bond index is
denoted from 100% to 0% in track 2, with yellow
indicating cement behind the casing. The
cement map in the third track is a circumferen-
tial representation of the material present
behind the casing. The cement map was
generated by rescaling USI UltraSonic Imager
data from the default (0 to 8 MRayl) to a scale
of 0 to 4 MRayl to better t the lower acoustic
impedance of LiteCRETE cement, which
averages 3 to 4 MRayl. Dark areas, equivalent
to 4 MRayl here, indicate excellent cement bond
to the casing. The fourth track displays classic
cement bond log information, including ampli-
tude (solid purple), transit time (blue and red
dotted) and casing collar locations (black).
Additionally, the orange and green solid lines
represent the expected amplitude for 100%
and 80% bond (as predicted by the CemCADE
simulator). The amplitude values are higher
for LiteCRETE cement than for standard,
heavier cements, which typically have greater
attenuation. Finally, the Variable Density cement
bond log (VDL) in track 5 provides information
about the quality of the cement-formation bond
by displaying a color-coded traveltime trace at
every depth. The relatively low color contrast
(low amplitudes) at early times indicates weak
casing arrivals, which is to be expected for a
good bond between the casing and a relatively
low acoustic impedance cement. (A high
acoustic impedance cement under the same
circumstances would give lower amplitudes
and weaker casing arrivals, if any.) The higher
color contrast (high amplitudes) at later times
represents arrivals from the formation, whose
velocity varies with lithology, and correlates
roughly with lithology indicated in the
gamma ray log.
7. For more on single-stage cementing operations in
Algeria: ToukamE: New Cement Improves Costs,
Operations In Northern Africa, PetroleumEngineer
International 72, no. 3 (March 1999): 23-29.
8. Mukhalalaty T, Al Suwaidi A and Shaheen M: Increasing
Well Life Cycle by Eliminating the Multistage Cementer
and Utilizing a Light-Weight, High-Performance Slurry,
paper 53283, presented at the SPE Middle East Oil Show,
Bahrain, February 20-23, 1999.
Whipstock Plugs and Liner Cementing
In M exi co, Pet rl eos M exi canos (PEM EX) has
used Li t eCRETE cement f or whi pst ock pl ugs and
l i ner cement i ng. PEM EX i ni t i al l y used t he
l i ght wei ght opt i mi zed bl end f or whi pst ock pl ugs
t o ki ck of f devi at ed wel l s past i rret ri evabl e sh.
The success rat i o of ki ckof f pl ugs has been
i mproved great l y by usi ng t he new t echnol ogy i n
a l ow-densi t y envi ronment . The mat ched densi -
t i es of t he dri l l i ng ui ds and cement sl urri es pre-
vent ed swappi ng and mi xi ng of ui ds duri ng
pl acement and ensured devel opment of t he
requi red compressi ve st rengt h.
In a el d wi t h a l ow f ract ure gradi ent i n t he
Vi l l ahermosa regi on, CemCRETE t echnol ogy
proved t o be t he best answer f or cement i ng
deep (4500- t o 5000-m) [14,760- t o 16,400-f t ],
depl et ed, f ract ured, dol omi t i c M esozoi c carbon-
at e reservoi rs. Li ght wei ght cement i s empl oyed
because t he reservoi rs have a l ow f ract ure
gradi ent .
9
In one devi at ed wel l , PEM EX el ect ed t o
ki ck of f i n order t o reach a bet t er part of t he
reservoi r (above l ef t ). A speci al 15-l bm/ gal opt i -
mi zed w hi pst ock pl ug mat eri al desi gned f or
PEM EX reached a compressi ve st rengt h of
3750 psi [26 M Pa] wi t hi n ei ght hours and a nal
compressi ve st rengt h of 4203 psi [29 M Pa] i n
12.5 hours, al l owi ng t he si det rack t o be com-
pl et ed successf ul l y.
Li ner cement i ng has al so been i mproved
t hrough t he use of new cement i ng t echnol ogy.
Because of t he l ow f ormat i on pressure and sus-
cept i bi l i t y t o f ract uri ng, a l ow-densi t y sl urry was
cri t i cal t o success. In one case, an 11.1-l bm/ gal
[1330-kg/ m
3
] Li t eCRETE sl urry w as used t o
cement a 5-i n. product i on l i ner f rom 13,399 f t
t o 15,095 f t [4084 t o 4600 m]. The cement
devel oped a compressi ve st rengt h of 1200 psi
[8273 kPa] af t er ei ght hours. A cement bond l og
conrmed a good seal bet ween t he l i ner cement
and f ormat i on.
The overal l cost of usi ng Li t eCRETE t echnol -
ogy, i ncl udi ng servi ce, product s and ri g t i me, i s
l ower t han t he cost of usi ng t radi t i onal t echnol -
ogy. PEM EX reduced t he cost of ri g t i me duri ng
cement i ng by 30% because new l i ght wei ght sl ur-
ri es devel op compressi ve st rengt h rapi dl y. By
usi ng opt i mi zed cement f or ki ckof f pl ugs, PEM EX
saved 45% of t he t ot al operat i on cost compared
wi t h t he use of convent i onal cement , whi ch com-
monl y ent ai l ed repeat i ng t he cement pl ug. Al so,
remedi al squeeze operat i ons have not been nec-
essary. Convent i onal j obs commonl y requi red one
or t wo squeezes.
Cementing Shallow, Low-Pressure Wells
Hunt Pet rol eum Corporat i on has used Li t eCRETE
cement t o compl et e ve wel l s i n t he Ol l a el d,
LaSal l e Pari sh, Loui si ana, USA. Shal l ow Wi l cox
oi l wel l s, wi t h t ot al dept hs of 3500 f t [1067 m]
and bot t omhol e st at i c t emperat ures of 129F
[54C], have l ow bot t omhol e pressures and l ow
f ract ure gradi ent s, so get t i ng a col umn of cement
hi gh enough i n t he annul us has proven di f cul t .
In t he past , as many as t hree bl ock squeezes per
wel l were perf ormed t o remedi at e poor pri mary
cement j obs i n 5
1
2-i n. casi ng (l ef t ).
The Wi l cox reservoi r i n Ol l a el d has a st rong
wat erdri ve. Product i ve zones are compl et ed by
perf orat i ng t he t op of t he product i ve i nt erval
above t he oi l -wat er cont act . Of f set wel l s com-
monl y produce hi gh vol umes of wat er at wat er
cut s great er t han 95%. The wel l s compl et ed
wi t h Li t eCRETE cement produce at wat er cut s
l ess t han 85% wat er, but , more i mport ant l y, t he
t ot al vol ume of wat er produced i s si gni cant l y
reduced. Hunt Pet rol eum i nt erpret s t he reduced
wat er product i on as veri cat i on of proper i sol a-
t i on of t he produci ng zone f rom nearby zones
t hat cont ai n 100% wat er. The addi t i onal wat er
product i on i n t he of f set w el l s has been
at t ri but ed t o w at er channel i ng f rom nearby
wat er zones; radi oact i ve t racer i nj ect i on l ogs
have veri ed t hi s. None of t he wel l s i n whi ch
Hunt Pet rol eum used Li t eCRETE cement has
requi red remedi al work.
Besi des reduci ng t he need f or remedi al work,
Hunt Pet rol eum has l owered t ot al wel l cost s on
Wi l cox compl et i ons by avoi di ng t he mechani cal
ri sks associ at ed wi t h squeezi ng operat i ons. Such
ri sks i ncl ude t he possi bi l i t y of set t i ng t he cement
ret ai ner i ncorrect l y, dri l l i ng a hol e i n t he casi ng
when dri l l i ng out t he cement ret ai ner, spl i t t i ng
casi ng duri ng t he squeeze, cement i ng t he work-
st ri ng i f cement set s up earl y, or f ract uri ng i nt o a
wat er zone. Because Li t eCRETE cement col umns
ext end hi gher i n t he annul us, upper zones of t he
Wi l cox may be compl et ed wi t hout addi t i onal
cement i ng t o cover t hese zones, whi ch general l y
are not covered duri ng convent i onal operat i ons.
26 Oileld Review
Cement pl ug
2878 m
4150 m
4160 m
Optimized CemCRETE Plug for Sidetracking
>
High-performance lightweight slurry. Optimized,
low-density blends are used for whipstock plugs
and liner cements in depleted reservoirs with
low fracture gradients. In this example, PEMEX
decided to sidetrack to reach a better part of
the reservoir. By using CemCRETE technology,
PEMEX has improved its success ratio for
kickoff plugs and minimized WOC time.
8
5
/ 8-i n., 24-l bm/ f t surf ace
casi ng at 1712 f t
Weak zone
5
1
/ 2-i n., 15.5-l bm/ f t
product i on casi ng
at 3150 f t
Cementing Low-Pressure Zones
>
Cementing in a low-pressure gradient. The
use of conventional cements in the Olla eld
typically required two or three block squeezes
after each primary cementing operation. Using
LiteCRETE slurry systems on ve wells improved
zonal isolation without block squeezes. It also
makes it possible to complete shallower zones
without additional cementing work. In this
example, the LiteCRETE slurry column could
be placed high enough in the annulus to cover
the weak zone.
9. Prez Meja G, Ramrez Martnez I and Prado-Velarde E:
Optimizacin de los Tapones de Desvo y Liners,
Utilizando un Sistema de Cemento de Baja Densidad y
Alta Resistencia a la Compresin (LBDARC), en la
Regin Sur de Pemex, Mxico, presented at the XI
Congreso Latinoamericano de Perforacin, Buenos
Aires, Argentina, October 25-29, 1998.
10. In the North Sea, a LiteCRETE blend remained on a sup-
ply boat for several days in bad weather. Nevertheless,
the blend did not segregate during its rough journey to
the wellsite.
Spring 1999 27
Cementing High-Pressure Wells
Hi gh-pressure wel l s benet f rom t he use of
reduced-wat er cement s. Pet rol eum Devel opment
Oman (PDO) rst adopt ed DensCRETE t echnol ogy
t o address numerous chal l enges i n el ds such as
t he Al Noor and Sarmad el ds of sout hern Oman.
Whi l e adj ust ment s t o t he mud syst em and casi ng
program can reduce t he cost and ri sk of dri l l i ng
operat i ons, t he use of new cement i ng t echnol ogy
was t he most i mport ant f act or i n i mprovi ng oper-
at i ons f or PDO.
In t he sout hern Oman el ds, PDO produces oi l
f rom st ri ngers of t i ght Cambri an At hel si l i ci l yt e
embedded i n sal t . The At hel reservoi r, whi ch i s
al so a worl d-cl ass hydrocarbon source rock, i s up
t o 400 m [1312 f t ] t hi ck and cont ai ns 80 t o 90%
mi crocryst al l i ne si l i ca, wi t h an average porosi t y
of 22% and permeabi l i t y bel ow 0.05 mD. Hi gh
drawdown pressures are appl i ed t o produce oi l
f rom such a t i ght reservoi r, so i t i s cruci al t o
mechani cal l y i sol at e t he i ndi vi dual st ri ngers of
reservoi r rock.
Dri l l i ng and compl et i ng such w el l s suc-
cessf ul l y are chal l engi ng. At dept hs of 3500 t o
4800 m [11,483 t o 15,748 f t ] and t emperat ures of
90C [194F], pressure cont rol di ct at es a hi gh-
densi t y sl urry. Segregat i on of t he w ei ght i ng
agent , hemat i t e, f rom convent i onal dry bl ends
duri ng t ransport across graded roads l ed t o di f -
cul t y mi xi ng and pumpi ng sl urri es and up t o
t hree hours of l ost t i me t o cl ean pl ugged
cement i ng l i nes. Di spl aci ng heavy muds wi t h
hi gh rheol ogi es was i nef ci ent . There was a nar-
row wi ndow bet ween t he f ormat i on pore pres-
sure of 16.2 l bm/ gal [1941 kg/ m
3
] and f ormat i on
f ract ure pressure of 20.4 l bm/ gal [2444 kg/ m
3
],
as wel l as a l ow di f f erent i al pressure bet ween
t he 17-l bm/ gal [2037-kg/ m
3
] mud syst em, 18.3-
l bm/ gal [2193-kg/ m
3
] spacer and 19.6-l bm/ gal
[2348-kg/ m
3
] cement . There was l i t t l e l eeway t o
adj ust densi t i es and di spl acement rat es.
Cont ami nat i on of ui ds by sal t -sat urat ed mud
l ed t o i nst abi l i t y. Bul k shri nkage of set cement
of t en resul t ed i n mi croannul i . In at l east one
wel l , a mi croannul us was not det ect abl e wi t h a
cement bond l og, but was di scovered when pres-
sure i n t he annul us rose. Fi nal l y, when compared
wi t h convent i onal cement s, CemCRETE sl urri es
set f ast er at t he t op of t he l i ner, whi ch reduces
t he ri sk of ui d mi grat i on. In one wel l , a gas ki ck
occurred 14 hours af t er convent i onal l y cement i ng
t he l i ner and i t t ook f our days t o cont rol t he wel l
and avoi d a bl owout .
Bef ore approval f or t he i ni t i al use of
DensCRETE cement by PDO, numerous t est s by
PDO and by Dow el l i n Oman and at t he
Schl umberger-Ri boud Product Cent er i n France
conrmed t hat t he advanced t echnol ogy woul d
surpass cri t i cal perf ormance requi rement s. In
addi t i on t o exceedi ng t he perf ormance of t radi -
t i onal cement s i n 8-hour compressi ve st rengt h,
24-hour compressi ve st rengt h, st abi l i t y and
shri nkage, DensCRETE cement of f ered great er
abi l i t y t o opt i mi ze sl urry rheol ogy and densi t y
(bel ow). A yard t ri al i n earl y 1998 al so demon-
st rat ed t hat t he DensCRETE bl end woul d not seg-
regat e duri ng t ransport , remai ned mi xabl e af t er
t ransport and passed rel evant API t est s, such as
rheol ogy, compressi ve st rengt h and ui d l oss.
10
The f i rst DensCRETE operat i ons i n Oman
were perf ormed duri ng t he second quart er of
1998 on t he Sarmad-1 wel l , pl aci ng cement pl ugs
at 4100 m [13,451 f t ] and 4300 m [14,108 f t ]
wi t h 21.5-l bm/ gal [2576-kg/ m
3
] sl urry and a 7-i n.
l i ner at 3850 m [12,631 f t ] wi t h 19.5-l bm/ gal
[2337-kg/ m
3
] sl urry (above). Because t he wel l
encount ered a f aul t and ui d l osses occurred j ust
above t ot al dept h, PDO deci ded t o set pl ugs
above t he f aul t and t hen cement t he l i ner usi ng
DensCRETE cement f or bot h operat i ons. The
pl ugged i nt erval exceeded 200 m [656 f t ] i n t hi ck-
ness, so t he pl ug was set i n t wo st ages.
To dat e, seven DensCRETE cement j obs have
been perf ormed i n t he area f or PDO, i ncl udi ng
t hree l i ner j obs and f our pl ugs f or abandonment
of hi gh-pressure wel l s. The sl urry i s l ess sensi -
t i ve t o sal t -sat urat ed mud cont ami nat i on t han
ordi nary cement . As t he opt i mi zed hi gh-densi t y
cement set s, i t i s l ess prone t o f ormi ng a
mi croannul us because i t suf f ers l ess bul k shri nk-
age. Even i n l ong l i ners, no densi t y gradi ent i s
observed i n t he set cement col umn i n t he annu-
l us. The col umn i s uni f orm and st abl e, even as
t he cement i s set t i ng, so t he ri sk of a bl owout i s
reduced. The t op of DensCRETE pl ugs i s cl oser t o
t he t heoret i cal t op t han t hat of convent i onal
pl ugs because t he rheol ogy of opt i mi zed hi gh-
densi t y sl urri es al l ows more ef ci ent removal of
dri l l i ng ui ds.
Compressi ve st rengt h at 8 hr
Ini t i al set 50 psi
Compressi ve st rengt h at 24 hr
Shri nkage
St abi l i t y of set cement
(BP set t l i ng t est )
Tol erance t o densi t y vari at i ons
Separat i on of heavy part i cl es
f rom bl end duri ng t ransport
0 kPa
Af t er 20 hours
18,275 kPa [2651 psi ]
1.5% af t er 24 hours
0.35 kPa/ m [0.297 l bm/ gal ]
t op t o bot t om
Low
Hi gh ri sk
18,616 kPa [2700 psi ]
Properties Conventional slurry DensCRETE slurry
Af t er 4 hours
24,132 kPa [3500 psi ]
0% af t er 24 hours
0.20 kPa/ m [0.169 l bm/ gal ]
t op t o bot t om
Hi gh
Very l ow ri sk
<Laboratory testing. In tests
conducted before the rst
use of high-performance
heavyweight slurry by
Petroleum Development
Oman (PDO), DensCRETE
slurries outperformed
conventional heavyweight
slurries. This superior
performance carried over
to eld applications.
DensCRETE Plug and Liner Cementing
7-i n. l i ner
3850 m
4100 m
4300 m
Cement pl ug
(21.5-l bm/ gal )
Li ner cement
(19.5-l bm/ gal )
>
High-pressure cementing. In the deep, high-
pressure Sarmad-1 well, PDO set 21.5-lbm/gal
DensCRETE cement plugs to counter fault-
related fluid losses near total depth and
then cemented the liner using a 19.5-lbm/gal
DensCRETE slurry.
>Water-control diagnostic
plots. Log-log plots of the
actual water-oil ratio (WOR)
and its derivative (WOR)
versus time help differentiate
between water-control
problems, including water
coning and channeling, dur-
ing production. Systematic
ow model numerical
simulations produced
characteristic curves. These
curves are used to diagnose
problems and then decide
the appropriate remedy. The
theoretical representation of
bottomwater coning (upper
left) is similar to the actual
eld example below it.
Simulated multilayer
channeling(upper right)
also mimics actual multilayer
channeling observed in the
eld (lower right).
The WOC t i me f or convent i onal cement s t o
devel op adequat e compressi ve st rengt h under
t he condi t i ons i n t he sout hern Oman el ds i s at
l east 28 hours. DensCRETE cement achi eves hi gh
compressi ve st rengt h i n as f ew as 15 hours (t he
worst case t o dat e has been 26 hours) and ul t i -
mat el y devel ops hi gher compressi ve st rengt h
t han st andard hi gh-densi t y cement (ri ght ). The
decrease i n WOC t i me has proven especi al l y
i mport ant i n dri l l i ng expl orat i on wel l s, and t here
has been a decreased need t o repeat pl ugs or
remedi at e l i ner cement s. Thus, PDO pl ans t o
cont i nue t o use DensCRETE cement f or hi gh-
pressure cement i ng operat i ons.
11
Water-Control Applications
SqueezeCRETE t echnol ogy has been used i n
Al bert a, Canada, f or numerous squeeze j obs. In
t he Hal ki rk el d nort heast of Cal gary, an oi l wel l
operat ed by PanCanadi an Pet rol eum Lt d. pro-
duced 35 m
3
[220 bbl ] of oi l nearl y wat er-f ree
f rom t he Upper M anvi l l e I Gl auconi t i c f orma-
t i on upon i t s i ni t i al product i on i n 1995. Wi t hi n
a year, however, wat er product i on i ncreased f rom
1 m
3
[6 bbl ] per day t o more t han 20 m
3
[126 bbl ]
per day. By l at e 1998, t he wel l was compl et el y
wat ered out . From knowl edge of reservoi r geol -
ogy and perf ormance, t he w at er i nf l ux w as
at t ri but ed t o l ayer breakt hrough.
The at t ract i ve economi cs f or remedi al work
prompt ed act i on. On t he basi s of known wel l bore
i nt egri t y, a bri dge pl ug was set above exi st i ng
perf orat i ons at 1266.5 m [4154 f t ] and t he zone
above i t was reperf orat ed, but wat er product i on
cont i nued. Af t er revi ewi ng geol ogi cal , reservoi r
and compl et i on dat a, t he w at er i nf l ux w as
ascri bed t o poor cement behi nd t he bri dge pl ug.
Because of a l arge drawdown and cl ose wat er
proxi mi t y, t he Dow el l DESC Desi gn and
Eval uat i on Servi ces f or Cl i ent s engi neer was
asked t o veri f y t hat wat er coni ng was occurri ng.
Wat er-cont rol di agnost i c pl ot s, whi ch di spl ay
raw hi st ori cal product i on dat a versus t i me on a
l og-l og scal e, hel p i dent i f y wat er sources, such
as di f f erent i at i ng bot t omw at er coni ng f rom
mul t i l ayer channel i ng (bel ow). Syst emat i c ow
model numeri cal si mul at i ons were perf ormed t o
28 Oileld Review
0:00 1:45 3:30 5:15 7:00 8:45 10:30 12:15 14:00 15:45 17:30 19:15
El apsed t i me
196
176
156
137
117
98
78
58
39
19
0
Compressi ve st rengt h
Temperat ure
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
v
e

s
t
r
e
n
g
t
h
,

p
s
i
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
,

C
5200
4680
4160
3640
3120
2600
2080
1560
1040
520
0
>
Rapid development of compressive strength. High-density optimized slurries develop
compressive strength sooner than their conventional counterparts. In this example
from the Al Shomou-4 well, the 22-lbm/gal DensCRETE slurry achieved a strength of
5000 psi in only 17 hr.
0.0001
1 10 100 1000
10
1
0.1
0.01
0.001
Ti me, days
0.001
1 10 100 1000 10,000
10
100
1000
1
0.1
0.01
Ti me, days
0.001
10 100 1000 10,000
10
1
0.1
0.01
Ti me, days
0.0001
1 10 100 1000 10,000
10
100
1000
10,000
1
0.1
0.01
0.001
Ti me, days
WOR
WOR'
WOR
WOR'
WOR
WOR'
WOR
WOR'
W
O
R

o
r

W
O
R
'
W
O
R

o
r

W
O
R
'
W
O
R

o
r

W
O
R
'
W
O
R

o
r

W
O
R
'
Spring 1999 29
produce charact eri st i c curves f or di f f erent t ypes
of wat er product i on. On t he basi s of t he wat er-
cont rol anal ysi s f or t he Hal ki rk wel l , t he di agno-
si s was a hi gh-permeabi l i t y l ayer wi t h wat er
breakt hrough (ri ght ). Thi s probl em was compl i -
cat ed by a mi croannul us t hat al l owed wat er ow
behi nd t he casi ng.
Because of l ow oi l pri ces and t he f act t hat t he
mat ure Hal ki rk el d i s undergoi ng wat eroodi ng,
workover cost s must be mi ni mi zed t o achi eve
accept abl e economi c resul t s. Consi derabl e ef f ort
i s made t o mi t i gat e t he ri sk and i mpact of unsuc-
cessf ul t reat ment s. Theref ore, procedures wi t h a
hi gh probabi l i t y of success are f avored. In t hi s
w el l , a convent i onal cement squeeze w as
deemed t oo ri sky. The SqueezeCRETE t reat ment
was predi ct ed t o have a much hi gher probabi l i t y
of success, so t he economi cs f or t hat t reat ment
were accept abl e.
SqueezeCRETE sl urry was pl aced across t he
perf orat i ons f rom 1263 t o 1265.25 m [4144 t o
4151 f t ] as a bal anced pl ug, and a hesi t at i on
squeeze was perf ormed.
12
Af t er 24 hours, t he
cement was dri l l ed out and successf ul l y pres-
sure- and swab-t est ed. Fol l owi ng reperf orat i on,
t he zone i s produci ng 28 m
3
[176 bbl ] of oi l ,
3100 m
3
[110 M cf ] of gas and 0.32 m
3
[2 bbl ]
of w at er per day, reversi ng t he w at er cut
f rom 99.5% bef ore t o onl y 1.1% af t er t he
squeeze operat i on.
In anot her w el l i n sout hern Al bert a,
PanCanadi an want ed t o shut of f ol d perf orat i ons
and compl et e a deeper i nt erval . Because t he
sl urry f eed rat e i nt o t he ol d perf orat i ons was l ess
t han 20 L/ mi n [5.3 gal / mi n], ordi nary sl urri es
woul d not be ef f ect i ve. Af t er aci d was spot t ed
across t he perf orat i ons t o i ncrease t he i nj ect i on
rat e, onl y mi nor i mprovement occurred.
SqueezeCRETE sl urry was t hen bat ch mi xed and
1.2 m
3
[8 bbl ] pl aced across t he perf orat i ons, f ol -
l owed by a hesi t at i on squeeze. Af t er 48 hours,
t he cement was dri l l ed out and t he perf orat i ons
were successf ul l y pressure t est ed and swab
t est ed. The l ower i nt erval was subsequent l y per-
f orat ed and compl et ed. Wi t hout a hi ghl y
i nj ect abl e remedi al syst em l i ke SqueezeCRETE
sl urry, t he operat or mi ght have ri sked i mpai ri ng
t he addi t i onal compl et i on by usi ng a casi ng pat ch
t o shut of f t he abandoned perf orat i ons.
SqueezeCRETE cement has t he pot ent i al t o
address st ri ngent wel l pl uggi ng requi rement s as
some of t he many shal l ow gas wel l s i n west ern
Canada are abandoned. It s hi gh i nj ect abi l i t y and
l ow permeabi l i t y can repai r gas l eaks bet t er t han
t radi t i onal cement i ng mat eri al s.
Successf ul w at er-shut of f j obs have been
perf ormed usi ng engi neered squeeze cement s
el sew here. In one case i n t he Nort h Sea, oi l pro-
duct i on i ncreased f rom 2000 t o 4000 bbl per day
[317 t o 635 m
3
/ d] w hi l e w at er product i on
decreased f rom 7000 t o 1500 bbl per day
[1112 t o 238 m
3
/ d]. Thi s sharp reduct i on i n
w at er product i on made gas l i f t unnecessary
af t er product i on resumed.
Al so i n t he Nort h Sea, BP Amoco pl c success-
f ul l y abandoned a reservoi r sect i on i n a wel l f rom
i t s Bruce pl at f orm usi ng a si ngl e opt i mi zed
cement pl ug. Af t er remedi al compl et i on ef f ort s
and ot her at t empt s t o i sol at e and abandon t he
reservoi r f ai l ed, SqueezeCRETE sl urry w as
pumped t hrough coi l ed t ubi ng across t he perf ora-
t i ons and t hen squeezed. BP Amoco pl c was t hen
abl e t o si det rack an adj acent wel l bore t o reach
t he reservoi r.
M erel y pumpi ng a superi or sl urry does not
al w ays ef f ect t he desi red repai r. Sound compl e-
t i on engi neeri ng concept s, proper desi gn and
execut i on are cri t i cal i ngredi ent s f or successf ul
w el l remedi at i on.
Present and Future Value
of Optimized Cements
CemCRETE t echnol ogy has proven i t s val ue on
several f ront s. It s earl y devel opment of compres-
si ve st rengt h saves ri g t i me because dri l l i ng
operat i ons can resume sooner. The rel i abi l i t y of
t he t echnol ogy decreases t he need f or remedi al
bl ock squeezes or repet i t i on of pl ugs. Repai rs of
f aul t y cement and casi ng are more ef f ect i ve t han
ever bef ore. The ri sk and expense of st age-
cement i ng operat i ons are avoi ded wi t h a si ngl e-
st age operat i on usi ng CemCRETE t echnol ogy.
Wel l desi gns can be opt i mi zed t o avoi d cost l y
casi ng st ri ngs.
The l ow er porosi t y and permeabi l i t y of
set cement s usi ng CemCRETE t echnol ogy w i l l
al l ow saf er abandonment of w el l s and i sol at i on
of aqui f ers f rom hydrocarbon zones. Low -
permeabi l i t y cement s are more resi st ant t o
corrosi ve bri nes and t here i s l ess bul k shri nkage
as t he cement set s, resul t i ng i n bet t er zonal i so-
l at i on over t i me. St udi es are neari ng concl usi on
on t he enhanced durabi l i t y of t he new syst ems
over convent i onal cement s w hen perf orat i ng.
The successf ul appl i cat i on of CemCRETE
t echnol ogy i n 257 w el l s duri ng 1998 provi des a
f oundat i on f or expansi on of t hi s versat i l e t ech-
nol ogy f rom speci al i zed i ni t i al appl i cat i ons t o
mai nst ream cement i ng operat i ons. GM G
0.001
0.01
0.1
1
10
100
1,000
10,000
10 1000 100 10,000
Cumul at i ve product i on t i me, days
Hi gh-permeabi l i t y l ayer
wat er breakt hrough
Ini t i al wel l bore
f l ui d cl eanup
Wel l bore wat er
hol dup
Post -t reat ment WOR
WOR
WOR'
W
O
R

o
r

W
O
R
'



>
Halkirk water-control diagnostic plot. The PanCanadian Halkirk well produces oil from several
layers. A log-log plot of the actual water-oil ratio (WOR) and its derivative (WOR) versus cumulative
production time illustrates water breakthrough from a high-permeability layer. Increasing hydro-
static pressure from wellbore water holdup signicantly reduced oil production, and the water
cut reached 99.5%. Successful shutoff of the water layer restored the previous oil production and
reduced the water cut to 1.1%.
11. For more on the use of high-density slurries in well
construction: Adamson K, Birch G, Gao E, Hand S,
Macdonald C, Mack D and Quadri A: High-Pressure,
High-Temperature Well Construction, Oileld Review 10,
no. 2 (Summer 1998): 36-49.
12. In a hesitation squeeze, a portion of the slurry is pumped,
then pumping stops to expose the slurry to differential
pressure against the zone of interest in stages over
a period fromseveral minutes to several hours. This
pressure, higher than necessary for uid movement, is
applied to force ltrate fromthe cement slurry, leaving
only solid material in the area requiring repair. This pro-
cedure is repeated until all the slurry has been pumped.
The dehydrated cement remaining in the zone forms a
seal with a higher compressive strength and lower per-
meability than the original slurry design.