Cementing Oil Wells

A.ILIAS
Cementing

Introduction

Since the introduction of Portland cements for the construction of oil and gas wells in 1920s,
cementing has become one of the essential phases in the drilling operations and in the
maintenance of production wells. Oil well cementing is the process involves mixing powder
cement with water and some additives to prepare cement slurry and placing the slurry into the
annular space between the casing and the wellbore, where is allowed to “set”, thus bonding the
casing to the formation.

Oil well cement (OWC) is a powdery substance made of limestone and clay. Most cement used in
the oil industry is a type of Portland cement. In the construction industry, cements are mixed
with sand, gravel, and water to form concrete. In the oil industry, cements are mixed with water
and special additives to form slurry, which is then pumped into the well. The slurry solidifies
when it reaches the targeted place.
Introduction continued

The wells are drilled in stages since it is extremely difficult and almost
impossible to drill a well from surface to the oil or gas pay zone in one
run without encountering or facing problems that could lead to
complete failure of the drilling operation, or to catastrophic
consequences and consequently abandoning the well.

Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use

around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and
non-specialty grout.
Introduction continued

Some additional functions of cementing include:

• Protecting producing formations

• Providing support for the casing
• Protecting the casing from corrosion
• Sealing off troublesome zones
• Protecting the borehole in the event of problems
Cementing oil wells

• Cementing is one of the most critical steps in the drilling and

completion of oil or gas wells

• Well cementing technology is the application or implementation of

many scientific and engineering disciplines or instruction
What is Oil Well Cementing ?

• Oil well cementing is a process of mixing a slurry of cement and water

and pumping it through the casing pipe into the annulus between the
casing pipe and the drilled hole.

• Cement plugs are also set in the wellbore to isolate zones e.g. loss
zones, water bearing zones

cement plug

Cement slurry
Cementing

The two principal functions of the cementing process are:

• To restrict fluid movement between the formations
• To bond and support the casing

Some other purpose of cementing

• To protect the casing from corrosive attack by formation fluids.

There are four main cementing stages in the drilling operations which
include cementing the conductor, the surface, the intermediate and the
production casings, as can be seen in Figure below.
The cement slurry flows to the bottom of the wellbore inside the casing,
and then flows up in the space between the casing and the wellbore to
the surface or the target depth, as shown in Figure below.

Cement slurry is a mixture of

Portland cement, water, and
additives. The cement slurry used
in the drilling industry is
a cement suspension with a high
water content and a relatively low
viscosity or stickiness
Cement Slurries continued

Water is added to dry cement to cause hydration and to make a

pumpable slurry. To be used correctly, several properties must be
known: the yield per unit (cubic feet per sack), the amount of water
required (gallons per sack), and its density (pounds per gallon).
Another important parameter is the cements “absolute volume”.
Cement Slurry Design

Factors influencing slurry design

1. Well depth, diameter & casing size.

2. Bottom Hole Circulating Temperature (BHCT)
3. Bottom Hole Static Temperature (BHST)
4. Bottom Hole Pressure (BHP)
5. Sample of cement, cement additive, mixing water.

Slurry design is carried out under well simulated conditions with

cementing materials to be used at site.
Cement Slurry Parameters

• Slurry Density
• Thickening Time
• Rheology
• Fluid Loss Control
• Free Water Content

Compressive Strength All these parameter should be taken care to

maintain well security & integrity.
Oil well cementing was introduced in the 1920s to serve the following
major objectives:
1.To support the walls of the wellbore to prevent formation collapse.
2.To provide zonal isolation between formations in order to prevent
movement of gas or fluids between different geological formations
(Figure below)
3. To protect oil producing zones from salt water flow (Figure below)

4. To support and seal the casing in place and protect it from collapse
under pressure
5. To protecting well casings from corrosion,
6. To reduce the risk of ground water contamination by oil, gas or salt
water
Oil Well Cementing

• Two general classifications of oil well cementing

are :-

1. Primary Cementing

2. Secondary or remedial cementing

What is Primary Cementing

Process of placing cement in the annulus between the casing

and the wellbore

Primary cementing: Casing Cementation The cementing takes

place soon after the lowering of casing is called primary
cementation.

The purpose of a primary cement job is to inject the cement slurry in the
annulus behind the casing. In most cases this is done in a single
operation by pumping cement down the casing and up into the annulus
Primary Cementing
The single stage procedure is described as follows:

1.Circulation of Mud for well conditioning

2.Releasing bottom wiper plug
3.Pumping of spacer
4.Pumping of cement slurry
5.Releasing top wiper plug
6.Displacing with displacement fluid(generally mud)until the top plug
7.lands on the Float collar
8.Pressure testing of the casing
Primary Cementation
Q. Why we need to pump cement in a well

• An oil/gas well is completed in stages.

• Each stage is secured /completed by lowering a suitable size steel pipe

(casing).

• The casing pipes are held in its position by an adequate length of

cement bond between pipe and annulus.

• Cement is mixed with water to form a cement slurry of desired density

and pumped into the pipe and displaced in the annulus between casing
and open hole
Main objectives of primary cementing are :-

• To support the casing pipe

• To restrict the movement of formation fluids behind the casing
• Create Zonal Isolation
• Protect Useable Water
• Isolate Casing Seat for Subsequent Drilling
• Provide Structural Support for Casing
Ø Cement also provides the following advantages :-

• Seal off zones of lost circulation (fractured formation)

• Protect the casing from shock loads during drilling deeper

section

• Protect casing from corrosion

Primary cementing

• Primary cementing is the cementing

operation performed immediately after
the casing has been run down hole.

• This is accomplished by pumping cement

slurry down the entire length of casing, out
the bottom joint, and up into the annular
space.

• The cement is then allowed to set before

drilling is resumed or well is completed
Cementing operation

• Cementing is the process of placing cement

between the casing and borehole in a well.

• All drill cuttings and drilling fluid must be

removed from the annulus and replaced by
cement slurry.

• Cement slurry must then undergo

hydration, changing from the liquid to the
solid phase

• The cement sheath should also be able to

withstand different operations during the
life of the well
“Confidential - For Internal Use Only. © 2006 Halliburton. All Rights Reserved.”
Cementing material

• Portland cement is the material of choice for about 99% of all primary cement
treatments
• Several types of cement are manufactured for oil well use

• The American Petroleum Institute (API) has set standards for oil well cements.

• The common types of API cements are API class A, API class C, API class G, and
API class H.

• The chemistry of each of these grades is similar, but the quality control is most
stringent for API classes G and H.
What is secondary cementing

Remedial cementing or Secondary cementing is usually done to correct

problems associated with the primary cement job. The most successful
and economical approach to remedial cementing is to avoid it by
thoroughly planning, designing, and executing implementing all drilling,
primary cementing, and completion operations.

The need for remedial cementing to restore or repeat a well’s operation

indicates that primary operational planning and execution were
ineffective or unsuccessful, resulting in costly repair operations.
What is secondary cementing

Any other operations where cement is pumped in a well either during

drilling operation or in production phase Cementation

Remedial cementing or secondary operations consist of three broad

categories:• Most common remedial or cementing jobs are :-

• Circulation squeeze
• Plug back cementing
• Squeeze cementing
Secondary Cementing

• Circulation squeeze

• Cement slurry is circulated into the annulus through perforation,

which are at the top and the other at the bottom of desired time or
space

• Reason for circulation squeeze are :-

q Complete a faulty primary job

q Extending the casing protection above the cement top
Secondary Cementing

• Plug back cementing

• Hole is plugged by cement in order to initiate a new drilling operation

• Plug back is carried out for a number of reasons:

Ø Abandonment of the hole

Ø Sidetracking the hole
Ø Seal off lost circulation
Ø Shutting off of water or gas invasion
Secondary Cementing

• Squeeze Cementing

• Squeeze cementing involves forcing the cement slurry under

pressure into open holes or channels behind the casing or into
perforation tunnels.

• The operation is performed during drilling, completion and

workover operations
Secondary Cementing

• Main purposes of squeeze cementing :-

•Complete a faulty primary cementing job

• Repairing casing defects
• Stopping lost circulation in open hole during drilling
• Shutting off old perforation for recompletion
• Reducing water cut in a producing well
API Classification of Cements

• A wide range of the properties of the slurry (viscosity, density, and

fluid loss) and the set cement (strength, permeability & porosity) are
required to meet the down hole temperature & pressure and other
conditions

• API provides specs covering eight classes of oil well cement designated
as class A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H
API Classification of Cements

• API Class A and B cements

Ø Intended for use in wells from the surface to the depth of 6000 ft
and 16 - 70 deg C
Ø The recommended water to cement ratio according to API is 0.46
by weight (5.2 gal/sack or 19.71 ltr/sack)

• API Class C
Ø Is a high strength cement and used for oil wells from surface to a
depth of 6000 ft (16 - 77 deg C temperature)
API Classification of Cements

• API Class D, E and F

Ø As a basic and regarded as retarded cement

Ø Intended for use from surface up to 16,000 ft depth
Ø Premium cement because of high cost
Ø Resistant to surface water
API Classification of Cements

• API Class G and H

Ø Regarded as basic cement; chemically similar to class B

Ø Intended for use from surface up to 8000 ft depth
Ø Can be modified by adding accelerator or retarder to suit wide
range of depth and temperature
Ø The recommended water to cement ratio according to API for class
G cement is 44% (5 gal/sack or 18.9 ltr/sack) and class H cement is 38
% (4.3 gal/sack or 16.3 ltr/sack)

• The most common cement used in Malaysia is class G produced by Pan

Malaysian Cement (PMC) in Pasir Gudang
API CEMENT CLASSES
CEMENT RAW MATERIALS
Source of lime (CaCO3)
Limestone
Marble
Chalk
Marl
Seashells
Coral
Cement Rock
DEFINITION OF TERMS
• Cement hydration: reaction of cement with
water

• Hydration products: new solids that form on

hydration of cement

51
MAIN FUNCTIONS OF CEMENTING
• The three main functions of the cement are isolation,
protection, and support.

• Primary cementing isolates zones so that the migration of

fluids cannot occur. For example, it prevents;

• Primary cementing provides a sealant and protects the casing

against formation fluids or gas, which could cause corrosion..

• Primary cementing supports the casing and guards the casing

string against the excessive weight of other strings.
Chapter Summary

Ø Casing has been cemented in wells

for more than 100 years
Ø Cementing best practices have
been known for more than 60
years.
Ø Best practices have to be used by
everyone to
• Protect the environment and
community
• Obtain maximum value from
your wells