Primary Cementing Practices

Planning the Job

 The planning of a primary cement job

begins with a sharing of accurate
knowledge of well conditions. Anyone
involved in the job can become a
contributor to its success and
improvement by providing accurate
information.
Gathering Information
 Planning the Job

 Temperature and Pressure

 Formation Characteristics
 Slurry Properties & Testing Cement
 Responsibility On-site
 Recording Data
 Temperature and Pressure
Temperature is the prime influence on
cement set and strength development.

Pressure affects cement slurries in a

manner similar to temperature but the
effect is not as pronounced.
 Formation Characteristics

 Weak lost-circulation zones

 Highly permeable sands
 Sub-normally pressured zones
 Need for stage collars
 Planned use of ECP
 Plastic salts and other problems
 Need to cover special formations
 Slurry Properties & Testing

 Slurries must be properly designed and

tested in the laboratory.
 Responsibility On-site

 Review Job Calculations

 Assure slurries are pumped in the correct
order.
 Assure the proper running and sequencing
of tools.
 Pre-Job “Tailgate” meeting
 Supervise the job.
 Recording Data

 The only way to document and improve

primary cementing success is from the
statistics compiled on previous jobs.
 “If you don’t write it down, it didn’t
happen!”
 Placement Techniques

 Conventional Placement
 Innerstring Cementing
 Multiple Stage Cementing
 Annulus Cementing
 Delayed Set Cementing
 Reverse Circulation
Conventional Placement
Conventional
Primary
Cementing
Innerstring Cementing
 Innerstring Cementing
Stop collar
Drill pipe
centralizer

Casing

Tag-in
adaptor

Tag-in float
collar

Float shoe
Multi-Stage Cementing
Stage Cementing
 Free Fall Plug
Sets

 Positive Shutoff of First Stage

 Maximum Well Deviation - 30 deg

Courtesy Halliburton
 Displacement
Type Plug Sets

 For use in Deviated Wells

 Operate Tool on Fly

Courtesy Halliburton
 Annulus Cementing

 Commonly called a “top job”

 May be performed with a spaghetti
string or by bullheading the slurry down
the annulus.
 Delayed Set Cementing

 Commonly called a “puddle job”.

 First developed for tubingless completions.
 Delayed-set cement slurry is pumped into
the wellbore and the casing is lowered
into the unset cement.
 Reverse Circulation

 Cement is pumped down the annulus and

returns are taken up the casing.
 Minimizes pressure on the bottom of the
casing string.
 Effective mud displacement is difficult to
obtain.
 Cementing Equipment

 Centralizers
 Scratchers and Wipers
 Float Equipment
 Cement Heads
 Mixing Equipment
 Density Measuring Devices
Types of Centralizers
Scratchers and Wipers
 Casing Wiper Plugs

Hollow

BOTTOM PLUG TOP PLUG

The function of the drillable wiper plugs is to
mechanically separate cement and drilling fluid
Non-Rotating Plug Set
Float Equipment
Cement Heads
Single Plug Heads
Two Plug Cement Head
Mixing Equipment
Recirculating Mixer
 Recirculating Mixer
(Halliburton Axial Flow Mixer)
 Water Jets
 Recirculation Jets
 Diffuser plate
 Vacuum breaker
 Water Jets
(Halliburton RCM II)
 Cement Throttling Valve
Bulk Cement

Axial Flow Mixer

Water
RCM II
• 4 x 4 Mixing
3” R/A
Densometer Pump
• Flow Meter
• Axial Flow Mixer
• 5 Bbl Tub
•6x5
Recirculating
Pump
• 3” Densometer
• Agitator
6 x 5 Centrifugal
Pump
Mixing Equipment
Batch Mixer
Halliburton Precision Unit
Density Measuring Devices

 Pressurized Mud Balance

 Densometer
 Good Cementing Practices

 Casing Movement
 Centralizers
 Scratchers and Wipers
 Casing Wiper Plugs
 Two Floats
 Adequate Shoe Joint
 More Good Practices

 Slurry Volume Determination

 Hole Conditioning
 Casing Running Speed
 Annular Preflushes and Spacers
 Displacement Technique
Casing Movement
Rotation
Casing Movement
Reciprocation
Centralizers
 Scratchers and Wipers

 Use across pay zones

 Use with pipe movement
 Do not use reciprocation stroke equal to
any multiple of the wiper spacing.
Two Wiper Plugs
 Accumulated Mud Volume
Ahead of Cement Plug
Fill up per 1,000 ft. casing

Mud
Sheath 5 1/ 2 inch 7 inch 9 5/ 8 inch 13 3/ 8 inch
Thickness Casing Casing Casing Casing
(inch)
1/16 51 ft. 40 ft. 28 ft. 20 ft.
1/32 25 ft. 20 ft. 12 ft. 10 ft.
1/64 13 ft. 10 ft. 7 ft. 5 ft.

Courtesy Halliburton
 Two Floats

 Float failure means pressure must be held

on the casing until the cement sets
creating a microannulus.
 Use a float shoe and a float collar for
redundancy.
 Adequate Shoe Joint

 The length of casing between the float

collar and float shoe.
 Also called the “shoe track”
 The purpose of the shoe joint to to
contain contaminated or lightweight
cement.
 Use at least two joints - more in larger
casing.
 Slurry Volume Determination

 A 4-arm caliper is the most accurate

choice for determining slurry volume.
 A single-arm caliper tends to over-
estimate hole size because it follows the
largest diameter.
 A 3-arm caliper may under-estimate hole
size if one arm fails to contact the well
bore wall.
 Hole Conditioning

 Condition mud to as low a yield point and

gel strength as practical consistent with
cuttings removal and suspension.
 Move casing during conditioning.
 Condition until flowline and suction mud
properties have stabilized at optimum
values.
 Mud conditioning also cools the well.
Casing Running Speed
Casing Running Speed
Piston Effect
 Annular Flushes and Spacers

 A flush is a thin, unweighted fluid.

 A spacer is more viscous and is designed
to suspend weighting material.
 “Turbulent-flow” spacer may not
adequately suspend weight material.
Displacement Technique

Mud displacement
is not an isolated
process.
Classical Rheology
Maximum Energy

Casing
 Liner Cementing

 Hole Size
 Temperature Considerations
 Mud Removal Difficulties
 Liner Equipment
 Single Stage and Planned Squeeze
 Post Job Evaluation
 Liner Tiebacks
Hole Size
Temperature Considerations
The static temperature at the liner top
may be significantly lower than the
circulating temperature at the liner
shoe.
 Mud Removal
Mud removal in liner cementing is more
difficult than for casing jobs mainly
because less slurry is pumped.

Use enough cement to place 300-500 feet

of cement above the liner.
 Liner Equipment

 All good primary cementing practices

apply to liner cementing.
 Use a two-plug liner system.
 A rotating liner hanger make pipe
movement easier.
 Single Stage vs. Planned
Squeeze
We recommend the single stage method:
1) Mud removal is greatly enhanced.

2) A continuous cement sheath is placed around the

liner.

3) No added service company or rig costs.

 Post Job Evaluation
Completely testing a liner lap requires
both a positive and a negative test.
What About Liner Top Packers?

 Liner top packers may isolate a pressured

formation from hydrostatic pressure and
lead to flow or gas-cut cement.
 Long term longevity of the elastomer is
uncertain.
 Liner Tiebacks

A liner tieback receptacle or sleeve

should be run with the liner hanger
because liner tiebacks to surface or
liner stubs may be needed at some
point in the life of the well.
 Highly Deviated and Horizontal
Wells
 No “new” or “unusual” methods,
procedures or products are required for
cementing highly deviated and horizontal
wells.
 Strict application of methods and materials
proven effective for primary cementing is
mandatory.
 Floater Cementing
Considerations
 Use the “long-stinger” method to cement
the structural casing.
 Smaller strings of casing use a two-plug,
subsea release plug set.
Sub Sea Release
Plug Set

Courtesy Halliburton
Sub Sea Release Plug Set