SPE

SPE 13176
Cement Shrinkage and Elasticity: A New Approach for a Good
Zonal Isolation
by P.A. Parcevaux and P.H. Sault,* Etudes&

Fabrication Dowell Schlumberger

SPE Member

Copyright 19S4 Society of Petroleum Engineers of AlME

This psper was presented at the 59th AnnualTechnical Conference and Exhibitionheld in Houston,Texaa, September 16-19, 19S4. The material is eub
iect to correctionbv the author. Permissionto COPYis reatfictadto an abstract of not more than ~ words. Write SpE, 6~ NOnh central Expressway,
Drawer 64706, Da~las,Texas 75206 USA. Telex 7S0969 SPEDAL.
ABSTRACT
Characterization
of cement bonding performance
required the set up of new pieces of laboratory equipment. The evaluation of cement bonding property has
been performed under controlled temperature and
pressure curing conditions, and was proved to be reproducible with a very small dispersion of results.
Shear bond ha,sbeen tested through mechanical and
hydraulic means, and related to other parameters such
as volumetric shrinkage development, stress-strain
relationships, permeability, and compressive strength.
A laboratory and field experimental program has been
conducted to compare the bonding capability of
standard cement compositions with that of cement
modified with a bonding agent. Laboratory and field
results are in perfect accordance.

fluid flow or the pressure transmission htween two

sets of perforations. However these tests can damage
the formation by fracturing or plugging, or can even
ruin the cement-to-pipe and cement-to-formation
couplings.
Poor mud removal is generally identified as the
major source of communication problems, although it
has been noticed that poor bonding at the interface
can occur even if the mud has been properly removed
from the annulus (3). Other recognized sources of
problems are cement slurry properties like fluid
loss and free water (4) (5). But bonding Perfo~ances
are also widely affected by cement chemical shrinkage
during hydration, by stress changes induced by downhole deformations or variations in hydrostatic
pressure, and by the nettability and the surface
condition of the casing and formation (7) (8).

INTRODUCTION
A primary cement job must fulfill multiple
conditions in order to keep drilling and productions
costs at a minimum level throughout the life of the
well. The most critical objective is to provide a
good isolation between the producing zones up to the
surface, and this over a time period of several years.
No completion or formation fluid movement, either gas
or liquid, should be possible at any time through the
cemented annulus. Gas migration during cement slurry
setting has been previously investigated (1) (2), and
solutions suggested. This paper focuses more on the
capability of hard cement to prevent communication
and to provide a long lasting tight seal.
In the field, the cement bond effectiveness is
most often evaluated through acoustic measurements.
Logging techniques describe the cement-to-pipe and
cement-to-formekion couplings thrcJiigh
tiheV~lOCitjj
and the attenuation of a sonic signal. If no logs are
run or if the formation characteristics make their
interpretation delicate, the communication between
zones is sometimes tested by injecting water or
completion fluid and measuring either directly the

References and illustrations at end of paper.

It
has been generally recognized and accepted
that the bond across the permeable producing interval
itself is not the key parameter : whatever the
quality of the bond across the permeable zone, the
fluids can still migrate upwards within the formation
and channel at the interface with the overlying
formation. It is therefore much more important to
ZUII.=
provide a tight seai across the imperioeable ----that form the barriers.

Though the problem can be identified in the

field, there is today a lack of reliable equipment
for testing cement bonding properties in the laboratory. When such tests are run, cement bonding
properties are generally evaluated through shear
bond and compressive strength measurements.
Hydraulic bond tests are very seldom performed. There
is also very scarce data regarding the contribution
.= L1----k------* ~
..k
......
1 prepartxesr such.as
UL
UI= UU1=L ~.4E=,&b
.h==.ti=.
shrinkage and stress-strain relationships, to its
ability to properly isolate zones.
This paper describes first a set of laboratory
equipment for measuring cement physical properties
related to zonal isolation under controlled pressure
and temperature. These properties are namely shear

CENENT SHRINKAGE AND ELASTICITY : A NEW APPROACH FOR GQOD ZONAL ISOLATION

and hydraulic bonds, shrinkage and permeability. The

- .= -:-- UL
-c .-.-ka+=
conLri.DuLLull
C-L,,J. ~h~~= p~qerties tQ bonding
effectiveness is investigated and compared also to
other cement mechanical properties like compressive
strength and deformability.
Results obtained with this equipment are then
presented and discussed. Several standard cement
slurry compositions are evaluated and compared to a
slurry modified with a Bonding Additive (referred to
hereafter as BA cement). Results of field tests
support the conclusions ofthis laboratory evaluation
CHARACTERIZATION OF CEMENT BONDING PROPERTIES
Criteria for designing laboratory equipment

As

L.__=

m=iiciufieu,

----- . .
~cura,.L

A.A
-l.=l..= ..

~v*-evtiae
~.w=-.---.

3~e

in front of an impermeable medium.

Therefore for standardizing the bond strength measure
ments, a cylindrical piece of carbon steel pipe with
controlled roughness is taken as the impermeable
medium.

most

important

Previous data on cement bonding properties

generally show a wide dispersion in the results.
Comparison is also very difficult between the different sources of published data. All these discrepancies result from experimental artefacts like thermal
and hydraulic deformations of cells and samples
which are most often cured in an autoclave under high
pressure and high temperature conditions, and then
tested at room temperature and atmospheric pressure
(7) (8). As a consequence iieii
eqiiipiiiieiit
EGst 5*
designed so that both curing and testing of the
cement samples are performed in the same set up and
under the same conditions without having to manipulat
the samples. Another reason for these variations in
data may result from the very different designs of th
testing cells used (various geometries, sizes,
roughness).
The effects of model size and geometry on bond
strength measurement have been thoroughly studied
--a -1.-G..l
I.-.,.,<-
rn,iilel
have
~~en
Used
(10; , a,,u
u.=
J.4.AA.,.J
.j..--e--..-- inn=
..-.
for designing the cells :
The failure in a cemented pipe-pipe annulus
always occurs at the cement-inner pipe
interface. The force-to-stress relationship
being nearly the same for the outer and inner
longitudinal surface area of a pipe, it has
--- --ad-a tO St!!dyJ.e
internally cemented cylindrical pipe. This
eliminates additional problems of radial and
=xial Centralization.
LJetxl

U.=L4.IA.=U

il?t~~E3C~

Qf

Ml

The shear bond strength is unaffected by pipe

diameter but is dependent upon the length-todiameter ratio because of the stress distribution along the interface. It has also been
shown that the influence of length is negligible provided the length-to-diameter ratio
stays below 1.5. TO remain within these
specifications, in both shear and hydraulic
bond cells the sampie noitier is a 5 em ~iui~~
diameter 5 cm long cylindrical pipe.

SPE 13176

Shear bond strength apparatiis

The body cell is a stainless steel chamber
capable of withstanding 20 Mpa pressure and 100 deg.C
temperature (Fig. 1). The previously described cylindrical steel mold is inserted into the cell between
two shoulders on top of a piston. For testing, the
cell is heated up at test temperature and the cement
slurry, also at test temperature is po-ure6 iiItX2 tk.e
mold. Hydration pressure is applied through a nitrogen
pressure regulator. The cell assembly is put in an air
convection thermostated oven. The piston is perfectly
centered with two O,,rtigs, ad is able to move p
axially with very little friction (less than 0.1 Mpa)
when hydraulic pressure is applied from below. After
a given curing time, a fluid is pumped at a constant
flow rate onto the piston, converting the stress on
~he cement from an hydraulic to a mechanical one.
Pressure linearly increases up to the point where the
cement-to-pipe link breaks. At this stage the pressure
drops to a residual value corresponding to the drag
force of the cement slipping along the pipe. This
residual pressure depends very much on the pump rate
and should therefore not be considered. Thepeak
pressure, which has been shown to be independent on
this pump rate, multiplied by the ratio of sample
cross sectional area to longitudinal surface area is
taken as the shear bond strength.
Hydraulic bond and permeability apparatus
Hydraulic bond and permeability are measured in
cells similar to that of shear bond but withstanding
higher pressure [50 !@a) for possible application of
a confining pressure. Test fluid is also directly
applied onto the cement sample (Fig. 2).
When testing the hydraulic bond of a cement, the
;lurry is placed in the already described carbon steel
mold, the cell is saturated in place with water, and
the cement is hydrated for a given period of time
under temperature and pressure. When ready to test,
the hydration pressure is maintained on the cement
sample, but water hydraulic pressure is gradually
increased. The outflow rate is then recorded. TO
insure that the flow is not due to pipe deformation,
the steel mold is perfectly centered in the cell and
a given annular space left. This s~ce is saturated
with water and its pressure is controlled. This
annular clearance can also be used for monitoring the
pipe deformation as another parameter of investigation
For testing the permeability of a cement, the
steel mold is replaced by a deformable rubber membram
(Fig. 3). A confining pressure is applied on the
external side of the membrane to prevent any flow at
the interface.
Cement slurry compositions and testing procedures
Results reported in this paper have been obtaine<
on cement slurries made from Class G cement and fresh
water to which organic dispersant and retarder have
been added when required. Some of these slurries have
also been modified with the Bonding Agent at concen.--.2----..<.
k+..p
of
&LaLAui4aAc4,s~An3
---- . Q ~q~ ~o% by Volm
slurry. They were mixed at a standard slurry density

SEW 13176

Philippe PARCEVAUX - Patrick SAULIT

1.9 g/cm3 when using only Portland cement. The slurry

specific gravity has been decreased down to 1.58 when
using blends with a pozzolanic material or increased
up to 2.05 with barite. Each slurry is mixed in a
constant speed Waring Blendor according to API specification 10, and heated up in a consistometer at the
desired test temperature following the proper schedule. It is then transferred to the preheated cell and
cured at the proper test pressure and temperature.
Cement shear bond strength development
Each cement slurry composition was tested simultaneously in quadruplicate. The reproducibility is
excellent with less than 15% dispersion on more than
90% of the runs (Table 1). At 20 deg.C, a conventional
cement system reaches its maximum shear bond strength
within 7 days, where it levels out and stays almost
constant up to 28 days (Fig. 4) . Increasing the
temperature speeds up the shear bond strength development, but the maximum strength is reduced by about 50%
(i.e. from 8.0 to 3.6 Mpa) when the temperature
increases from 20 to 70 deg.C. There is then a timetemperature effect on shear bond strength development
which must be considered when characterizing the
shear bond property of a cement. At close to ambient
temperatures cement curing must be carried on for at
least 7 days before consistent results can be obtained
At 70 deg.C 3 days are a minimum. Furthermore, the
shear bond strength depends strongly on the cement
slurry density : it increases with density (Table 1),
when baryte is used as the weighting agent.
The addition of the Bonding Agent proves to be
very beneficial on the long term, as BA cement keeps
developing shear bond strength even after 28 days
#hen a conventional one levels off after 7 days.
After 28 days at 20 deg.C, BA improves the shear bond
strength by 45%, and by 89% after 3 days at 70 deg.C.
3A improves the shear bond strength whatever the
slurry density, but the lighter the slurry, the
higher its relative efficiency.
Hydraulic bond and permeability measurements

CEMENT SHRINKAGE DEVELOPMENT

Cement chemical shrinkage
Cement shrinkage is a very important factor,
contributing both to gas migration (early pore
pressure decrease), and to interracial bonds. The
reduction of the absolute volume, which occurs when
water and cement particles combine to form hydrates,
is the phenomenon that causes this chemical shrinkage.
This wlume change proceeds continuously, though at
different rates, from the time of cement mixing till
the time of final hardening several weeks or months
later.
Just after mixing, shrinkage occurs at a low
rate because of minerals dissolution. Then the
shrinkage is very high during cement settin9 (hYdration of C3S) and it slows down during the hardening
phase, as the hydration of C2S and C3A phases
produce a long term low rate shrinkage (11). As a
consequence, cement shrinkage must be monitored not
only as a function of time but also as a function of
cement hydration. For that, a simple method is described in (12). It consists in recording cement temperature versus time. When cement temperature starts to
exceed the test temperature, it corresponds to cement
thickening or initial set time. When the temperature
reaches a maximum, cement is at its final set
(appearance of a cohesive structure). EarlY h=dening
corresponds to the next period of time, during which
cement temperature decreases again down to test
temperature.
Cement shrinkage is split between a bulk (or
outer) shrinkage, and a matrix (or inner) one. lhe
relative importance of these two types of shrinkage
depends on the balance between the intergranular
stresses and the local tensile ones which are induced
by the shrinkage. Inner shrinkage creates, at the
time of cement setting, a secondary or extra porosity,
mainly made of free and interconnected pores, which
enhances cement permeability (12), and therefore
favors the phenomenon of gas migration.

The curve of flow versus differential pressure

is a two-slope curve (Fig. 5). The first part is
characteristic of the permeability of the cement
matrix itself. This has been correlated with permeability measurements (0.005 mdarcy for a neat cement).
lhesecond part shows a dramatic increase in flow
rate after the interface has been damaged (0.3 mdarcy
of equivalent permeability) . The pressure required to
initiate the failure is very close to the pressure
corresponding to the shear bond strength as measured
previously. This correlates with the visual observations of the cement moving in the cell. As both
shear and hydraulic bonds give the same results, it
is much easier and simpler to run only the shear bond
test, when only the stress at the time of failure is
requested. But the hydraulic bond test gives tb.e
additional information of the increase in permeability at the interface due to damage.

This chemical shrinkage has been widely studied

in the construction industry, e.g. at ambient curing
conditions. It has been demonstrated that each
hydraulic phase develops its own shrinkage. C2S is
the hydraulic phase that shrinks the least and C3A
the one that shrinks the most (13). Total shrinkage
at ambient conditions is reported between 4 and 6%
by volume (11) (13). Of this total shrinkage the bulk
part accounts for 1 to 1.5% (14), but depends strongll
on mixing conditions, water to cement ratio, and
time since mixing taken as initial (11) (14).

When BA cement is used, the pressure required to

timage the interface is also equivalent to the shear
bond strength, then much higher than for a conventional cement. But what is still more important is that
the damage induced by this failure is then very small:
the equivalent permeability after failure is 0.084
mdarcy or 3.5 times less than for a standard cement.

The shrinkage apparatus (Fig. 6) is made of a

500 cm3 stainless steel pressurizable chamber immersed in a thermostated water bath. It contains the
cement sample (20 to 50 cm3) , which is cast in a
perspex tube (2.54 cm in diameter and 7 to 10 cm in
length). The cement sample is in direct contact with
the rest of the cell which is saturated with water.

There are two common techniques used to quantify

the shrinkage : it is either continuously recorded
through dilatometric methods (13) (14), or measured
at various stages of hydration using Porosimetry (12)
Shrinkage cell

CEMENT SHRINKAGE AND ELASTICITY : A NEW APPROACH FOR GOOD ZONAL ISOLATION

A pressure regulator applies a constant nitrogen

pressure to the top of a piston which in turn
maintains the curing pressure constant throughout
the test. The displacement of the piston is monitored
by an LDT transducer and continuously recorded.
Cement shrinkage is then calculated from any volume
change in the cell, either expansion or contraction.
The slurry temperature is recorded in an extra cell
submitted to the same conditions.

SPE 13176

mechanical CHARACTERISTICS OF CENENT

Excessive downhole deformation of the casing
lardware can lead to damage of the cement sheath. It
?as therefore attempted to correlate cement bonding
?erfonnance, measured as previously described, to its
mechanical properties, mainly the elastic stress;train relationship and the compressive strength.
Elastic properties

Special attention has been paid to pressure and

temperature secondary effects : the cell is preheated
and saturated with water at the test temperature to
avoid thermal expansion of the chamberor the water.
Initial compressibility of water and cement sample
are thus eliminated. only the total volumetric shrinkage is recorded. The bulk shrinkage could also be
measured by a similar technique if the cement sample
is sealed in a rubber membrane before casting it in
the perspex tube. But there occurs always the development of a layer of bleeding water at the top of the
cement sample. As this volume of free water is not
proportional to the volume of sample, the results
obtained this way are erroneous, unless a specific
assembly is mounted on the cell to collect it at the
right time (11).
Parameters investigated
Shrinkage has been recorded versus time on
cement slurries at a density of 1.9 g/cm3 containing
various concentrations of Bonding Agent, as a functiol
of temperature (20 or 70 deg.C) and pressure (0.5,
4.0, 10.0 Mpa). Cement rheology was adjusted with
organic dispersant. Lignosulfonate retarder has also
been added so that the thickening time of all
..
L..
LLsiurries was similar wna=ever ~ne test temperatiire.

The mechanical properties below the failure

point of various cement slurries have been measured
%nd compared to that of a 8A cement. Cement slurries
~ave been mixed according to API Spec 10 at a density
>f 1.9 g/cm3 with respectively O, 9.4 and 18.8 percent
>f Bonding Agent by volume of slurry. After curing
the samples for 28 days in a thermostated water bath
St 25 deg.C and atmospheric pressure, the samples
lave been tested in a triaxial cell. Each cement
sample was submitted to an axial stress, with a
:onstant 10 Mpa confining pressure. Axial and radial
strains were measured as a function of the applied
stress.
In the range of stress investigated, the cement
Dehaves as an elastic material, whether BA is added or
mot. But, the higher the amount of Bonding Agent, the
more elastic the cement sample (Fig. 8a and 8b). Under
the same loading conditions, the axial strain is twice
ss large for a cement containing 18.8 percent of BA
as for a neat cement. The radial strain is also
increased by 40% in these conditions. This makes BA
cement more capable of supporting without damage
reversible stresses induced, for example, by the
drilling progress or the replacement of a drilling
yuaL.aAALA=s
111*S&M.upsLLy
Fiuiciby a coiiIpletiCIii
fl-uid.-----L-..----&--a better sealing capability.

Shrinkage development
Relationship between shear bond
Typically cement shrinkage exhibits an S shape
curve (Fig. 7). The first part of the curve with a
low slope, proceeds up to cement maximum hydration
temperature, e.g. up to cement setting, and is
certainly the portion of shrinkage related to cement
pore pressure decrease. The second part, or high
slope, proceeds during earlyhardening of cement
(from 5 to 10 hours), and after 24 hours a stabilization period occurs. Tests run for 48 hours at
20 deg.C generally exhibit a second high slope period
after the stabilization which might indicate a delay
between high rate C3S hydration and the beginning of
C2S hydration. On the tests run at the highest
pressure (10 Mpa) this second high slope completely
disappears and this could be attributed either to a
delay in C2S hydration or to a different hydration
process generating almost no secondary shrinkage.
When we consider the shrinkage at 24 hours (Table 2),
we can say that the higher the temperature, the highe
the shrinkage (15% increase from 20 to 70 deg.C). On
the contrary, shrinkage seems to decrease when
pressure increases, especially after 48 hours.
At any stage of hydration, BA cement exhibits
delayed and reduced values of shrinkage. Increasing
the amounts of the Bonding Agent significantly
decreases the initial shrinkage, up to half the value
of that of a neat cement. At 24 hours, the shrinkage
is reduced by 20 to 40% by the Bonding Agent (depending on the amount used).

and compressive strength

Shear bond and compressive strength have been
measured on different cement slurries cured under the
same conditions. There seems to be no particular
relationship between shear bond and compressive
strength (Fig. 9). In most cases, the shear bond
strength accounts for 10 to 20% of the compressive
strength, although for high compressive strengths
(above 38 Mpa) shear bond strength stabilizes at a
constant level whatever the compressive strength.
DISCUSSION
Thenew pieces of equipment which have been developed allow the characterization of cement bonding
properties, along with the comparison of different
cement slurry compositions.
Cement bonding capability has been characterized
by a stress, determined through shear bond t&sting,
and an equivalent interracial permeability after
damaging the bond, determined through hydraulic bond
testing. Cement shrinkage and elasticity directly
influence its bonding properties, the lowest shrinkage
and highest elasticity providing the best sealing
effect. As no interracial permeability could be
measured before damage, it seems that shrinkage does
not lead to the development of a microannulus but to

Philippe PARCEVAUX - Patrick SAULT

SPE 13176

the creation of discrete pores the interconnexion of

which decreases as hardening proceeds. Then the
amount of shrinkage could certainly be correlated to
the percentage of unbounded surface. As a consequence,
cement shrinkage is more related to shear bond
.L
-1---4-:+..4.
i-a,+~Q
@&=,JStreiigul,W-bile
e
La=LAb.Gy .= ----.= .--1
....
..klic damage. On the contrary, compressive strength
does not influence bonding parameters, except maybe at
very early ages. This result is not really surprising,
as compressive strength is a physical property of the
cement matrix, while shear and hydraulic bonds are
physical properties of cement to pipe or formation
interface.

%nd circulated for 2 hours while3reciprocating the

:asing prior to cementing. 1.5 m of water was pumped
us a preflush, followed by a 3 m 3 of a turbulent flow
;pacer at 1.43 s.g. , and by 16 m3 of BA cement. Displacement was done at 1600 l/innwhich is above the
;a~cu~=ted ~riti~a~ pump rate for turbulent flow for
my of the pumped fluids. The bond log, run after
$ days, showed excellent cement to casing and cement
to formation couplings all along the cemented
Lnterval (Fig. 10). Furthermore, the top of cement,
:alculated from caliper and fluid volumes at 3250 m,
Ls in perfect accordance with TOC observed on the log.
Case 2

As is also the case of other standard tests,

like the API fluid loss or free water tests, these
experiments do not allow a direct scale-up of laboratory results to field conditions. Although downhole
pressure and temperature are simulated and pipe deformation is monitored in the hydraulic bond cell, these
tests are mainly indicative and comparative. These
pieces of equipments have not been designed to
actually simulate well conditions, but to test and
compare properties of cements. Therefore the geometry
.++amntc
stress
.-.-r -- ~0 EeprQdIJL2e
of the ~e~~ fioe=no+. .
distribution at the interface and failure propagation
similar to those occuring in a wellbore. The deformation history of casing ~ cement and formation is
also not simulated.
A real scale-up laboratory study would certainly
be time consuming and technically risky. Nevertheless
the type of experiments discussed here are highly
valuable for quantitatively comparing different cement
systems, and for explaining some communication
problems occurring in the field.

A 9 5/8 in. casing was set at 2854 m in a 12 1/4

in. open hole. Previous casing was a 13 3/8 in. set at
1211 m. Hole deviation was 27 deg.C, and casing was
centralized with 1 centralizer per 3 joints in open
~ole, plus 1 per joint 30 m above and below the zones
>f interest. The well was drilled with a bentonitic
nud at 1.15 s.g. BHCT was 65 deg.C. 3 m3 of a water
?lUS surfactant preflush and 5 m3 of a turbulent flow
spacer at 1.32 s.g. were pumped ahead of a cement
svstem composed of 18 m3 of a lead dispersed and
d-..
retarded Class G cement slurry mixed at 1.9 s.g. and
>f 23 m3 of BA cement mixed also at 1.9 s.g. Displacement was achieved in turbulent flow at 2400 l/inn.
Ihebond log, run 3 days later, is excellent throughout
l-k-u.
=.-+=-,-+;,-,
~~):
~-~
~iff~~@lCe
in
I-II=
DA L-=IU==.1G .==- G....
(Fig.
scoustic coupling between cement and casing or
Eormation
for
the
two types of cements is very signiEj.cant
and characteristic.
This
behavior perfectly
correlates with laboratory data obtained on conventional and BA cements.
Case 3

pus
IIdVe
JXHL
perfa.mec?
Nsny primary cement ..I_.L..._l._..todate with slurries of different quality in order to
appreciate tie effect of the BA cement. In all tie
cases where the cementing parameters have been well
controlled and when the results could be analyzed
through acoustic logs or communication tests, 8A
cements have demonstrated their ability to improve
the bonding and then to better isolate zones, everything else being equal. The following examples
illustrate the excellent agreement between the results
from both the laboratory and the field and as a
the validity of the laboratory
consequence assess
experiments.

CASE HISTORIES
More than 150 primary cement jobs have been
performed worldwide using the BA cement. In most
cases, two different slurries, a lead conventional
cement slurry and a tail-in BA cement slurry have
been mixed. This enables a direct comparison between
the bonding performances of the two types of slurries.
The following examples, taken from Latin America,
Middle East and Africa, are representative cases.
Case 1

A 7 in. casing was set at 4253 m in an 8 1/2 in.

open hole (average hole diameter was 9 in.). Well
deviation was 9 deg.C and BHCT 92 deg.C. Previous
casing was a 9 5/8 in. set at 3655 m. One centralizer
per joint was run in the open hole section. The well
had been drilled with a bentonitic mud at 1.35 s.g.,

A 7 in. liner was set at 3189 m in a 8 1/2

straight hole. Liner top was at ~~48 m. Previous casin<
was a 9 5/8 in. set at 2783 m. BHCT was 76 deg.C.
Nhile drilling a high pressure zone was encountered at
2902 m which requireda mud weight of 1.95 s.g. 2.5 m3
~f water-surfactant preflush and 7 m3 of turbulent
flow spacer at 1.97 s.g. were pumped ahead of the
cement. The cement system was composed of 8 m3 of BA
cement as a lead slurry to isolate the producing zones,
and of 5 m3 of a tail in slurry containing dispersant,
retarder, and fluid loss agent, both mixed at 2.0 s.g.
The calculated limit between the two slurries was at
3038 m. Displacement was achieved in turbulent flow
at 1300 l/inn.AIIacoustic log was run 36 hours after
the cementation (Fig. 12). Two logs were run, one at
zero pressure and one at 14 Mpa. Both are virtually
identical, and showed excellent isolation throughout
the BA cement. Again, a strong difference is noticed
between the good bonding properties provided by the
8A cement, and the average to poor one provided by
the conventional one.
Case 4
A 7 in. liner was set at 3733 m in a straight
8 1/2 hole. Top of liner was at 2706 m, and previous
9 5/8 in. casing shoe was at 2842 m. BHCT was at
107 deg.C. Mud was a KOH lignosulfonate type at 1.4
s.g., and was conditioned for 2 hours while reciprocating the liner prior to the cementation. 8 m3 of

CEMENT SHRINKAGE AND ELASTICITY : A NEW APPROACH FOR

turbulent flow spacer at 1.5 s.g. was pumped ahead of

8 m3 of a lead slurry (containing dispersant,
retarder, and fluid loss additive) , and of 12.7 m3 of
a tail-in BA cement, both mixed at 1.9 s.g. Fluids
were displaced in turbulent flow at 1300 l/inn.The
cement log was run 3 days after and showed excellent
bonding all along the BA cement interval, while the
lead slurry exhibited only average bonding results.
Furthermore no communication was evidenced during the
testing and acidizing of 5 different producing
i~,tei.v.a~~
Vs.=x,
~lese fr~~ ezCi?Ctkr.

CONCLUSIONS

. Specific pieces of equipment have been designed

and constructed for measuring cement bonding
properties. Reproducible data are obtained in
these cells when following the proper testing
procedure.

. Cement bonding properties are now routinely

and accurately measured in the laboratory with
these cells.

. Cement bonding properties can be expressed by

a shear bond strength and an interracial permeability after damage.
Cement bonding properties are directly correlated to cement shrinkaqe and elasticity. The
compressive strength has no influence on the
bonding properties of a cement.

. The field application of cement slurries with

high bonding characteristics designed in the
laboratory with this equipment has resulted
in significant improvement in the quality of
primary cement jobs.
wheregood prinia.-yce~e?,tatie?.s
. in s.it-uatiaiis
are absolutely required but difficult to
achieve, a cement with low shrinkage and high
elasticity, together with good mud removal
techniques, has proved to be extremely successful in providing the specified isolation
properties.

SPE 13176

UNIT CONVERSION FACTORS

=
in
ft
=
.
ga1
.
bbl
=
psi
=
lbs
.
lbs/gal
sack of cement =
=
deg.F

3.937 008 E-01 * cm

3.280 840 E+OO * m
2.641 720 E+02 * m3
6.289 811 E-01 * m3
1.450 377 E+02 * I@
2.204 623 E-03 * g
8.345 404 E+OO * g/cm3
94 lbs
(1.8 * deg.c + 32.}(*)

.*)
exact conversion factor

Case 5
A 7 in. casing was set at 1615 m in a 8/12 in.
open hole with an average deviation of 8.5 deg.C
Previous 9 5/8 in. casing shoe was at 367 m. BHCT
was 49 deg.C. Mud was a lignosulfonate type at 1.3
s.9. A sta9e collar was set at 792 m, and a two-stage
cement job was performed, due to a low fracture
gradient. A total of 30 centralizers were run, with
one every 2 joints in front of the zones of interest.
13 scratchers were also used. Mud was conditioned for
3 hours, and casing reciprocated during circulation.
3.2 m3 of water preflush was pumped and followed
by 13.5 m3 of BA slurry mixed at 1.9 s.g. Displace--& .
... UUZIC
A--- h *...-L..1
-..+.
+71 -..,
at 22!?.!2
l,hm. The
ulellL
WaLuJ.&JLALeL.L
J.J.W
bond log was run after 3 days and shows excellent
cement to pipe and cement to formation bonds all
along the cemented interval (Fig. 13). The well was
perforated and communication tests proved the full
zonal isolation. Again a strong difference was
observed on the logs between BA cement in the first
stage, and conventional cement in the second stage.

ISOLATION

GCJOD ZONAL

REFERENCES
1
,. Pamevzux,

P. , PicK, E, SIldVercse!ner;c.
Annular gas flow : a hazard-free solution,
Petrole Information, July 15, 1983, p. 34-38.

2. Bannister, C.E., Shuster, G.E., Woolridge, L.A.,

Jones, M.J., and Birch, A.G. Critical design
parameters to prevent gas invasion during
cementing operations, paper SPE 11982 presented
at the 1983 SPE Annual Technical Conference and
Exhibition, San Francisco (Oct. 5-8).
3. Abdel-Motaal, A.A. Detection and remedy of
behind-casing communication during well completion
paper SPE 11498 presented at the 1983 SPE Middle
East Oil Technical Conference, Manama (Narch 14-17)
4. Davies, D.R., Hartog, J.J., and Steward, B. An
integrated approach for successful primary cementations, paper SPE 9599 presented at the 1981 SPE
Middle East Oil Technical Conference, Manama
(March 9-12).
5. Webster, W.W., and Eikerts, J.V. Flow after
cementing - field and laboratory study, paper
- - OL3Y
norm pL.eselll_tsu
-.-.---+
-s al.
..Atk
1070 OZx,
Cnmn.,.,,,.l
..,2
A-U..,,4CL.
aPn
Technical Conference and Exhibition, Las Vegas
(sept. 23-26).
6. Suman, G.O. Jr, and Snyder, R.E. Primary cementing
-..,,
. . . ..
UIL,
why many conventional jobs rail , wor~a
Dec.
1982, p. 59-66.
1 -.---- .=m=&&.UUU.p=.=&
-- -...-.....A
em.,.=w,J
l?.%. ~f.~
fi~iPU.~==
,
7. Eeir-iite,
paper SPE 5691 presented at the 1976 SPE-AINE
Symposium on Formation Damage Control, Houston
(Jan. 29-30).
8. Morris, E.F., and Motley, E.R. Oil base spacer
system for use in cementing wells containing oil
base drilling muds, paper SPE 4610 presented at
the 1973 SPE Annual Fall Meeting, Las Vegas
(Sept. 30 - Oct. 3).
9.

Robir,s,

x1
c
,...

=.. ~

.M=~=*~#

;..ua

y~~~p-~

~Q

formation bonding in low-permeability argillaceous

strata, paper EUR 367 presented at the 1982
European Petroleum Conference, London (Oct. 25-28).
s .-,._l_--L
.
ii., aim
xfi.an~au~,C.
iO. Yamasaki, T. , rnicn<nilio,
Static and dynamic tests on cement grouted pipeto-pipe connections, paper OTC 3790 presented at
the 1980 Off-shore Technology Conference, Houston
(May 5-8).

SPE 13176

Philippe PARCEVAUX - Patrick SAULT

11. Setter, N., and ROY, D.M. Mechanical features of

chemical shrinkage of cement paste, J. of Cement
and Concrete Research, 1978, Vol. 8, No 5,
pp. 623-634.
12.Parcevaux, P. Pore Size Distribution of Portland
Cement slurries at very early stage of hydration,
J. of Cement and Concrete Researchr 1984, Vol. 14,
N 3, pp. 419-430.
13.Geiker, M., and Knudsen, T. Chemical shrinkage
of Portland cement pastes, J. of Cement and
Concrete Research, 1982, Vol. 12, N 5, pp. 603-61
14.Roy, D.M., and Langton, C.A. Early stage hydratio!
of slag cement, J. of Cement and Concrete
Research, 1983, Vol. 13, N 2, pp. 277-286.

SLURRY

BONDING

CURIN~

CURING

AVERAQE

STANDARD

DENSITY

AOENT

TEMPERATURE

TIME

SBSTRENQTH

DEVIATION

glee

% bvos

Dog.C

daym

MPa

1.90
1.00
1.90
1.90
1.90
1.80
1.90
1.00
1.90
1.90
1.90
1.90
1.90
1.90

0.0
$.4
18.8
0.0
9.4
18.8
0.0
$.4
18.8
0.0
9.4
18.8
0.0
18.8

i.t)o
1.00
2.10
2.10
2.10
1.s8
1.58
1.68

0.0
18,8

20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
70
70
70
7@

9.6
6.2
7.1
6.1
1.8
8.8
1.0
1.9
la. a
18.4
12.6
2.6
6.1
17.0
14.0
?,?

0.0
14.3
21.4
0.0
10.0
21.8

70
70
70
70
70
70

2.41
2.9a
2.07
6.65
8.27
6.04
7.9a
9.62
7.66
8.a6
12.21
la.lo
4.21
6.69
a.69
man
---a.oo
4.07
4.66
1.46
1.87
a.m

TABLE 1. SHCARBOND

1
1
a
a
a
7
7
7
28
28
28
1
1
a
~
a
a
a
a
a
a
STRgNQTH

wma
10.1
11.4
14.1
8.4
a.s

TEST RESULTS

CURINQ

CURINQ

BONDIN(i

TEMPERATURE

PRCSSURE

A@eNT

Dog.C

MPa

% vos

t .t tlmo

70

4.0

0.0

1.70

6.00

70

4.0

0.4

l.aa

6.20

70

4.0

16.8

O.al

4.80

20

0.6

0.0

a.oo

6.20

7.16

20

0.6

18.8

l.ao

a.lo

4.16

20

4.0

0.0

2.00

6.20

e.ao

20

4.0

18.6

1.80

a.60

4.00

20

10.0

0.0

2.00

4.ao

4.ao

20

10.0

18.8

1.40

am70

a.90

TABLE 2. SHRINKAOR

TOTAL SHRINKAOE

TEST RESULTS

24 houro

%byvolumo

t 40 hours

[pREssuRE REwLAToRJ

IHYDRAULIC BOND CELL I

IBACK pREssuRE]
M

mImKEll
I

lpREssuRE REwLAToR]

~PRESSURETRANSDUCER

-;

I
\
~

IPRESSURE CONTROLLEDANNULAR SPACEj

Fig. 2Schematic diagram of hydraulic bond cell

Fig. I.%h)ematicdiagramof shearbond cell.

rLOwER GRIo
RUBBERMEMBRANEj
[0-RINGI
\

~HOLDERFOR Permeability
Fig. 2-tlolder

cELLl

for permeability tests.

It

./-
./_/

_A_/

,-

la

/-./7
//7

..

,__

I/ ,*/

ISHRINKAGE Cl~

___

Legend

STANDARD

9.4
.

18.8

{
0

._._

CEMENT
..

%bvoe
BA
_

[LINEAR DISPLACEMENT TRAN:-j

BA
-..

%bvo,

---

-
r-

10

1s

20

25

(cljRl~~

Fig. 4-Cement

100

T~~E

30

days

shear bond strength development at zOC.

Legettd

so

CONVENTIONAL

9.4 %bvog
.B,A

$0

CEMENT

18.8 %bvoa ISA

-
-
----

40

-- I

[CEMENT 5AMPLE

-JRATED
Fig. 6-Schematic

20

~~

PRES!BURE DROP PER LENQTH UNIT

Fig. 5-Cement

hydreulic bond curve at 70C,

MPA/CM

SAMPLEcHAMBERj

diagram of shrinkage cell,

.*

. .-

-*

..

----

/.

~---------

----

98
I

Legend

tt

NEAT CEMRNT
10. B %bvos ---- DA

. ------

18

TIME I;2HOURS
Fig. 7-Cement

shrinkage development at 7WC,

o
Oo .

o
0=

o:

00.

.0
0=
...O

Oo0=g

0Oom

.O.

.0=
Do=
0=

Legend

po
5=

STANDARD CEMENT

I Legend

STANDARD CEMENT

cl=

o 9.4 %bvom 8A

18.8 %bvos 6A

I 09.4

%bvos BA

18.8 %bvom BA

nanmmm

~AUIAL
Fig.
8-Stmss-strsh

ml*IOnships

@f vsrious cemsnt formulations,

n-n

. . .

~ 1 HAIN

---

lUE-4

-.-.

--

GM/CM

o
u)

I k*.*