231M018 Mud Removal

Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL Module: CF118

Page: 1
Mud Removal
Basic
Module 231M018
Oct 2000
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Date:Sep 99
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Objectives of Primary Cementation

Provide complete isolation of zones (Hydraulic Bond)
To support the casing (Shear Bond)
Protect casing string
Ask the students for the main reasons for cementing primary casings:
The most important reason is to provide zonal isolation between different formations, or
even between the formations and surface.
Other reasons that are also important are to provide casing support and protection.
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Date:Sep 99
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Mud Removal
Most important aspect of cement job

A 3-step process before cementing
Hole cleaning
Conditioning the drilling fluid
Displace the drilling fluid from the annulus
Ask the students what we must do in order to achieve the previous objectives.
The key thing to do is to remove the mud effectively. There is nothing we can do with a
slurry that will achieve zonal isolation if we do not remove the mud.
Mud removal is a three step process that involves cleaning the hole while drilling,
conditioning the drilling fluid and then displacing the drilling fluid from the hole.
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Mud Removal
Hole Cleaning
Controlled & optimized mud properties
Wiper trips
> 95% Total hole volume in circulation
Caliper log
Conditioning Mud
Break gel strength
Lower ty + pv
Drill solids < 6%
Determine MPG to find qmin for flow all-around casing
Displace Mud from Annulus
Optimized slurry placement ---> CemCADE
Casing centralization optimized (STO > 75%)
Casing movement
4
Hole cleaning occurs during the drilling of the hole and covers:
controlling and optimizing the mud properties to maintain the hole under control
and in gauge,
performing wiper trips at regular intervals to ensure the hole is being completely
emptied of cuttings and that the formations are being controlled - wiper trips refer to
running the drill string in and out of the hole or to the previous casing shoe without
changing the drill bit.
making sure that more than 95% of the hole volume is in circulation - this will
indicate if there is gelled mud in washed out areas or if there is a build up of
cuttings. To be able to do this a caliper log must have been run.
running a caliper log to determine the hole volume that should be in circulation and
to identify possible problem washed out zones. The actual caliper should be used to
perform all the volumes calculations for the slurries.
Conditioning the drilling fluid should be done on the last wiper trip just before running the
casing but can also be done when the casing is on bottom. It involves:
reducing the gel strengths,
reducing or optimizing the yield point and plastic viscosity,
reducing the solids content below 6%,
determining the Minimum Pressure Gradient to find out what is the minimum rate
to achieve flow all around the casing.
Displacing the mud from the hole is done as the cement is put in place and involves:
optimizing the slurry placement using CemCADE,
optimizing the casing standoff (over 75%),
allowing for casing movement (rotation or reciprocation) if possible.
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Date:Sep 99
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Criteria for Effective Mud Removal
Cementing Operation:
Centralize casing
Casing movement
Scratchers
Wiper plugs
Washes and spacers
Flow regime selection
Apart from drilling the hole correctly with good drilling fluid properties to create a gauge,
stabilized hole, the criteria for effective mud removal fall mainly under the cementing
operation:
the casing should be centralized as much as possible, ideally 100% but as much
as possible over 75%.
if possible, the casing should be moved from the start of the circulation to the end
of the displacement - this movement can either be rotation or reciprocation.
if the casing is going to be moved, it has been seen that scratchers help scraping
the mud filter cake off the wall and move any gelled mud.
wiper plugs must be used, both top and bottom - use more than 1 bottom plug, if
possible.
Preflushes (chemical washes and spacers) should be used to separate the slurries
from the drilling fluid and to perform the cleaning of the hole.
turbulent flow displacement is the preferred method of mud removal and has been
seen to be the most effective - if it is not possible, another flow regime exists:
Effective Laminar Flow.
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Date:Sep 99
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The Ideal Wellbore Casing

BHST at top of Annular gap
cement Minimum: 3/4
>BHCT at TD Ideal: 1 1/2
Properly conditioned
hole and mud
No sloughing
Gauge
diameter Uniform as possible
( no washouts or restrictions)
NO LOSSES NO FLOW
Casing centered in borehole
Thin, impermeable mud filter cake Accurate BHST and BHCT

(not gelled or unconsolidated)
The ideal wellbore is represented by this drawing:

An annular gap ideally of 1 1/2 but a minimum of 3/4 - this is to ensure that there is a good
sheath of cement around the pipe - a sheath of less than 3/4 will too thin and therefore very
fragile.
No sloughing of the formation - this means that the formation is stable and not breaking off
in pieces - if the formation is caving in, then the cuttings could block the annulus.
The hole should be as uniform as possible even if it is greater than the drilled hole - uniform
hole can be effectively cleaned out whereas caves will contain gelled mud which may never
be moved by any spacers.
No flow from the formation - obviously if the well is not under control and fluid is flowing into
the wellbore, the cement slurry will get contaminated.
The casing should be perfectly centered in the hole - all the fluids will flow equally on all
sides of the casing.
Accurate BHST and BHCT - this is necessary to determine accurate placement time
avoiding premature setting of the slurry and over-retardation.
The mud filter cake should be thin and impermeable and not gelled or unconsolidated - a
thin cake will not be moved by the fluids passing by it but will also not affect greatly the
results of the cement job.
No losses - if there are losses part or all of the cement slurry could be lost.
Gauge diameter hole - the better the hole size, the easier turbulent flow is possible and also
less volumes of fluids are required.
The hole should be conditioned to ensure that all the mud is mobile and therefore, can be
removed.
The static temperature at the top of cement should be less than BHCT - the cement will set
up as quickly at the top of cement as at the bottom.
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Date:Sep 99
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Fluid Calipers
To determine circulation efficiency or amount of fluid which is
moving in the wellbore.
Procedure :
Run multi-arm open-hole caliper log and determine total hole
volume.
Circulate at cementing rate and determine mud pump efficiency
Drop marker or tracer in staged intervals
Monitor returns for marker
Calculate volume circulated from rate and time (Should be
mechanical caliper volume)
Increase rate and re-calculate efficiency
Fluid calipers are used in conjunction with the caliper log to determine how much of the hole
is in circulation.
The procedure is simple and should be performed as often as possible:
The most important part is to run a multi-arm caliper log (BGT) to determine the
actual open hole volume and, therefore, the total hole volume.
With the casing on bottom, circulate the well at the expected maximum cementing
rate - at this time, determine the mud pump efficiency.
Drop a marker or tracer fluid in staged intervals - the markers can be different
coloured fluids or by adding rice or ........... which will give off methane as it returns
to surface.
Monitor the returns for the marker.
Calculate the volume that it took to pump to have the marker back on surface, from
pump rate and time.
This volume should be more or less the volume from the first step - the total hole
volume.
If not, then increase the pump rate and rerun the calculations. With increasing
pump rate, an increase in hole volume should be seen.
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Date:Sep 99
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Influence of the Casing Stand-Off
Di
Do
Vnar Vwide
In an eccentric annulus with Di < Do there will be a maximum and a minimum flow
velocities. The flow velocity will be highest in the widest part of the hole where the friction
pressure is the lowest.
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Date:Sep 99
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Newtonian Fluid - Effect of STO

The Effect of the Casing Stand-Off on the Annular Flow is
Qualitatively Equivalent to the Following Flow Pattern
D1 D2
L P
L
V1 V2
Q
9
The eccentric annulus can be represented qualitatively (not Quantitatively) by two different
pipe sizes hooked in parallel of diameters D1 and D2. The pressures at the entrance and exit
of both pipes are the same as they are connected, however, the friction pressure in the
smaller pipe is higher. This means that for a certain pump rate into the pipes, the velocity of
the fluid in the smaller pipe will be lower than that in the larger pipe.
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Date:Sep 99
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Newtonian Fluid of Viscosity Density
In Laminar Flow :
10
Newtonian Fluid
For a Newtonian Fluid, the velocities of the fluid in each pipe can be estimated.
The constants and viscosity cancel out leaving a relationship between the diameters
& velocities. For two pipe sizes, D2 which is twice the size of D1 (which is a close
approximation of 67% Standoff) the velocity in the larger pipe is 4 times the velocity
of the fluid in the smaller pipe. Looking at the equivalent Reynolds Number, the
velocity in the larger pipe has eight times the Re.
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Date:Sep 99
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In Laminar Flow :
1. Velocity P = 32 V1 = 32 V2
L D12 D22
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In Laminar Flow :
1. Velocity P = 32 V1 = 32 V2
L D12 D22
V2 = (D2)2
V1 (D1)2
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Date:Sep 99
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In Laminar Flow :
1. Velocity P = 32 V1 = 32 V2
L D12 D22
V2 = (D2)2
V1 (D1)2
If D2 = 2D1
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Date:Sep 99
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In Laminar Flow :
1. Velocity P = 32 V1 = 32 V2
L D12 D22
V2 = (D2)2
V1 (D1)2
If D2 = 2D1
V2 = 4V1 (For 67%)
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Date:Sep 99
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In Laminar Flow :
1. Velocity P = 32 V1 = 32 V2
L D12 D22
V2 = (D2)2
V1 (D1)2
If D2 = 2D1
V2 = 4V1 (For 67%)
2. Reynolds Number
Re2 = V2 D2 = 4V12D1 = 8V1D1

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Date:Sep 99
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In Laminar Flow :
1. Velocity P = 32 V1 = 32 V2
L D12 D22
V2 = (D2) 2
V1 (D1)2
If D2 = 2D1
V2 = 4V1 (For 67%)
2. Reynolds Number
Re2 = V2 D2 = 4V12D1 = 8V1D1

Re2 = 8Re1 (For 67%)
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Newtonian Fluid
For a Newtonian Fluid, the velocities of the fluid in each pipe can be estimated.
The constants and viscosity cancel out leaving a relationship between the diameters
& velocities. For two pipe sizes, D2 which is twice the size of D1 (which is a close
approximation of 67% Standoff) the velocity in the larger pipe is 4 times the velocity
of the fluid in the smaller pipe. Looking at the equivalent Reynolds Number, the
velocity in the larger pipe has eight times the Re.
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Date:Sep 99
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Laminar Flow in Eccentric Annulus

Non-
Non-parallel plate model Ri/Ro
Ri/Ro = 0.8
1000
500
Vwide /
Vnarrow n = 1.0
100 n = 0.5
n = 0.2
50
10
1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Stand-
Stand-off %
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This is a graph plotting the ratio of the velocity in the large pipe over the velocity in the small
pipe verses the stand-off. A fluid with a N = 1 and 70% standoff, the velocity in the larger
pipe is 50 times that of the velocity in the small pipe. This shows the importance of having as
high a stand-off as possible in laminar flow.
As the fluid deviates from a Newtonian fluid (n=1), the effects of stand-off decrease but are
still very important - with an n = 0.2, a stand-off of 60% will mean that the fluid will flow 5
times faster on the wide side than on the narrower side.
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Date:Sep 99
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In Turbulent Flow
2 1.75
0.241 x 0.75 x 0.25 x( V1D1 )
Velocity p = 4
L D14.75
V 2 1.75
0.241 x 0.75 x 0.25 x( 2 D2 )
= 4
D24.75
V2 =( D2 )0.714
V1 D 1
If D2 = 2D1
V2 = 1.64V1 (For 67%)
Reynolds Number
Re2= V2 D2 = 1.64V12D1 = 3.28V1D1

Re2 = 3.28Re1 (For 67%)
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In Turbulent Flow
Look at the same Newtonian Fluid in turbulent flow, the velocity in the large pipe is
1.64 times the velocity in the small pipe, and the Reynolds Number is 3.28 times as
much.
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Date:Sep 99
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Turbulent Flow in Eccentric Annulus

1000
500
Vwide /
Vnarrow
100
50
n = 1.0
10
n = 0.5
n = 0.2
5
1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
API Stand - Off (%)
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This graph is the same as for the laminar flow graph.

Notice that the influence of a fluid deviating from a Newtonian fluid is less important, in fact,
the lines tend to overlay.
For any type of fluid in turbulent flow, with 20% stand-off, the fluid will flow faster on the
wide side of the annulus than on the narrower side. In comparison to the laminar flow graph,
we can see that stand-off has a lower influence.
This is the fundamental reason why turbulent flow is the preferred flow regime.
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Date:Sep 99
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Casing Centralization
Relative Variation of flow rate ratio as a function of eccentricity
eccentricity
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RH
16
14
RC
FLOW RATE RATIO
12
10
W
8
6 % Stand-off =
w X 100
RH - RC
4
2
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
API % STAND-
STAND-OFF
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Stand-off is defined as the ratio of the smallest annular gap to the average annular gap
between two diameter pipes, if one was completely centered in the other.
The graph shows the ratio of flow rates on the wide side over the narrow side versus the
stand-off. Above 75%, it can be seen that there is very little difference in the flow rates ratio.
Down to around 35%, the flow rate ratio changes almost linearly to about 5 times faster on
the wide side than on the narrow side. Below 35% stand-off, the flow rate ratio starts to
increase exponentially.
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Date:Sep 99
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Types of Centralizers
Bow Spring (Spiral or Straight):
Flexible bow springs
Centralizer OD slightly larger than OH size
Rigid Bow (or Positive) type:
Non-flexible O.D. (Slightly less than previous casing ID)
Use inside cased-hole sections
Effective in in-gauge OH intervals only
Rigid Solid slip-on type:

Solid body - no bows
Use: as per rigid type
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There are two ways to increase the stand-off of a casing: drill perfectly straight holes - but
this is very rarely possible or desired; or use centralizers on the casing.
There are basically three types of centralizes:
bow spring centralizers which have flexible bow springs (as on old leaf springs on
trucks) and they usually have an outside diameter slightly larger than the diameter
of the hole.
rigid bow centralizers also known as positive centralizers, which have non flexible
bows and have an outside diameter slightly smaller than the smaller diameter in the
well (this must be checked as they will not collapse). These centralizers are typically
used inside previous casings or open hole sections which are in gauge. The are
quite common in horizontal cementing.
rigid solid centralizers or turbolizers which are made up of solid material usually
aluminium and have outside diameters smaller than the smallest diameter in the
hole. As for the other rigid centralizers, these centralizers are used in cased or in-
gauge sections, and horizontal cementing. They have the added benefit of causing
the fluids to take on a swirling movement as they pass the centralizer.
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Date:Sep 99
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Reciprocation
Movement of casing up and down during the job
Must be done from the start of circulation to end displacement
20 to 40 feet stroke
1 to 5 minutes per cycle
Needs scratchers to be effective
Casing may become stuck during movement
Excessive swab and surge pressures may be created
Excessive pull and buckling
Cannot be the only method of mud removal
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Reciprocation is probably the most common type of casing movement as it is the easiest to
perform.
The movement is in a vertical and as all movement should be done from the moment
circulation starts to the end of the displacement. This is to ensure that if any thing is going to
be freed it is freed early on before the cement is in the annulus and will not get stuck further
up the pipe.
The movement is done in a stroke of 20 to 40 feet in 1 to 5 minutes per cycle (a cycle being
one upward and one downward movement).
To be effective, reciprocation needs scratchers to be fitted to the casing which will scrape
off the mud filter cake and move gelled mud.
Some problems may be encountered as the casing may become stuck during the
movement - the casing could end up in the wrong place. Other limiting factors are the surge
and swab pressures that are generated during the casing movement - surge being the
pressure exerted on the downward stroke and can cause fracturing of the formation (losses);
swab being the pressure as a result of the upward stroke and cause a drop in pressure
below the formation pressure (kick or blowout).
Another type of problem that could be caused is excessive pull or buckling of the casing,
both of which could lead to casing failure.
Casing movement should not be designed to be the only method of mud removal - good
results have been seen but in combination with other good mud removal practices.
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Rotation
Circular movement of pipe
Must be done from the start of circulation to end
displacement
10 to 40 rpm
Scratchers help efficiency
Needs special rotary cement heads and power swivels
Torque must be very closely monitored
Cannot be the only method of mud removal
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Rotation is another method of casing movement but where the casing is turned causing the
mud to swirl around it.
As in reciprocation, rotation must be started at the beginning off the circulation and
continued until the end of the displacement. This is to ensure that any filter cake, gelled mud,
etc. that will be removed is done before cement is placed in the casing or annulus - avoiding
potential blockages of the annulus.
Typically the casing should be rotated between 10 to 40 rpm with the torque being very
closely monitored.
Scratchers improve the efficiency of rotation but they are less necessary then in
reciprocation and in fact, some centralizers are fitted to aid the swirling movement of the
mud.
The main difficulty of rotation is that it requires special surface equipment - cement head
swivels, power swivels to turn the casing, etc.
Rotation causes less problems with casing, the main problem being if the torque is not
closely monitored, the casing could get twisted off.
Casing movement should not be designed to be the only method of mud removal - good
results have been seen but in combination with other good mud removal practices.
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Date:Sep 99
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Fluids Incompatibility
Results In:
Detrimental Interface Reactions
High Rheological Properties
Very high viscosities
Very high gel strengths
Change in Cement Slurry Properties
Thickening time altered
Increase in fluid loss
Reduction in compressive strength
Reduction in Hydraulic Bond
Prevented By:
Wiper Plugs
Chemical Washes
Spacers
24 Compatibility Testing
The mixture of a displacing fluid with the displaced fluid, e.g. cement slurry and drilling fluid,
often lead to a complete failure in mud removal and zonal isolation. The mixture results in:
detrimental interface reactions which will cause further problems such as:
very high rheological properties either high viscosity or high gel strengths,
change in other slurry properties, e.g. thickening time, fluid loss and compressive
strength.
which result in the loss of hydraulic bond.
This contamination can be prevented by using wiper plugs to separate the different fluids in
the casing, chemical washes and spacers to separate the fluids in the casing and in the
annulus, by compatibility testing to ensure that in case contamination does occur, there will
be none of the detrimental effects.
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Cement Wiper Plugs

Keep Fluids Separate in Casing and Reduce Contamination
Bottom Plugs
Remove mud ahead of cement
Prevent cement falling through lighter fluid ahead
Wipe inner casing walls clean
Use 2 or more if possible
Top Plugs
Separate cement from displacing fluid
Positive indication of end of displacement
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Wiper plugs are used to keep the fluids separated while they are inside the casing.
Bottom plugs are used to:
remove the mud that is ahead of the preflushes and cement,
to prevent the cement and spacers from falling through the lighter fluids that are
ahead of them,
to wipe the casing wall clean from mud and debris - if the bottom plug is not used,
then this cleaning will be done by the top plug,
each different fluid should be separated by a bottom plug, if possible.
Top plugs are used to:
separate the cement from the displacing fluid which is usually the drilling fluid,
as a positive indication of the end of the displacement when the plug bumps.
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Why Run a Bottom Plug ?

Bottom plug wipes accumulated mud cake, scale, etc. from
inner casing walls out through float equipment into annulus.
Volume of debris can be significant and fill-up shoetrack if

not removed ahead of the top plug.
EXAMPLE: 9 5/8 47 lb/ft 10000 feet, collar at 9820 feet
Volume of 1/16 film?
Height corresponding to this volume?
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The main reason to run a bottom plug is to scrape the mud cake, scale, rust, etc. from the
internal casing wall and push this debris ahead of the cement out of the casing.
If a bottom plug is not run, the top plug will do the same job but this time allowing the debris
to accumulate just ahead of the plug - just ahead of the plug means just inside the casing
between the float collar and float shoe and possibly just outside, leaving the bottom joints
free.
An example to prove this point:
Calculate the volume of a 1/16 film inside 10000 feet of 9 5/8 47 lb/ft casing with
a collar at 9820 feet.
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Date:Sep 99
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Turbulent Flow Displacement

Preferred and best flow regime
Critical rate depends on:
Fluid rheologies
Casing stand-off
Annular gap, casing OD and bit size
Formation fracture gradient
Use Chemical Wash and/or Mudpush XT/S spacers:
10 Min. Contact time or 750 ft (use greater volume))
Spacer density to be close to that of mud
Optimize cement slurry properties:
Minimum PV and TY without settling
Fluid loss and free water controlled
Water wet the casing and formation
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Turbulent flow has been found both from experiments and from statistics to be the best flow
regime to remove the drilling fluid.
For a fluid to be in turbulent flow, it must be pumped above a minimum flow rate, called the
critical flow rate. This critical flow rate depends on:
the fluid rheologies: the thinner the fluid, the easier it will go into turbulent flow,
the centralization of the casing or casing stand-off: the better centralized the casing
the easier the fluid will go into turbulence,
the annular gap (clearance between the casing and the hole size): the smaller this
gap, the easier the fluid will go into turbulence,
the fracture gradient of the formation: this is an indirect factor - the lower the frac.
gradient, the harder it is to achieve turbulence without having losses.
The fluids that should be used as preflushes are chemical washes and/or MUDPUSH
XT/XS spacers. Of course, water and diesel or base oil can also be used. There are some
minimum requirements for these preflushes:
a contact time of at least 10 minutes or 750 feet in the annulus whichever is the
bigger - under ideal conditions, less volumes can be used.
all fluids pumped must be compatible with both the drilling fluid in the well and the
slurry that will be pumped.
The cement slurry properties must be optimized, e.g. minimum yield point and plastic
viscosity but without causing sedimentation/free water, controlled fluid loss and free water.
All fluids must be designed in such a way to ensure that they will water wet the casing and
formation.
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Effective Laminar Flow

Alternative flow regime when Turbulent flow is not
possible
Four criteria must be satisfied:
DENSITY DIFFERENTIAL (10%)
MINIMUM PRESSURE GRADIENT (MPG)
FRICTION PRESSURE HIERARCHY (20%)
DIFFERENTIAL VELOCITY CRITERION
Viscous spacer: Mudpush XL/XLO
Viscosity adjustable (Change D149 concentration)
Volume to use: 500 ft or 60 bbls
Use 20 - 40 bbls chemical wash
Condition and clean mud
Viscosify cement slurry when necessary
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The Effective Laminar Flow is the alternative flow regime if turbulent flow is not possible.
This flow regime should not be confused with laminar flow. The difference between the two
is that E.L.F. has four criteria that must be met:
the fluid that is displacing must have a density 10% higher than the fluid being displaced,
the Minimum Pressure Gradient must be satisfied - there must be flow all around
the casing,
the fluid that is displacing must have a friction pressure gradient 20% higher than
the fluid being displaced,
the velocity of the fluids must be the same all around the casing.
A viscous spacer has been designed to fulfill this Effective Laminar Flow regime,
MUDPUSH XL/XLO:
it has an adjustable viscosity based on changing the D149 concentration,
a minimum of 500 feet in the annulus or 60 bbls must be used,
20 to 40 bbls of chemical wash should be used ahead of the spacer to start to
disperse the drilling fluid,
the drilling fluid should be conditioned to reduce the gel strengths and rheologies,
and to remove any solids,
the cement slurries may have to be viscosified in order for it to follow the friction
pressure gradient hierarchy - this can be done using D153.
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Chemical Washes
Water based fluids, low viscosity, density of water
Easy to pump in turbulent flow
CW7 for intermediate casings, water based muds
41.5 gals water, 0.5 gals D122A
CW100 for production casings, water based muds
41.25 gals water, 0.5 gals D122A, 0.25 gals J237
CW8 for intermediate casings, oil based muds
41.25 gals water, 0.5 gals D122A, 0.25 gals F40 last
CW101 for production casings, oil based muds
41 gals water, 0.5 gals D122A, 0.25 gals J237, 0.25 gals F40
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Chemical washes are the preferred fluid for turbulent flow. They are water-based fluids that
have very low viscosities and densities (the same as water). For these reasons, they are
very easy to get into turbulent flow.
The chemical composition of each type of chemical wash is as follows (products in gallons):
Product CW7 CW100 CW8 CW101 CW8-ES CW101-ES

Water 41.5 41.25 41.25 41 41.25 - 41 41 - 39.75
D122A 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
J237 0.25 0.25 0.25
F40 0.25 0.25
D607 0.25 - 0.5 0.25 - 0.5
Fluid Loss No Yes No Yes No Yes
Water/Oil Water Water Oil Oil Oil Oil
based muds
The mixing order is: water first; D122A; J237 - agitate well; F40 or D607 just before
pumping.
The chemical wash should be pre-mixed in a tank but can also be mixed on the fly by
adding the products to the displacement tanks as the water is being added - this is not very
efficient when preparing CW8/CW101 because there is too much product to add.
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Dowell Family of Spacers

MUDPUSH XT
Turbulent spacer for water based muds
MUDPUSH XS
Turbulent flow spacer for water based muds in saline (Salt)
environments
MUDPUSH XL
Effective laminar flow spacer for water based muds
MUDPUSH XTO, XSO, XLO also exist
Applications are same as above but in OIL BASED MUDS.
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There are basically 5 spacers that have been produced by Dowell:

MUDPUSH XT: for turbulent flow regime,
MUDPUSH XS: for turbulent flow regime in saline environment,
MUDPUSH XL: for Effective Laminar Flow, fresh or salt water.
MUDPUSH XEO: for high temperature, oil based environments and Effective
Laminar Flow,
MUDPUSH WHT: for high temperature, water based environments, fresh or salt
water and Effective Laminar Flow.
The range of these spacers can be increased by adding surfactants which will make them
compatible with oil based muds. The spacers become: MUDPUSH XTO, XSO, XLO.
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Required Properties of Spacers

Compatible with all other well fluids
Stability (good suspending capacity)
Controllable density and rheology
Good fluid loss control
Environmentally safe and easy to handle in the field
31
For spacers to be effective, they need to:

be compatible with the other fluids in the well, e.g. the drilling fluid, the cement
slurries,
be stable and have good suspending properties even at high temperatures to avoid
allowing the weighting agent to drop out of suspension,
have controllable densities and rheologies to make them repeatable from the lab to
the field,
have good fluid loss control as they would be used across permeable pay zones,
be environmentally safe and easy to handle in the field.
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MUDPUSH XL with D31
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Graphs in the Cementing Materials Manual are used to calculate the concentration of D149
needed to achieve a certain rheology.
Use the 100 rpm reading on the FANN 35 and use the plot. Example:
FANN 35 Reading of Mud = 60
FANN 35 Reading of Cement = 140
Split the Difference = 100 for 15 ppg XL
100 on graph is 30 KG of D149 to one cubic meter of water (10.5 lbs/bbl)
This will be the concentration of D149 required.
The rheology can then be checked in the lab and in the field.
32
Date:Sep 99
Page: 33
Composition & Field Mixing Order

Water: Fresh or Brackish
Antifoam: D47 for fresh water
D144 for sea and salt water
Spacer Blend:
Mudpush XT - D147 (7.35 lb/bbl)
Mudpush XS - D148 (5,25 lb/bbl)
Mudpush XL - D149 (3.5-14 lb/bbl)
Salt (NaCl or KCl) : If required
Weighting Agent : D151 - CaCO3 < 11.5 lb/gal
D31 11.5-16 lb/gal
D76 > 16 lb/gal
Surfactant: F75, D607, F40, F78, U66 (For oil based mud) - type
and concentration depends on spacer / mud used.
33
The field mixing order is as follows:

Clean the tanks and lines.
Add the correct amount of fresh or brackish water - take a 1 gl sample.
Add the antifoam agent:: D47 for fresh; D144 for seawater and salt water - 0.1 to 0.2
gal/bbl.
Add the spacer blend through the hopper and allow to prehydrate - 20 mins. to 1 hr.:
for MUDPUSH XT, use 7.35 lb/bbl D147
for MUDPUSH XS, use 5.25 lb/bbl D148
for MUDPUSH XL, use 3.5 to 14 lb/bbl D149
Check the viscosity using a MARSH funnel: 32 secs. for MUDPUSH XT; 35 secs. for
MUDPUSH XS; the same as determined in the lab for MUDPUSH XL (note that MUDPUSH
XL can have its rheology altered by adjusting the concentration of the gelling agent).
If necessary, the salt can now be added through the hopper. Circulate for about 30 minutes
for the salt to completely dissolve.
Add the required amount of weighting agent through the hopper. Check the density of the
fluid as the specific gravity of some weighting agents vary. Different weighting agents may
be used depending on the density required:
CaCO3 (D151) for densities less than 11.5 ppg.
Barite (D31) for densities between 11.5 and 16 ppg.
Hematite (D76) for densities above 16 ppg.
Add the required amount of surfactant just before pumping. The type and concentration of
surfactant depends on lab tests and the type of drilling fluid.
Take a sample of the spacer, check its density and rheology.
33
Date:Sep 99
Page: 34
Events to be Recorded
Was the mud conditioned - rate and time?
How many centralizers were run and where?
Was the casing rotated and/or reciprocated?
Where the plugs correctly dropped?
What was the density and rheology of the spacers?
Was the correct volume of preflushes used?
The following data must be recorded on the PRISM:
All densities, if possible of displacement fluid as well
All flow rates, if possible of displacement as well
All pressures
Note any changes in flow rate, density, stoppages, pressure
peaks, etc.
34
The following questions must be answered before each job:

Was the mud conditioned, at what rate and for how long?
Was the casing rotated and/or reciprocation?
Were the plugs correctly dropped?
As much data must be recorded on the PACR/PAC/PRISM as possible. The minimum data
must be:
The densities of the preflushes and slurries and, if possible, of the displacement
fluid.
All the flow rates - the displacement pump rate is the most important but is usually
the hardest to record since the displacement is often done with the rig pumps but
every effort must be done.
The surface pressure throughout the job - the surface pressure during the
displacement can give valuable information if losses occurred.
All notable events during the job should be recorded on the PACR chart - any
changes in pump rate or density, any shutdowns, any peaks in pressure, etc. This
may help explaining post-job occurrences.
All the up-to-date well data should be included on the service report, including the
actual casing depth, etc.
The ST or FE that is on the rig is Dowells front line person in contact with the client - this
person usually has contact with an enormous amount of information that could make a vital
difference in the evaluation of a job or even in the design.
34
Date:Sep 99
Page: 35
Conclusions
Condition mud prior to cementing
Centralize to give optimum casing stand-off
Rotate and/or Reciprocate casing
Use cable-type scratchers when reciprocating
Always use the bottom plugs: 2 preferred
Optimize slurry placement using CemCADE:
Turbulent flow preferred, or
Effective laminar flow technique
Use chemical wash pre-flushes
Control Mudpush spacer/cement slurry properties: batch mix
Compatibility mud/cement/spacer : lab/field test
35
Conclusions for Effective Mud Removal:

Ensure that the drilling fluid has been adequately conditioned prior to cementing - choose
the maximum cementing rate (usually the displacement rate) and circulate at least 1 hole
volume.
Centralize the casing to ensure an optimum stand-off, higher than 75%.
Try to have some type of casing movement, either rotation or reciprocation, using
scratchers to improve the efficiency.
Use bottom plugs - if possible, one for each fluid interface.
Optimize the slurry placement preferring the turbulent flow regime or if that is not possible,
the Effective Laminar Flow regime.
Try to use chemical washes whenever possible - these fluids are easier to get into turbulent
flow than spacers, they are more cost effective, easier to prepare and handle.
If using MUDPUSH spacers, control their properties especially density and rheology; control
the cement slurry properties. Whenever possible, batch mix the slurries and spacers to
ensure homogeneous properties.
Avoid adverse mud/cement/spacer reactions by lab testing all the fluids and checking again
in the field. A quick field test is to pour one fluid into another slowly and stirring gently - if the
fluid thickens and cannot be stirred, consult the DTE or lab.
Ensure that all the well data is correct on arrival on location. If things have changed there
may still be time to rerun the design at the district. If nothing else consult and inform the
district (FSM or DTE) no matter what time.
35
Date:Sep 99
Page: 36
36
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
MUD REMOVAL- FES/SSS Module: CF118
Page: 371
OBJECTIVES OF PRIMARY CEMENTATION

The main reasons for cementing primary casings:
The most important reason is to provide zonal isolation between different formations, or even between
the formations and surface.
To achieve the previous objectives:
The key thing to do is to remove the mud effectively. There is nothing we can do with a slurry that will
achieve zonal isolation if we do not remove the mud.
Mud removal is a three step process that involves cleaning the hole while drilling, conditioning the
drilling fluid and then displacing the drilling fluid from the hole.
controlling and optimizing the mud properties to maintain the hole under control and in gauge,
performing wiper trips at regular intervals to ensure the hole is being completely emptied of cuttings
and that the formations are being controlled - wiper trips refer to running the drill string in and out of
the hole or to the previous casing shoe without changing the drill bit.
making sure that more than 95% of the hole volume is in circulation - this will indicate if there is gelled
mud in washed out areas or if there is a build up of cuttings. To be able to do this a caliper log must
have been run.
running a caliper log to determine the hole volume that should be in circulation and to identify possible
problem washed out zones. The actual caliper should be used to perform all the volumes calculations
for the slurries.
Conditioning the drilling fluid should be done on the last wiper trip just before running the casing
but can also be done when the casing is on bottom. It involves:
determining the Minimum Pressure Gradient to find out what is the minimum rate to achieve flow all
around the casing.
37
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 382
CRITERIA FOR EFFECTIVE MUD REMOVAL

Apart from drilling the hole correctly with good drilling fluid properties to create a gauge, stabilized hole, the
criteria for effective mud removal fall mainly under the cementing operation:
the casing should be centralized as much as possible, ideally 100% but as much as possible over 75%.
if possible, the casing should be moved from the start of the circulation to the end of the displacement -
this movement can either be rotation or reciprocation.
if the casing is going to be moved, it has been seen that scratchers help scraping the mud filter cake off
the wall and move any gelled mud.
wiper plugs must be used, both top and bottom - use more than 1 bottom plug, if possible.
Preflushes (chemical washes and spacers) should be used to separate the slurries from the drilling fluid
and to perform the cleaning of the hole.
turbulent flow displacement is the preferred method of mud removal and has been seen to be the most
effective - if it is not possible, another flow regime exists: Effective Laminar Flow.
THE IDEAL WELLBORE CASING
The ideal wellbore is represented by this drawing:
An annular gap ideally of 1 1/2 but a minimum of 3/4 -

this is to ensure that there is a good sheath of cement BHST at top of Annular gap
around the pipe - a sheath of less than 3/4 will too thin cement Minimum: 3/4
>BHCT at TD Ideal: 1 1/2
and therefore very fragile.
Properly
No sloughing of the formation - this means that the conditioned hole
formation is stable and not breaking off in pieces - if the and mud
No sloughing
Gauge
formation is caving in, then the cuttings could block the diameter Uniform as possible
annulus. ( no washouts or restrictions)
NO FLOW
The hole should be as uniform as possible even if it is NO LOSSES
greater than the drilled hole - uniform hole can be

effectively cleaned out whereas caves will contain gelled Casing centered in borehole
mud which may never be moved by any spacers.
Accurate BHST and BHCT
No flow from the formation - obviously if the well is not Thin, impermeable mud filter cake
(not gelled or unconsolidated)
under control and fluid is flowing into the wellbore, the
cement slurry will get contaminated.
The casing should be perfectly centered in the hole - all
the fluids will flow equally on all sides of the casing.
Accurate BHST and BHCT - this is necessary to determine accurate placement time avoiding premature
setting of the slurry and over-retardation.
The mud filter cake should be thin and impermeable and not gelled or unconsolidated - a thin cake will not
be moved by the fluids passing by it but will also not affect greatly the results of the cement job.
No losses - if there are losses part or all of the cement slurry could be lost.
Gauge diameter hole - the better the hole size, the easier turbulent flow is possible and also less volumes of
fluids are required.
The hole should be conditioned to ensure that all the mud is mobile and therefore, can be removed.
The static temperature at the top of cement should be less than BHCT - the cement will set up as quickly at
the top of cement as at the bottom.
38
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 393
FLUID CALIPERS
Fluid calipers are used in conjunction with the caliper log to determine how much of the hole is in
circulation.
The procedure is simple and should be performed as often as possible:
The most important part is to run a multi-arm caliper log (BGT) to determine the actual
open hole volume and, therefore, the total hole volume.
With the casing on bottom, circulate the well at the expected maximum cementing rate - at
this time, determine the mud pump efficiency.
Drop a marker or tracer fluid in staged intervals - the markers can be different coloured
fluids or by adding rice or ........... which will give off methane as it returns to surface.
Monitor the returns for the marker.
Calculate the volume that it took to pump to have the marker back on surface, from pump
rate and time.
This volume should be more or less the volume from the first step - the total hole volume.
If not, then increase the pump rate and rerun the calculations. With increasing pump rate,
an increase in hole volume should be seen.
INFLUENCE OF THE CASING STANDOFF

In an eccentric annulus with Di < Do there will be a
maximum and a minimum flow velocities. The flow
velocity will be highest in the widest part of the hole
where the friction pressure is the lowest.
39
The Effect of the Casing Stand-Off on the Annular Flow is

Qualitatively Equivalent to the Following Flow Pattern
NEWTONIAN FLUID- THE EFFECT OF CASING
Q
STAND-OFF
The eccentric annulus can be represented qualitatively

D1 D2 (not Quantitatively) by two different pipe sizes hooked
in parallel of diameters D1 and D2. The pressures at the
L P
L entrance and exit of both pipes are the same as they
are connected, however, the friction pressure in the
V1 V2 smaller pipe is higher. This means that for a certain
pump rate into the pipes, the velocity of the fluid in the
smaller pipe will be lower than that in the larger pipe.
Q
39
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 404
NEWTONIAN FLUID
For a Newtonian Fluid, the velocities of the fluid in each pipe can be estimated. The constants and
viscosity cancel out leaving a relationship between the diameters & velocities. For two pipe sizes, D2
which is twice the size of D1 (which is a close approximation of 67% Standoff) the velocity in the
larger pipe is 4 times the velocity of the fluid in the smaller pipe. Looking at the equivalent Reynolds
Number, the velocity in the larger pipe has eight times the Re.
LAMINAR FLOW IN ECCENTRIC ANNULUS Non-parallel plate model Ri/Ro = 0.8

This is a graph plotting the ratio of the velocity in the large pipe 1000
over the velocity in the small pipe verses the stand-off. A fluid 500
with a N = 1 and 70% standoff, the velocity in the larger pipe is Vwide/
50 times that of the velocity in the small pipe. This shows the Vnarrow n = 1.0
100 n = 0.5
importance of having as high a stand-off as possible in laminar 50
n = 0.2
flow.
As the fluid deviates from a Newtonian fluid (n=1), the effects
of stand-off decrease but are still very important - with an n = 10
0.2, a stand-off of 60% will mean that the fluid will flow 5 times 5
faster on the wide side than on the narrower side.

1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Stand-off %
2 1.75
Velocityp = 0.241 x 0.75 x 0.25 x ( V1D1 )
4
L D1 4.75
V 2 1.75 IN TURBULENT FLOW

= 0.241 x 0.75 x 0.25 x( 2 D2 )
4
D24.75 Look at the same Newtonian Fluid
V 2 =( D 2 ) 0.714 in turbulent flow, the velocity in the
If D2 = 2D1 V1 D1 large pipe is 1.64 times the velocity
V2 = 1.64V1 (For 67%)
in the small pipe, and the Reynolds
Number is 3.28 times as much.
Reynolds Number
Re2= V2 D2 = 1.64V12D1 = 3.28V1D1

Re2 = 3.28Re1 (For 67%)
1000
TURBULENT FLOW IN AN ECCENTRIC ANNULUS 500
Vwide /
This graph is the same as for the laminar flow graph. Vnarrow
100
Notice that the influence of a fluid deviating from a Newtonian fluid 50
is less important, in fact, the lines tend to overlay.
For any type of fluid in turbulent flow, with 20% stand-off, the fluid 10
n = 1.0
n = 0.5
will flow faster on the wide side of the annulus than on the 5 n = 0.2
narrower side. In comparison to the laminar flow graph, we can see

that stand-off has a lower influence. 1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
This is the fundamental reason why turbulent flow is the preferred API Stand - Off (%)
flow regime.
40
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 415
CASING CENTRALIZATION
Stand-off is defined as the ratio of the smallest annular
gap to the average annular gap between two diameter
pipes, if one was completely centered in the other.
The graph shows the ratio of flow rates on the wide side
over the narrow side versus the stand-off. Above 75%, it
can be seen that there is very little difference in the flow
rates ratio. Down to around 35%, the flow rate ratio
changes almost linearly to about 5 times faster on the
wide side than on the narrow side. Below 35% stand-off,
the flow rate ratio starts to increase exponentially.
41
TYPES OF CENTRALIZERS
There are two ways to increase the stand-off of a casing: drill perfectly straight holes - but this is very rarely
possible or desired; or use centralizers on the casing.
There are basically three types of centralizes:
bow spring centralizers which have flexible bow springs (as on old leaf springs on trucks) and they usually
have an outside diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the hole.
rigid bow centralizers also known as positive centralizers, which have non flexible bows and have an
outside diameter slightly smaller than the smaller diameter in the well (this must be checked as they will
not collapse). These centralizers are typically used inside previous casings or open hole sections which
are in gauge. The are quite common in horizontal cementing.
rigid solid centralizers or turbolizers which are made up of solid material usually aluminium and have
outside diameters smaller than the smallest diameter in the hole. As for the other rigid centralizers, these
centralizers are used in cased or in-gauge sections, and horizontal cementing. They have the added
benefit of causing the fluids to take on a swirling movement as they pass the centralizer.
RECIPROCATION
Reciprocation is probably the most common type of casing movement as it is the easiest to perform.
The movement is in a vertical and as all movement should be done from the moment circulation starts to the end
of the displacement. This is to ensure that if any thing is going to be freed it is freed early on before the cement
is in the annulus and will not get stuck further up the pipe.
The movement is done in a stroke of 20 to 40 feet in 1 to 5 minutes per cycle (a cycle being one upward and one
downward movement).
To be effective, reciprocation needs scratchers to be fitted to the casing which will scrape off the mud filter cake
and move gelled mud.
Some problems may be encountered as the casing may become stuck during the movement - the casing could
end up in the wrong place. Other limiting factors are the surge and swab pressures that are generated during the
casing movement - surge being the pressure exerted on the downward stroke and can cause fracturing of the
formation (losses); swab being the pressure as a result of the upward stroke and cause a drop in pressure
below the formation pressure (kick or blowout).
Another type of problem that could be caused is excessive pull or buckling of the casing, both of which could
lead to casing failure.
Casing movement should not be designed to be the only method of mud removal - good results have been seen
but in combination with other good mud removal practices.
41
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 426
ROTATION
Rotation is another method of casing movement but where the casing is turned causing the mud to swirl
around it.
As in reciprocation, rotation must be started at the beginning off the circulation and continued until the end of
the displacement. This is to ensure that any filter cake, gelled mud, etc. that will be removed is done before
cement is placed in the casing or annulus - avoiding potential blockages of the annulus.
Typically the casing should be rotated between 10 to 40 rpm with the torque being very closely monitored.
Scratchers improve the efficiency of rotation but they are less necessary then in reciprocation and in fact,
some centralizers are fitted to aid the swirling movement of the mud.
The main difficulty of rotation is that it requires special surface equipment - cement head swivels, power
swivels to turn the casing, etc.
Rotation causes less problems with casing, the main problem being if the torque is not closely monitored, the
casing could get twisted off.
Casing movement should not be designed to be the only method of mud removal - good results have been
seen but in combination with other good mud removal practices.
INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN DISPLACED AND DISPLACING FLUIDS
The mixture of a displacing fluid with the displaced fluid, e.g. cement slurry and drilling fluid, often lead to a
complete failure in mud removal and zonal isolation. The mixture results in:
change in other slurry properties, e.g. thickening time, fluid loss and compressive strength.
This contamination can be prevented by using wiper plugs to separate the different fluids in the casing,
chemical washes and spacers to separate the fluids in the casing and in the annulus, by compatibility testing to
ensure that in case contamination does occur, there will be none of the detrimental effects.
CEMENT WIPER PLUGS
to prevent the cement and spacers from falling through the lighter fluids that are ahead of them,
to wipe the casing wall clean from mud and debris - if the bottom plug is not used, then this cleaning will
be done by the top plug,
42
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 437
WHY RUN A BOTTOM PLUG ?

The main reason to run a bottom plug is to scrape the mud cake, scale, rust, etc. from the internal
casing wall and push this debris ahead of the cement out of the casing.
If a bottom plug is not run, the top plug will do the same job but this time allowing the debris to
accumulate just ahead of the plug - just ahead of the plug means just inside the casing between the
float collar and float shoe and possibly just outside, leaving the bottom joints free.
An example to prove this point:
Calculate the volume of a 1/16 film inside 10000 feet of 9 5/8 47 lb/ft casing with a collar at
9820 feet.
TURBULENT FLOW DISPLACEMENT

Turbulent flow has been found both from experiments and from statistics to be the best flow regime to
remove the drilling fluid.
For a fluid to be in turbulent flow, it must be pumped above a minimum flow rate, called the critical flow
rate. This critical flow rate depends on:
the centralization of the casing or casing stand-off: the better centralized the casing the easier
the fluid will go into turbulence,
the annular gap (clearance between the casing and the hole size): the smaller this gap, the
easier the fluid will go into turbulence,
the fracture gradient of the formation: this is an indirect factor - the lower the frac. gradient, the
harder it is to achieve turbulence without having losses.
The fluids that should be used as preflushes are chemical washes and/or MUDPUSH XT/XS
spacers. Of course, water and diesel or base oil can also be used. There are some minimum
requirements for these preflushes:
a contact time of at least 10 minutes or 750 feet in the annulus whichever is the bigger - under
ideal conditions, less volumes can be used.
all fluids pumped must be compatible with both the drilling fluid in the well and the slurry that
will be pumped.
The cement slurry properties must be optimized, e.g. minimum yield point and plastic viscosity but
without causing sedimentation/free water, controlled fluid loss and free water.
All fluids must be designed in such a way to ensure that they will water wet the casing and formation.
EFFECTIVE LAMINAR FLOW
The Effective Laminar Flow is the alternative flow regime if turbulent flow is not possible. This flow
regime should not be confused with laminar flow. The difference between the two is that E.L.F. has
four criteria that must be met:
the Minimum Pressure Gradient must be satisfied - there must be flow all around the casing,
the fluid that is displacing must have a friction pressure gradient 20% higher than the fluid being
displaced,
43
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 448
A viscous spacer has been designed to fulfill this Effective Laminar Flow regime, MUDPUSH XL/XLO:
20 to 40 bbls of chemical wash should be used ahead of the spacer to start to disperse the drilling fluid,
the drilling fluid should be conditioned to reduce the gel strengths and rheologies, and to remove any
solids,
the cement slurries may have to be viscosified in order for it to follow the friction pressure gradient
hierarchy - this can be done using D153.
CHEMICAL WASHES
Chemical washes are the preferred fluid for turbulent flow. They are water-based fluids that have very low
viscosities and densities (the same as water). For these reasons, they are very easy to get into turbulent flow.

Water 41.5 41.25 41.25 41 41.25 - 41 41 - 39.75
D122A 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
J237 0.25 0.25 0.25
F40 0.25 0.25
D607 0.25 - 0.5 0.25 - 0.5
basedorder
The mixing mudsis: water first; D122A; J237 - agitate well; F40 or D607 just before pumping.
The chemical wash should be pre-mixed in a tank but can also be mixed on the fly by adding the products to
the displacement tanks as the water is being added - this is not very efficient when preparing CW8/CW101
because there is too much product to add.
SPACERS- THE DOWELL FAMILY OF SPACERS

MUDPUSH XEO: for high temperature, oil based environments and Effective Laminar Flow,
MUDPUSH WHT: for high temperature, water based environments, fresh or salt water and Effective
Laminar Flow.
The range of these spacers can be increased by adding surfactants which will make them compatible with oil
based muds. The spacers become: MUDPUSH XTO, XSO, XLO.
44
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 459
REQUIRED PROPERTIES OF SPACERS

be compatible with the other fluids in the well, e.g. the drilling fluid, the cement slurries,
be stable and have good suspending properties even at high temperatures to avoid allowing the
weighting agent to drop out of suspension,
have controllable densities and rheologies to make them repeatable from the lab to the field,
MUDPUSH XL WEIGHTED WITH D31
Graphs in the Cementing Materials Manual are used to calculate the

concentration of D149 needed to achieve a certain rheology.
Use the 100 rpm reading on the FANN 35 and use the plot. Example:
FANN 35 Reading of Mud = 60
FANN 35 Reading of Cement = 140
Split the Difference = 100 for 15 ppg XL
100 on graph is 30 KG of D149 to one cubic meter of water (10.5
lbs/bbl)
This will be the concentration of D149 required.
The rheology can then be checked in the lab and in the field.
COMPOSITION AND FIELD MIXING ORDER

Add the antifoam agent:D47 for fresh; D144 for seawater and salt water - 0.1 to 0.2 gal/bbl.
Check the viscosity using a MARSH funnel: 32 secs. for MUDPUSH XT; 35 secs. for MUDPUSH XS; the same as
determined in the lab for MUDPUSH XL (note that MUDPUSH XL can have its rheology altered by adjusting the
concentration of the gelling agent).
If necessary, the salt can now be added through the hopper. Circulate for about 30 minutes for the salt to completely
dissolve.
Add the required amount of weighting agent through the hopper. Check the density of the fluid as the specific gravity
of some weighting agents vary. Different weighting agents may be used depending on the density required:
Add the required amount of surfactant just before pumping. The type and concentration of surfactant depends on lab
tests and the type of drilling fluid.
45
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 4610
EVENTS TO BE RECORDED
As much data must be recorded on the PACR/PAC/PRISM as possible. The minimum data must be:
The densities of the preflushes and slurries and, if possible, of the displacement fluid.
All the flow rates - the displacement pump rate is the most important but is usually the hardest to record
since the displacement is often done with the rig pumps but every effort must be done.
The surface pressure throughout the job - the surface pressure during the displacement can give valuable
information if losses occurred.
All notable events during the job should be recorded on the PACR chart - any changes in pump rate or
density, any shutdowns, any peaks in pressure, etc. This may help explaining post-job occurrences.
All the up-to-date well data should be included on the service report, including the actual casing depth, etc.
The ST or FE that is on the rig is Dowells front line person in contact with the client - this person usually has
contact with an enormous amount of information that could make a vital difference in the evaluation of a job or
even in the design.
CONCLUSIONS FOR EFFECTIVE MUD REMOVAL:
Ensure that the drilling fluid has been adequately conditioned prior to cementing - choose the maximum cementing
rate (usually the displacement rate) and circulate at least 1 hole volume.
Centralize the casing to ensure an optimum stand-off, higher than 75%.
Try to have some type of casing movement, either rotation or reciprocation, using scratchers to improve the
efficiency.
Use bottom plugs - if possible, one for each fluid interface.
Optimize the slurry placement preferring the turbulent flow regime or if that is not possible, the Effective Laminar
Flow regime.
Try to use chemical washes whenever possible - these fluids are easier to get into turbulent flow than spacers,
they are more cost effective, easier to prepare and handle.
If using MUDPUSH spacers, control their properties especially density and rheology; control the cement slurry
properties. Whenever possible, batch mix the slurries and spacers to ensure homogeneous properties.
Avoid adverse mud/cement/spacer reactions by lab testing all the fluids and checking again in the field. A quick
field test is to pour one fluid into another slowly and stirring gently - if the fluid thickens and cannot be stirred,
consult the DTE or lab.
Ensure that all the well data is correct on arrival on location. If things have changed there may still be time to rerun
the design at the district. If nothing else consult and inform the district (FSM or DTE) no matter what time.
46
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
MUD REMOVAL- SEC Module: CF118
Page: 47
1
OBJECTIVES OF PRIMARY CEMENTATION

The main reasons for cementing primary casings:
The most important reason is to provide zonal isolation between different formations, or even between the
formations and surface.
To achieve the previous objectives:
The key thing to do is to remove the mud effectively. There is nothing we can do with a slurry that will
achieve zonal isolation if we do not remove the mud.
Mud removal is a three step process that involves cleaning the hole while drilling, conditioning the drilling
fluid and then displacing the drilling fluid from the hole.
controlling and optimizing the mud properties to maintain the hole under control and in gauge,
performing wiper trips at regular intervals to ensure the hole is being completely emptied of cuttings and
that the formations are being controlled - wiper trips refer to running the drill string in and out of the hole or
to the previous casing shoe without changing the drill bit.
making sure that more than 95% of the hole volume is in circulation - this will indicate if there is gelled
mud in washed out areas or if there is a build up of cuttings. To be able to do this a caliper log must have
been run.
running a caliper log to determine the hole volume that should be in circulation and to identify possible
problem washed out zones. The actual caliper should be used to perform all the volumes calculations for
the slurries.
Conditioning the drilling fluid should be done on the last wiper trip just before running the casing
but can also be done when the casing is on bottom. It involves:
determining the Minimum Pressure Gradient to find out what is the minimum rate to achieve flow all
around the casing.
CRITERIA FOR EFFECTIVE MUD REMOVAL

Apart from drilling the hole correctly with good drilling fluid properties to create a gauge, stabilized hole, the criteria
for effective mud removal fall mainly under the cementing operation:
the casing should be centralized as much as possible, ideally 100% but as much as possible over 75%.
if possible, the casing should be moved from the start of the circulation to the end of the displacement -
this movement can either be rotation or reciprocation.
if the casing is going to be moved, it has been seen that scratchers help scraping the mud filter cake off
the wall and move any gelled mud.
wiper plugs must be used, both top and bottom - use more than 1 bottom plug, if possible.
Preflushes (chemical washes and spacers) should be used to separate the slurries from the drilling fluid
and to perform the cleaning of the hole.
turbulent flow displacement is the preferred method of mud removal and has been seen to be the most
effective - if it is not possible, another flow regime exists: Effective Laminar Flow.
47
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 482
INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN DISPLACED AND DISPLACING FLUIDS

The mixture of a displacing fluid with the displaced fluid, e.g. cement slurry and drilling fluid, often lead to a
complete failure in mud removal and zonal isolation. The mixture results in:
change in other slurry properties, e.g. thickening time, fluid loss and compressive strength.
This contamination can be prevented by using wiper plugs to separate the different fluids in the casing, chemical
washes and spacers to separate the fluids in the casing and in the annulus, by compatibility testing to ensure that
in case contamination does occur, there will be none of the detrimental effects.
CEMENT WIPER PLUGS
to prevent the cement and spacers from falling through the lighter fluids that are ahead of them,
to wipe the casing wall clean from mud and debris - if the bottom plug is not used, then this cleaning will
be done by the top plug,
TURBULENT FLOW DISPLACEMENT
Turbulent flow has been found both from experiments and from statistics to be the best flow regime to remove the
drilling fluid.
For a fluid to be in turbulent flow, it must be pumped above a minimum flow rate, called the critical flow rate. This
critical flow rate depends on:
the centralization of the casing or casing stand-off: the better centralized the casing the easier the fluid
will go into turbulence,
the annular gap (clearance between the casing and the hole size): the smaller this gap, the easier the
fluid will go into turbulence,
the fracture gradient of the formation: this is an indirect factor - the lower the frac. gradient, the harder it
is to achieve turbulence without having losses.
The fluids that should be used as preflushes are chemical washes and/or MUDPUSH XT/XS spacers. Of
course, water and diesel or base oil can also be used. There are some minimum requirements for these
preflushes:
a contact time of at least 10 minutes or 750 feet in the annulus whichever is the bigger - under ideal
conditions, less volumes can be used.
all fluids pumped must be compatible with both the drilling fluid in the well and the slurry that will be
pumped.
The cement slurry properties must be optimized, e.g. minimum yield point and plastic viscosity but without
causing sedimentation/free water, controlled fluid loss and free water.
All fluids must be designed in such a way to ensure that they will water wet the casing and formation.
48
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
3
Page: 49
EFFECTIVE LAMINAR FLOW

The Effective Laminar Flow is the alternative flow regime if turbulent flow is not possible. This flow regime should
not be confused with laminar flow. The difference between the two is that E.L.F. has four criteria that must be met:
the Minimum Pressure Gradient must be satisfied - there must be flow all around the casing,
the fluid that is displacing must have a friction pressure gradient 20% higher than the fluid being displaced,
A viscous spacer has been designed to fulfill this Effective Laminar Flow regime, MUDPUSH XL/XLO:
20 to 40 bbls of chemical wash should be used ahead of the spacer to start to disperse the drilling fluid,
the drilling fluid should be conditioned to reduce the gel strengths and rheologies, and to remove any solids,
the cement slurries may have to be viscosified in order for it to follow the friction pressure gradient hierarchy -
this can be done using D153.
CHEMICAL WASHES
Chemical washes are the preferred fluid for turbulent flow. They are water-based fluids that have very low
viscosities and densities (the same as water). For these reasons, they are very easy to get into turbulent flow.

Water 41.5 41.25 41.25 41 41.25 - 41 41 - 39.75
D122A 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
J237 0.25 0.25 0.25
F40 0.25 0.25
D607 0.25 - 0.5 0.25 - 0.5
The mixing order is: water first; D122A; J237 - agitate well; F40 or D607 just before pumping.
based muds
The chemical wash should be pre-mixed in a tank but can also be mixed on the fly by adding the products to the
displacement tanks as the water is being added - this is not very efficient when preparing CW8/CW101 because
there is too much product to add.
SPACERS- THE DOWELL FAMILY OF SPACERS

MUDPUSH XEO: for high temperature, oil based environments and Effective Laminar Flow,
MUDPUSH WHT: for high temperature, water based environments, fresh or salt water and Effective Laminar
Flow.
The range of these spacers can be increased by adding surfactants which will make them compatible with oil based
muds. The spacers become: MUDPUSH XTO, XSO, XLO.
49
Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 50
4
REQUIRED PROPERTIES OF SPACERS

be compatible with the other fluids in the well, e.g. the drilling fluid, the cement slurries,
be stable and have good suspending properties even at high temperatures to avoid allowing the
weighting agent to drop out of suspension,
have controllable densities and rheologies to make them repeatable from the lab to the field,
COMPOSITION AND FIELD MIXING ORDER

Add the antifoam agent:D47 for fresh; D144 for seawater and salt water - 0.1 to 0.2 gal/bbl.
Check the viscosity using a MARSH funnel: 32 secs. for MUDPUSH XT; 35 secs. for MUDPUSH XS; the same
as determined in the lab for MUDPUSH XL (note that MUDPUSH XL can have its rheology altered by adjusting the
concentration of the gelling agent).
If necessary, the salt can now be added through the hopper. Circulate for about 30 minutes for the salt to
completely dissolve.
Add the required amount of weighting agent through the hopper. Check the density of the fluid as the specific
gravity of some weighting agents vary. Different weighting agents may be used depending on the density required:
Add the required amount of surfactant just before pumping. The type and concentration of surfactant depends on
lab tests and the type of drilling fluid.
EVENTS TO BE RECORDED
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Date:Sep 99
MUD REMOVAL
Page: 51
5
As much data must be recorded on the PACR/PAC/PRISM as possible. The minimum data must be:
The densities of the preflushes and slurries and, if possible, of the displacement fluid.
All the flow rates - the displacement pump rate is the most important but is usually the hardest to record
since the displacement is often done with the rig pumps but every effort must be done.
The surface pressure throughout the job - the surface pressure during the displacement can give
valuable information if losses occurred.
All notable events during the job should be recorded on the PACR chart - any changes in pump rate or
density, any shutdowns, any peaks in pressure, etc. This may help explaining post-job occurrences.
All the up-to-date well data should be included on the service report, including the actual casing depth,
etc.
The ST or FE that is on the rig is Dowells front line person in contact with the client - this person usually has
contact with an enormous amount of information that could make a vital difference in the evaluation of a job or
even in the design.
51

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Date:Sep 99

MUD REMOVAL Module: CF118

Objectives of Primary Cementation

Most important aspect of cement job

Criteria for Effective Mud Removal

The Ideal Wellbore Casing

Casing centered in borehole

Thin, impermeable mud filter cake Accurate BHST and BHCT

The ideal wellbore is represented by this drawing:

Influence of the Casing Stand-Off

Newtonian Fluid - Effect of STO

Newtonian Fluid of Viscosity Density

Newtonian Fluid of Viscosity Density

Newtonian Fluid of Viscosity Density

Newtonian Fluid of Viscosity Density

Newtonian Fluid of Viscosity Density

Newtonian Fluid of Viscosity Density

Newtonian Fluid of Viscosity Density

Laminar Flow in Eccentric Annulus

Turbulent Flow in Eccentric Annulus

This graph is the same as for the laminar flow graph.

Rigid Solid slip-on type:

Cement Wiper Plugs

Why Run a Bottom Plug ?

Volume of debris can be significant and fill-up shoetrack if

Volume of 1/16 film?

Height corresponding to this volume?

Turbulent Flow Displacement

Effective Laminar Flow

Product CW7 CW100 CW8 CW101 CW8-ES CW101-ES

Dowell Family of Spacers

There are basically 5 spacers that have been produced by Dowell:

Required Properties of Spacers

For spacers to be effective, they need to:

MUDPUSH XL with D31

Composition & Field Mixing Order

The field mixing order is as follows:

The following questions must be answered before each job:

Conclusions for Effective Mud Removal:

OBJECTIVES OF PRIMARY CEMENTATION

CRITERIA FOR EFFECTIVE MUD REMOVAL

An annular gap ideally of 1 1/2 but a minimum of 3/4 -

greater than the drilled hole - uniform hole can be

INFLUENCE OF THE CASING STANDOFF

The Effect of the Casing Stand-Off on the Annular Flow is

The eccentric annulus can be represented qualitatively

LAMINAR FLOW IN ECCENTRIC ANNULUS Non-parallel plate model Ri/Ro = 0.8

faster on the wide side than on the narrower side.

V 2 1.75 IN TURBULENT FLOW

Re2 = 3.28Re1 (For 67%)

TURBULENT FLOW IN AN ECCENTRIC ANNULUS 500

narrower side. In comparison to the laminar flow graph, we can see

CEMENT WIPER PLUGS

WHY RUN A BOTTOM PLUG ?

TURBULENT FLOW DISPLACEMENT

Product CW7 CW100 CW8 CW101 CW8-ES CW101-ES

SPACERS- THE DOWELL FAMILY OF SPACERS

There are basically 5 spacers that have been produced by Dowell:

REQUIRED PROPERTIES OF SPACERS

MUDPUSH XL WEIGHTED WITH D31

Graphs in the Cementing Materials Manual are used to calculate the

COMPOSITION AND FIELD MIXING ORDER

CONCLUSIONS FOR EFFECTIVE MUD REMOVAL:

OBJECTIVES OF PRIMARY CEMENTATION