PETRO-BOOSTER

Path to field Exposure

OIL WELL
CEMENTING
CEMENTING
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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
Three categories
1. Primary cement job on a casing
2. Squeeze cementing
3. Plugs
 The
CEMENTING
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Functions of Cement

▪Provide zonal isolation - restrict the movement of formation fluids

behind casing/annulus
▪Provide casing protection against corrosive fluids
▪Support the wellbore
▪Support axial load of casing strings
CEMENTING
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Primary Cementing:
Main objectives of primary cementing are:
● To support the casing pipe
● To restrict the movement of formation fluids behind the casing
● 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
 The
CEMENTING
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Secondary Cementing:

Most common secondary cementing jobs are :-

● Circulation squeeze
● plug back cementing
● squeeze cementing
CEMENTING
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Circulation squeeze:

Cement slurry is circulated into the annulus through perforation, which are at the
top and the other at the bottom of desired interval

Reason for circulation squeeze are :-

supplementing a faulty primary job

extending the casing protection above the cement top

CEMENTING
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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:
● Abandonment of the hole
● Sidetracking the hole
● Seal off lost circulation
● Shutting off of water or gas encroachment
CEMENTING
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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
Main purposes of squeeze cementing :-
● Supplementing 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
TheClassification of Cements:

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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
TheClassification of Cements:

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Class A
• Depth surface – 6000 ft (1830 m)
• No special properties
• Similar to ASTM C 150,Type I

Class B
• Depth surface – 6000 ft (1830 m)
• Moderate to high sulphate resistance
• Similar to ASTM C 150 Types II
API Classification of Cements:
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Class C
● Depth surface – 6000 ft (1830 m)
● High early strength
● Moderate to high sulphate resistance
● Similar to ASTM C 150 Types III

Class D
● Depth from 6000 ft – 10,000 ft (1830 m - 3050 m)
● Moderate and high sulphate resistance
● Moderately high pressure and temperature D
API Classification of Cements:
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Class E
• Depth from 10,000 ft – 14,000 ft (3050 m - 4270 m)
• Moderate and high sulphate resistance
• High pressure and temperature

Class F
• Depth from 10,000 ft – 16,000 ft (3050 m - 4270 m)
• Moderate to high sulphate resistance
• Extremely high pressure and temperature
API Classification of Cements:
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Class G (Fine) & Class H (Course)

• Depth surface – 8000 ft (2440 m), as basic cement, fine

• Can be used with accelerators and retarders for other specifications
• Moderate to high sulphate resistance
• No addition other than calcium sulphate or water
API Classification of Cements:
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Class J

• Depth 12,000 – 16,000 ft (3660 m - 4880 m)

• Extremely high pressure and temperature
• Can be used with accelerators and retarders for other specifications
• Moderate to high sulphate resistance
• No addition other than calcium sulphate or water Classes of Cement (A/c to API 10)
→ 9 Classes (A-J) D
API
TheClassification of Cements:

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Other Cements

▪ Pozzolanic cements → pozzolan (siliceous rocks of volcanic origin) + Portland

CMT or lime pozzolan cement.
▪ Pertile cement → Pertile (a light volcanic ore) + ordinary Portland + bentonite
▪ Diesel oil cements (DOC) → +surfactants → designed for, mixing with diesel oil →
for shutting off; water production
▪ Latex cement → Latex + CMT + water
Cement
The Hydration
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• When Cement slurry is placed around the casing → High differential pressure in the
direction of rock & high T

• Water is lost to the formation by dehydration and evaporation

• Chemical reaction occurs (exothermic reaction)

• The hydrous compounds form an interlocking crystalline structure →which bonds to

the casing and rock surface
Surface
The Cementing Equipment
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JET-MIXER
Dry cement must be mixed with the
proper amount of water to ensure
that slurry and set-cement properties
are as designed. ▪ The jet mixer
induces a partial vacuum at the
venturi throat, drawing in the dry
cement. ▪ High stream turbulence
then provides thorough mixing
Surface
The Cementing Equipment
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BATCH MIXER

Batch mixing and/or blending is

achieved through use of propellers,
paddle mixers, pneumatic mixing,
and rotation of the cement tank
Cement
The Testing
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API : Recommended Test procedures

▪ Test Equipment:
1. Mud balance: slurry density.
2. Filter press: filtration rate.
3. Rotational viscometer: rheological properties.
4. Consistometer: thickening rate characters.
5. Cement permeameter: permeability of the set cement.
6. Specimen molds and strength testing machines : the tensile and compressive strength.
7. Autoclave : the soundness of cement.
8. Turbidimeter : the fineness of cement.
Slurry
TheDensity
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▪ Heavy weight Additives (Weighing agent): - to counter high formation pressures -
Hematite, Ilmenite, Barite
▪ Extenders: - to reduce the slurry density to protect weak formations - to increase slurry
yield to reduce the cost - Water, Bentonite, pozzolan, Gilsonite, Perlite
S.G. of cement = 3.14
Cement
The Additives
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The of API cement above are used for wells with moderate bottom hole conditions
It is necessary to modify cement properties to meet specific well conditions such as deep
wells, HPHT, lost circulation zones, etc by adding chemicals
The chemicals can be classified as follows :-
Accelerators – reduce thickening time
Retarders – increase thickening time
Fluid Loss reducers – control amount of fluid loss to formation
Weighting materials – increase/decrease density
Lost circulation materials – seal off lost circulation zone.
Cement
The Additives
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Accelerator:

The accelerator is used to reduce the thickening time and set the cement faster by
accelerating the hydration of chemical compound of cement.

Liquid cement (known as cement slurry) will harden faster by adding accelerator
Common Accelerators used are Sodium Chloride, Calcium Chloride and Calcium
Sulphate (gypsum)
Cement
The Additives
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Mechanism of Accelerators:
Cement
The Additives
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Retarder

The retarder will increase the thickening time or prolong the time of cement to set.
It is necessary since more time is needed to place cement in deeper wells or to combat the
thickening time reduction in high temperature environment.

Common retarder are saturated NaCl, lignosulfonate and its derivatives, cellulose
derivative and sugar derivatives
Cement
The Additives
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Mechanism of Retarders:
Cement
The Additives
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Fluid Loss

Fluid loss additives are used to control amount of liquid loss from cement slurries to the
surrounding environment.
These additives control the fluid loss by one of the following mechanisms: -
Increasing the particle size distribution of the slurry so that it holds or traps the liquid in it
Making the interstitial slurry water viscous which increased resistance to flow through
porous formation
Forming an impermeable film or miscells within filter cake
Common fluid loss additives are organic polymers, dispersants and synthetic polymers
Cement
The Additives
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Mechanism of Fluid Loss Additives:
Cement
The Additives
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Weighting Materials
Most stable cement slurries have densities in range of 15.5 - 17.5 lb/gal.Weighting
materials are used to increase the density of cement slurry depending on the requirement
Weighting Reducing Materials
The weight of cement slurry can be reduced by :-
● Adding material that increases the water content such as clay and silicate materials
● Using light weight materials such as pozzolan, gilsonite or nitrogen
● Light weight cement is used on weak formation or loss circulation zones
● The weight of cement slurries can be increased by adding barite, illmenite or hematite
Cement
The Additives
Free Water Control Additives
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Under downhole conditions, it is important to control:
● Free water
● Slurry stability
Problems
● Zonal isolation
● Collapsed casing (steam) in geothermal wells
Applications
● Horizontal, deviated and slimhole environments – Geothermal wells.
● Products
● Impart strength to gel structure of cement
● FWC-2, FWC-10, FWC-47, FWC-47L, BJ BLUE
Cement
The Additives
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Free Water Control Additives
Thickening
The time of slurry
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When water is added in cement → reaction between the various cement components →
increases viscosity of cement slurry

Thickening time: length of time till which a given cement slurry remains in a fluid
state/pumpable state.

▪ Accelerators: - Shortens the thickening time or time required to gain compressive

strength (accelerates the hydration of chemical compounds of cement) - CaCl2 , NaCl, Sea
water, KCL, Sodium silicate, Gypsum , etc.
▪ Retarders: - Delays the setting of cement → allowing sufficient time for slurry
placement - Calcium Lignosulfonates, Calcium Sodium Lignosulfonates, organic acids etc.
Thickening
The time (IN FIELD)
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Thickening time = Mixing time (Tm) + Surface Time (Ts) +Displacement time (Td) + Plug
release time + S.F

Surface Time (Ts)→ time reqd. for slurry preparation and testing at surface
Displacement time → time reqd. to displace cement (by mud) from inside the casing to
annulus
Thickening time (IN LAB):Consistometer
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Thickening time, pumpability, or consistency, is measured in Bearden Consistency units
(Bc).tanks

▪ Slurry consistency → defined in terms of torque exerted on the paddle by the cement
slurry.
▪ Thickening time → The time required to reach a consistency of 100 Bc (equivalent to the
spring deflection observed with 2080 g-cm of torque) (upper limit of pumpability) under
simulated bottom hole P and T.
▪ Considering fluid loss→ time to reach 70 Bc is reported as to be maximum pumpable
consistency
Thickening time (IN LAB):Consistometer
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Thickening time is affected by:

▪ Pumping rate: eddies and currents resulting from turbulent flow

increases thickening time.
▪ Fineness to which the clinker is ground
▪ Cement composition and water content
Cement Permeameter
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Permeability:

Apparatus for measuring permeability of a set cement core sample.

▪ Based on Darcy’s Law.
▪ Measures the flow rate through the core at a given pressure differential across the length
of the core.

Permeability of set cement should be the lowest possible.

Cement Permeameter
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Water and Sedimentation

• Once cement has been placed → the separation of water from a slurry → leads to channel
formation and gas migration problems.
• The free-water test is designed to simulate this.
• A 250 ml graduated cylinder is used in which slurry is left to stand for two hours under
simulated wellbore conditions.
• The volume of water collected after this period is expressed as a percentage by volume.
Cement Permeameter
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Cement Strength

• Cement having a compressive strength

value of 500 psi (35 bars) is normally
considered adequate for most operations.
• Support capability of the fracture load (lb)
F = 0.969 x Sc x d x H
Sc = compressive strength of cement (psi)
d = outside dia of casing (in.)
H = height of cement column (ft)
Cementing Accessories
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1. Guide Shoe (Float Shoe)
2. Float Collar
3. Centralizer, Stop collar and scratcher
4. Spacers and Washers
5. Cement (wiper) plugs
6. Cementing Head
7. Stage cementer or Multistage Collar or D.V. Tool
8. Cement Basket
Cementing Accessories
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Guide Shoe – Float Shoe

▪ A short section of steel pipe: with the lower end rounded → facilitate passage
of the casing through irregular places in the borehole.
▪ It can be a simple sub.
▪ It may contain a ball valve or flapper valve.
If guide shoe contains a valve element → Float shoe
▪ Float shoe prevents cement from floating back into the casing once it is
displaced behind the casing.
Cementing Accessories
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Cementing Accessories
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Float Collar

• One way valve

• Placed at one or two joints above the shoe
• Prevents mud from entering into the casing while it is being lowered.
• Allows casing to float during its descent → reduction in the loading of the
derrick.
• Prevents cement back flow. Shoe Track : distance between float shoe and
float valve
Cementing Accessories
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Cementing Accessories
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Scratchers: Placed outside of the casing

● To remove the mud cake (by abrasion

brought bout by rotation and
reciprocation)
● Also aid in breaking up gelled mud.
Mudcake → prevents lost circulation
but prevent cement from contacting the
wellbore surface→ inferior cement job
Cementing Accessories
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Centralizers & Stop Collars:
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Placed outside of the casing → To hold the casing off the walls of the wellbore.
● Allows uniform cement stealth placement → improves displacement efficiency If
casing is not centralized → cement slurry tends to bypass the mud → leaving
uncemented channels
● Prevents differential pressure sticking.
● Stop Collar: placed along casing joints → limits the movement of scratchers &
centralizers
Cementing Accessories
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Spacers and Washers:

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Spacer: Placed between mud and cement
columns.
▪Water → most widely used.
▪Water → low viscosity → turbulent flow at much
lower pressure
▪Water → low density → allows it to travel
through mud→ (& together with turbulence) →
helps breakup gel structure of mud.

Chemical wash: mud thinning agent dispersed in

water → thins and disperse mud → allowing
efficient removal of mud from hole
Cementing Accessories
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Cement (wiper) plugs

▪ Physically separate mud from cement → avoiding contamination of cement

▪ Wipe the casing from mud before cement is pumped, and then wipe casing from
the cement film after the complete volume of cement is pumped.
▪ Prevent over displacement of cement
▪ Give surface indication that cement placement is complete
▪ Allow the casing to be pressure teste
Cementing Accessories
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There are two types of cement plugs

● Bottom Plug
○ Run inside casing ahead of cement slurry
○ Wipes off the mud film from the inside of
the casing
○ Rubber Diaphragm
● Top Plug
○ Run inside casing after cement slurry
○ Wipes of the cement film from the inside
of the casing
○ Aluminium core
Cementing Accessories
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Cementing Head
Cementing Accessories
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Cement Basket:

Cement Baskets are run above liners or casing

above weak formations that require protection
from Hydrostatic pressure generated
by cement column. These can be used in cased
hole as well as open hole
formations. Basket should be allowed to travel on
the joint of casing.
 The
Steps involved with plug displacement
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1. Release bottom plug , prior to the arrival of the cement slurry.
2. Release cement from cement head
3. Advancing cement slurry will push down the bottom plug until the later is seated on the
float collar (or landing collar inside a casing coupling).
4. Seating of the plug is indicated at the surface by a sudden increase in the pumping
pressure.
5. Further increase in pumping pressure → will rupture the diaphragm in the bottom plug
→ allowing cement to pass through & eventually be placed around the casing.
Steps involved with plug displacement
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Single stage cementing operation
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Single stage cementing operation
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Step 1: Conditioning the Well
▪ Put top plug at top of the cementing plug
▪ In cementing head, close cement valve & open mud section (bottom valve) and add it
through mud
▪ Continuous circulation of mud for 40 mins for cleaning all solids, and to ensure free
flowability.
Step 2: Injecting spacer and inserting bottom plug
▪ Close mud line (bottom valve)
▪ Inject spacer (Bottom valve) 0
▪ Insert bottom plug
Single stage cementing operation
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3: Cement Injection/displacement
▪ Close mud line and open cement line (Middle valve)
▪ Permit the flow of cement → it will push bottom plug Single stage cementing operation
Note : Spacer may also be pumped after inserting bottom plug and pushed by cement.

Step 4: Inserting top plug and displacing through mud

▪ Close cement line after pumping desired volume of cement
▪ Insert top plug
▪ Open mud line (top valve) → mud will push the top plug and thus cement
Single stage cementing operation
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▪ Check for sudden increase in pressure at surface (in mud line) → to check seating of
bottom plug on the float collar
▪ Further pressure will rupture the rubber diaphragm of bottom plug
▪ Top plug keeps on cleaning of casing
▪ Check for sudden increase in pressure at surface (in mud line) → indicates when top plug
touches the bottom plug
Cementing job complete.
Leave cement for 5-6 h for settling
Cementing of entire length is done in one go
Single stage cementing operation
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Stage Cementer or Multistage Collar or D.V.
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Tool
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Multi-Stage Cementing
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Pump first stage

▪ Displace cement.
▪ Open stage tool
▪ Pump second stage
▪ Displace cement
▪ Last plug closes tool
Multi-Stage Cementing
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Multi-Stage Cementing-Procedure
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First stage:

• The procedure is similar to the single stage operation, except that a wiper
plug is not used and only a liquid spacer is pumped ahead of the cement slurry.

• The conventional shut-off plug is replaced by a plug with flexible blades.

This type of shut-off plug is used because it has to pass through the stage
cementing collar.

• Centralizer is placed 2-3 met above or below the stage collar

Multi-Stage Cementing-Procedure
The
Second stage:
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It involves the use of a stage collar, which is made up into the casing string at a pre-determined
position.
● The ports in the stage collar are initially sealed off by the inner sleeve.
● This sleeve is held in place by retaining pins.
● After the first stage is complete a special freefall plug is released form surface which lands in
the inner sleeve of the stage collar.
● When a pressure of 1000 - 1500 psi is applied to the casing above the freefall plug, the retaining
pins on the inner sleeve are sheared and the sleeve moves down, uncovering the ports in the
outer mandrel.
● Circulation is established through the stage collar before the second stage slurry is pumped → to
wash out excessive slurry in annulus above stage collar & condition the mud
● Pump cement.
● Release top plug & displace it till reaches stage collar.
Squeeze Cementing
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The slurry is forced by pressure to a specified point in the annulus to cause a seal at the
point of squeeze.
Remedial operation → workover job
● To seal off gas or water producing zones → maximize oil production from the
completion interval
● To repair casing failures by squeezing cement through leaking joints or corrosion
hole.
● To seal off lost circulation zones.
● To carry out remedial work on a poor primary cement job (to fill up the annulus).
● To prevent vertical reservoir fluid migration into producing zones.
● To prevent fluids escaping from abandoned zones.
Squeeze Cementing
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Squeeze Cementing Techniques
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Bradenhead:

The drillpipe is run to just above the perforations (or zone) to be squeezed off.

● Cement is then displaced (spacer preceding and succeeding) from the drill pipe to
cover the entire zone.
● The pipe rams (BOP) are then closed and a precalculated pressure is then applied
from the surface to squeeze off the open perforations.
Squeeze Cementing Techniques
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Squeeze Cementing Techniques
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Packer Squeeze:

Either a retrievable packer or a retainer packer is run to just above the zone to be
squeezed off.

● The packer is then set and the cement is squeezed into the open zone.
● When the complete volume of cement is squeezed off, the excess cement should be
reversed out to prevent cementing the drill pipe.
Squeeze Cementing Techniques
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Plug
TheCementing

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Either A cement plug of specified length is placed across a selected interval in open and
cased holes.
Placed using drill pipe or tubing.

Prevent fluid communications between an abandoned lower portion of the well and
the upper part of the well.
● To stop lost circulation during drilling
● To plug back a depleted zone or abandon a well
● Direction drilling and side tracking
Bridge plug is used to assist in forming a good hydraulic seal
Plug
TheCementing

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Evaluation of Cement Jobs

1. Temperature surveys
2. Radioactive surveys
3. Cement Bond Logs
Special
The Problems
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1) Strength Retrogression

Silica flour / sand prevents detrimental reactions at > 230 °F

Up to 210 °F : hydration products differ only in morphology and microstructure
Above 210 °F: amorphous silicate hydrates form. Size range from x-ray amorphous to
highly crystalline
Above 230 °F: onset of retrogression, large crystals, low strength, high permeability
Up to 300 °F : 35% silica sand or flour prevent formation of di-calcium silicate hydrate
(orthorhombic phase).
Above 300 °F: 35% silica flour as increased surface area required for inhibition.
Special Problems
The
2) Gas Migration Control
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Agents that minimize slurry depressurization or that decrease gas mobility in the cement
paste (eg. by permeability reduction) during liquid to solid transition
(BA-10, BA-29, BA-56, BA-58L, BA-86L, FL-45LS, FLAG-56, BA-100L, BJ BLUE)
3) Lost Circulation

Agents which induce thixotropy can help prevent or cure losses by reducing wellbore
hydrostatic or by building high flow resistance in the fractures

4) Microannuli/Poor Bonding
Agents which induce expansion after initial set, or materials that impart adhesion or
improve elastic modulus may help provide better isolation.
THANK
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