IADC/SPE 74483

Optimizing HTHP Cementing Operations

John Shaughnessy, BP America and John Helweg, Schlumberger Dowell
Copyright 2002, IADC/SPE Drilling Conference
This paper was prepared for presentation at the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference held in Dallas,
Texas, 2628 February 2002.
This paper was selected for presentation by an IADC/SPE Program Committee following
review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the
paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the International Association of Drilling
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Abstract
Successful cementing jobs are critical to economically
completing HTHP wells. BP and Schlumberger Dowell have
consistently been successful cementing wells at total depths
between 22,000 and 23,000 and maximum temperatures of
400 F. The proof of successful cement work is demonstrated
with record production rates for the state of Louisiana and
achieving isolation in sands with over 10,000 psi depletion.
The optimization methods and approach will be discussed
along with problems experienced and subsequent solutions.
Over 15 such wells have been drilled in Louisiana during the
last 5 years. This paper will also address the philosophy and
procedure of cementing production tieback casing to the
surface by reverse circulating.
Introduction
The Tuscaloosa Trend1,2 is a 30 mile wide band of sands
running east west just north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Some
of the most difficult drilling conditions in the Trend are in the
Judge Digby Field3. The wells are drilled to a total depth of
23,000, have a bottom hole temperature up to 400 F and
maximum bottom hole pressures between 17,000 and 20,000
psi. Figure Numbers 1, 2 and 3 are a wellbore sketch and the
temperature and pore pressure plots for a typical field well.
In 2000, production from a new well set a Louisiana state
production record of 92 MMCFD. The field also has the
deepest completion in the state history at 22,200. The record
production rates have contributed to depletion of the
volumetric reservoirs located in the upper intervals of the
producing Tuscaloosa sands, which has resulted in up to

13,000 psi differential pressure while drilling these depleted

sands4.
A successful primary cement job is critical to achieving the
high production rates and significant depletion. Remedial
cementing, required due to poor primary cementing, has been
unsuccessful in isolating water sands. The cost of remedial
cementing is very high.
The difference between an
economically successful and a marginal well is the primary
cement job. Failure of the primary cement job can result in
additional drilling rig time or a rig workover, reduced
production rates or increased water production rates and
subsequent water disposal costs.
Proper placement is critical in HTHP cementing. Many of
the wells have very close tolerance between pore and fracture
pressure thresholds. To overcome these obstacles, computer
aided designs are used extensively. In order to provide the
best model, very detailed information needs to be shared
between the operator and the cementing service company.
On many wells, the drilling assembly and the wellbore is
input as the first step. The drill fluid model at heated
temperatures is input and the computer model is used to
simulate pumping mud at drill rates for the hole section to
determine equivalent circulating densities. These numbers are
then used as a baseline for designing rates for the cement
placement assuming there are no problems with lost
circulation while drilling.
With the above baseline, all fluid properties at elevated
temperatures are input along with any deviation data and
centralization. Stand-off calculations are generated from the
caliper log and deviation survey. This data is then used to
determine needed flow rates for good mud removal based on
effective laminar flow in an eccentric annuli5.
In the main job simulation, all of the casing, liner hangers
and drill pipe dimensions are input with as close as possible to
actual well geometry. Pre-job circulation is simulated at
various rates stepping up to planned placement rates. A low
rate is used for the calculated annular capacity to achieve
bottoms up past the liner hanger. Pump rate is then
increased incrementally. This initial step gives the field a base
for expected surface pressures to be expected in circulation

SHAUGHNESSY AND HELWEG

prior to the job.

Any large variance in the circulation
pressures can give an indication of changes in hole conditions,
such as, cuttings off bottom bridging in the overlap,
mechanical problems with float equipment or a liner hanger.
Having these pressure readings, a problem was flagged on a
well in the Port Hudson field where circulation was at the liner
top and not from bottom. Had the cement job been pumped,
all of the cement would have been around the drill pipe and
possibly resulted in a junked hole.
Pump rate designs from the computer simulation also give
a range of minimum and maximum rates for optimum mud
removal profile over the entire hole interval. In most cases,
the pump rates will be decreased as the spacers turns the shoe
and again as the spacer and cement reach the previous casing
or liner hanger. This is necessary to prevent induced losses
due to increased hydrostatic and ECDS from friction
pressures generated by the spacer. Also, cement being more
viscous and of a higher density than the original wellbore fluid
contributes to this problem. In some cases, the mud, spacer
and or cement properties can be changed to allow better
placement. Prior to this technology, best guess and Seat of
the Pants were the methods used for displacement rates.
The first key to a successful primary cement job begins
with obtaining detailed information of the wellbore. Bottom
hole temperatures are critical. In the Tuscaloosa Trend, many
steps have been taken to assure accurate temperatures for
slurry testing. Bottom hole log temperatures from earlier field
wells have been plotted and circulating temperature probes
have been run to verify calculated circulating cementing
temperatures to be used for cement testing. The following
formula has proved to be the most accurate for use in
determining Bottom hole Circulating Temperatures (BHCT) in
comparison with down hole circulating probes and computer
simulated temperature software:
Circulating Temperatures for Casing or liner cement jobs (not
squeezes)6:
(0.66 x (BHTPC 80.0) 8.5)
BHCT = 80.0 + --------------------------------------------(1.0 0.0000111 x D)
Where:
BHCT = Bottom Hole Circulating Temperature, F
BHTPC = Bottom Hole temperature prior to circulation, F =
Maximum Log Temperature
D = Depth in feet.
The following are guidelines used for pilot testing HTHP
slurries to simulate the actual job as close as possible:
1.
2.
3.

Verify total measured depth and BHLT (bottom hole log

temperature) and desired slurry densities and properties
desired for final results.
Calculate BHCT using formula for job type.
Calculate heat up rates for planned job design and final

4.

5.
6.

IADC/SPE 74483

consistometer pressure for pump time based on the mud

weight in wellbore and depth.
Complete lab request form in detail.
a. Explain any additional testing required. (i.e. spacers,
angle for free water, dynamic settling, density
differential tests etc.)
b. Simulate SRT (Surface Retention Time) for batch
mixing at surface temps
c. Pre-conditioning of slurry for UCA (Ultrasonic
cement analyzer)/Compressive testing.
d. Pressure for compressive strength testing.
Provide a fresh sample of the location water to be used for
all tests.
Obtain mud sample from location for spacer and mud,
spacer/cement compatibility tests.

LAB Procedures
1. Obtain samples from bulk plant of current or set aside
cement and additives needed.
2. Run API water analysis on location water sample to
verify water is acceptable for cementing.
3. Document lot numbers of additives.
4. Run calculations for weigh out and double check for
accuracy.
5. In the event of a thickening time with a BHCT above
200 F, it is recommended to duplicate the pilot test.
6. A UCA test for compressive strength should be run at
both cement top and bottom be run at the BHST (Bottom
Hole Static Temperatures) at the top of all liners.
7. All fluid loss tests must be run at BHCT.
8. Dynamic Settling tests must be run on all liners and
production string systems.
9. Run density differential tests on all spacers above 250 F.
a. Run density differential tests on cement system for
all production casing systems. Maximum differential
from top to bottom is 1.5 ppg.
b. Document pump times, free water, fluid loss,
compressive strength and other test results.
10. Perform spacer wettability tests and compatibility with
spacer/mud and cement/spacer.
11. To be compatible the worse case mixture must meet the
criteria for efficient mud removal.
12. In cases of borderline compatibility, run pump time tests
on worst case scenario.
On the drilling and production liners (usually 9-5/8 at
20,500 and 7 at 22,500) spiral blade rigid centralizers are
run. On the 9-5/8 they are run alternately with bow-spring
centralizers one per joint through the perspective section and
then every third joint. On the 7 production liner, rigids and
bow springs are alternately run on every joint. Good
centralization is key to avoid sticking the liner opposite
depleted sands and to achieve successful mud removal.
The best designed cement slurry will be destined for
failure if a spacer is not properly designed or pumped in such

IADC/SPE 74483

OPTIMIZING HTHP CEMENTING OPERATIONS

a way to remove the mud from the well bore. To design a

spacer, a mud sample from location is supplied to the cement
lab for testing. Rheology readings are recorded at ambient and
heated temperatures. These are compared with the rheology
properties from the planned cement design. The spacer is then
designed with a density half way between the mud and
planned cement. The plastic viscosity of the spacer is then
adjusted to a value between the PV of the mud and the cement.
This allows for each spacer to effectively remove the mud and
the cement to effectively displace the spacer from the
well bore.
Spacer volume is also critical. Earlier designs utilized 500
feet of spacer fill in the annulus as an acceptable volume. This
is not always a true volume. As wells are drilled deeper and
with smaller hole sizes, a spacer volume to achieve 500 ft.
would be only 15 or 20 barrels. With displacements to get to
bottom being 200 to 300 barrels and with the fluid being
pumped through several ID changes before reaching the
annulus, there may be only 3 or 4 barrels of any spacer clean
enough to remove any mud from the well. Therefore, the
more spacer pumped ahead of the cement enhances possibility
for success. There are some cases where the spacer volume
would be limited such as on Tack and Planned Squeeze
operations. In these circumstances, it is best to allow for as
much spacer as can be pumped, but keeping the spacer/mud
interface from reaching the overlap. These interfaces tend to
settle under static conditions at temperature, generating a
possible barite plug.
Tests of spacer/mud compatibility must be performed to
insure the lack of massive interface gellation and wettability.
This test is especially critical in oil base environments. There
are several methods to test for this compatibility. All include
coating a smooth surface such as glass with the oil mud and
then immersing the surface in the spacer to see if the spacer
will strip the mud coating leaving a clean and water wet
surface. If the spacer fails to remove the oil film, a change in
either concentration of surfactant or type of surfactant is
necessary. With the spacer/mud compatibility test complete,
the spacer then is tested for compatibility with the designed
cement with the main issue being the interface ratios being
smooth in regard to gellation and rheology. If a ratio of spacer
to cement is questionable, it is recommended to place that
mixture in the consistometer and test under the same
conditions as the cement for pump time.
The spacer should be tested in the lab for hard settling
tendencies under temperature and pressure. The polymers
used in spacers as a gelling agent have a time/temperature
limit to hold their viscosity. If the spacer settles, the gelling
agent type or concentration will require adjustment and the
process of rheological properties and compatibility repeated.
Top Hole Casing Strings
The 23,000 wells start with 30 OD, 1 wall welded casing
driven to refusal or a blow count of 250. Penetrations are

usually to a depth of 250 to 300. This string will support the

wellhead loads which can exceed 2 million pounds.
The 16 OD surface casing is run to 5,100. The depth is
well below the base of fresh water at about 3,000. The 16 is
cemented by conventional circulation. The added expense and
time of a tag-in cement string is not justified. The cement
blend is primarily 12 ppg filler with a neat tail.
Intermediate Casing
This is 11-7/8 run to a depth of 16,000. It is cemented
conventionally with filler cement and a neat cement tail.
Two bottom plugs are used. The 1st plug is ahead of a water
spacer and the 2nd is ahead of the lead cement. This is done to
reduce the potential for channeling inside the casing. The 800
bbl volume of cement will be approximately 7,200 inside the
casing. This creates a U-tube pressure of 930 psi against the
10.8 ppg oil base mud usually in the hole at the time of
cementing. That differential pressure can lead to freefalling of the cement. Prior to utilizing two bottom plugs
there were indications of channeling. While the plugs are not
expected to slow the cement fall they will keep the spacers and
slurries intact inside the casing. This allows for the spacer
to be clean to perform its designed work in the annulus.
The cement volume is estimated to result in a top of
10,000. This top was chosen for two reasons. First, it
provides annular space and access to sands below the surface
casing where drill cuttings and mud are injected. Second,
when combined with approximately 100,000 lbs of overpull
the casing will resist buckling through the drilling of the well.
After the casing is cemented and a sufficient waiting time
applied, the casing slips are hung with an additional 100,000
lbs applied by the drawworks. The total load hung off is
usually 1 MM lbs.
Drilling Liners
The drilling liner is cemented by a tack and squeeze method.
The liner is typically 9-5/8 OD in a 10-5/8 hole. The open
hole length is 4,500 to 5,000. This string usually penetrates
one or two production horizons. The mud is diesel based with
a weight of 16.5 to 17.0 ppg.
The tack portion is designed to cover about half of the
open hole. A 9-5/8 liner in a 10-5/8 hole would have an
annular volume of 0.02 bbl/ft. Half coverage would result in a
top of cement 2,250 below the previous casing shoe. If the
liner were cemented conventionally, channeling of the cement
could result in thousands of feet of cement on the liner top. If
the plan called for 400 of cement on the liner top after the
running string was pulled, that volume would be 45 bbls or
550 in the annulus prior to pulling the running string. The
open hole volume would be 90 bbls. Thus, if 25% of that
volume channeled the additional 23 bbls on top would be
another 280 prior to pulling the running string. Note, from a
depth of 14,000 the well is drilled with oil base mud which
results in a near gauge hole.

SHAUGHNESSY AND HELWEG

The practice is to pump the cement then, displace with a

drill pipe wiping dart. That dart will release a liner wiping
plug. This two plug system is preferred over the increased
complexity of a four plug system. The four plug system
pumps an additional drill pipe dart ahead of the system that
lands in a liner wiper plug that wipes the liner ahead of the
cement and then shears to allow the cement to pass.
The left hand set packer and liner top squeeze is the most
efficient cementing method, but also good well control
practice. The drilling liner isolates a chalk formation where
mud returns are frequently lost. This ballooned formation
occasionally gives back or flows the lost mud into the
wellbore. If this occurs with the liner in the hole, the packer
can be set and cement used to push the mud back into the
formation. Pressure is then maintained on the cement until it
has set up.
The packer is an asset if circulation is lost to a depleted
sand during cementing. A recent well lost 478 bbls while
doing the tack. The mud level in the annulus also fell. After
the cement was in place, the drill pipe was pulled to squeeze
depth and the packer was set. The rate of mud loss was
reduced because the volume exposed to the liner annulus
(producing the overbalance) changed from 0.082 bbl/ft to
0.0206 bbl/ft of the 5- drill pipe ID. The reduced volume
could be better managed. If necessary water could be added to
reduce the overburden, knowing that the packer would
facilitate bullheading cement into the well when necessary.
Running the packer is not without risk. If the liner were to
become stuck or not release when right hand rotation is
applied, relieving the torque will require essentially turning
back to the left. That left-hand rotation could set the packer.
A set packer still attached to a stuck liner would be a difficult
fishing job.
The liner hanger is a mechanical set and mechanically
released as opposed to hydraulically controlled hangers. Right
hand rotation sets the hanger and releases the running tool.
After the liner is run to bottom, the hole is circulated until mud
properties reach their desired values and any trip gas is out of
the system. Prior to doing the tack portion of the cement job
the hanger is set and released. The mechanical hanger is
preferred over the hydraulic due to higher collapse and burst
ratings. Also, on occasion when the hydraulic setting pressure
was released (hanger set) mud circulation was lost.
The practice is to wait on cement 8 hours or until cement
tests indicate 500 psi compressive strength development after
the tack job prior to doing the planned liner top squeeze.
When the tack cement was not allowed to set up, the liner
shoes consistently required remedial squeezing.
It is
speculated that during the squeeze mud channels into the tack
cement if the tack is not allowed to set up.

IADC/SPE 74483

Production Liners
The production liners are usually 7 in an 8- hole or 4-
in a 5-7/8 hole. The liner hangers are mechanically set and
released. They are cemented conventionally with a plan for
300 or 400 of cement on the liner top.
No packer is run in the Production Liner string. Lost
circulation and well control problems are rare during this
cement job. It is necessary to circulate sufficient cement on
top of the liner to ensure a better job in the open hole. This
relatively larger volume could channel to a packer creating a
sticking risk.
Most HTHP environments are in gas production horizons.
Gas migration is a major concern because if gas is allowed to
invade the cement slurry during the transition period, the
slurry is either Honeycombed or a micro annulus channel
occurs as the gas tries to migrate upward7. Therefore, a gas
tight cement slurry is designed to address gas migration. If
this slurry is exposed to gas, it forms an impermeable film
preventing the gas from invading the cement or migrating at
the cement to formation interface8. These slurries have
excellent fluid loss properties, free water control and lower
rheologies than conventional low water loss slurries. Also the
cement should demonstrate a very short transition time from
fluid state to set cement9.
To reach density requirement for a successful primary
cement job, the cement slurry ideally would be 10% heavier
than the mud weight used to drill the hole. Most hole
conditions will not allow for this density difference. Best
practice has been to design a cement with a density of at least
1 ppg greater than mud density. This allows for a spacer
design to fit between the mud and cement densities and still
have an acceptable range for viscosity difference to achieve
good mud removal.
As deeper wells are drilled into higher pressured
formations, the high mud weights create a different problem in
cement design difference. To achieve this density, weighting
agents such as Hematite have been used, creating a extremely
viscous and difficult to mix system. This problem has been
overcome by using cement slurries with particle size
distribution to reach desired properties at necessary density for
the well10. These slurries can exhibit the same Gas Tight
properties needed for HTHP cement design. Other advantages
this technology can offer are reduced cost derived from lower
concentrations of fluid loss and migration additives to realize
the same desired properties. Particle Size Distribution
Cements also develop greater compressive strength than
conventional cements. Wells cemented with these cements
result in cleaner perforation tunnels due to a reduction in
cement debris.
The procedure is to circulate with the liner on bottom, set
and release from the liner, cement, pull 10 to 15 stands of drill
pipe, circulate bottoms up and then wait on cement.

IADC/SPE 74483

OPTIMIZING HTHP CEMENTING OPERATIONS

A two plug system (one released from surface) is used.

For small ID liners, such as the 4-, liner wiper plug is not
run with the hanger, but dropped from the surface.
Production Tiebacks
The practice is to completely fill the tieback annulus with
cement by reverse circulation. The typical tieback is 7-5/8,
55.30#, C-110 run to 20,000. The annular volume is 900
bbls. The internal tieback volume is 700 bbls.
In the last two years BP has completed 8 wells packerless.
This was done after a tubing failure on a low pressure
marginal was allowed to flow for 18 months with static gas on
the tubing by C-110 tieback casing annulus. The tieback
casing was pulled during abandonment operations and the
subsequent inspection found no problems or corrosion. The
Tuscaloosa trend gas typically has 8% CO2 and 40 ppm H2S.
The packerless completion eliminated repairs due to packer
failures. Previous packer completions had shown packer life
was short in the high pressure, 400F environment.
With the tieback casing continuously exposed to gas an
advantage was recognized to cementing the tiebacks to
the surface.
Circulating conventionally presented problems that reverse
circulation could avoid. Conventional circulation requires the
lead cement to be significantly retarded. If displacement were
at 4 bpm the total time on the lead would be 6.7 hours. That
cement would also have to be retarded for a max temperature
of 380 F, but end up in 100 F environment. Also, the entire
900 bbls of cement were circulated past the tieback stem,
which posed the potential to damage the seal units. If a
cement mixing or displacement problem occurred, the large
volume of cement required for the job to fill the annulus could
result in thousands of feet of cement set up inside the tieback.
The tieback would be full of cement until the cement was
6,650 above the stem.

pumped and job is over. The last 20 bbls of annular volume is

filled with water. This minimizes the chance for cement being
in the area of the wellhead when it is time to set the slips.
Note the annular preventer is the back up for the casing rams.
The maximum displacement pressure has been 4,000 psi on
successful jobs.
When the annular volume is filled the casing is slacked off
into the tieback sleeve. The casing rams are opened and water
is circulated through the ports in the B section of the
wellhead up through the BOP and down the flowline to wash
out the BOP stack. Grout strings are also on location in the
event it is necessary to wash cement out of the wellhead area.
Some lessons have been learned while reverse circulating
tiebacks:
Cement channeling can result in thousands of feet of
cement inside the tieback.
A 1/16 film of mud on the 15,500 of 11-7/8
intermediate casing wall that is not displaced will
result in 79 bbls of cement overdisplaced into the
casing ID. If the tieback has a 6 ID that volume will
fill 2,276.
Running a non-rotating casing scraper on the liner
top polishing mill run can reduce the problem of mud
film.
Centralizers on the tieback can reduce channeling.
The tieback often isolates two liner tops (both
production and drilling liners). The tieback cement
should be designed with fluid loss control to
minimize potential for cement bridging off on the
liner top in the event that the liner top fails during
circulation.
In the event of a cementing problem, orders to the
driller must be clear that slacking off into the liner
top is the first action to take.
Designing the cement as one weight, as opposed to
having a lighter weight filler cement, will minimize
the cement displacement pressure changes.
Therefore any pressure change is a true indicator of
conditions changing downhole and not hydrostatic
changes in the cement column.

The tieback casing stem is designed to land in a 20

tieback sleeve on the production liner. Four 2 by 4 ports are
cut into the stem 9 from the mule shoe end. There are four
Chevron seals above the ports to the landing shoulder. When
the casing is run it is bottomed out on the landing shoulder.
The system is pressure tested. The tieback is then picked up
9 to expose the circulation ports. It is then picked up an
additional 5. The end of the tieback stem is still in the liner
top, but the additional pick up provides margin for the casing
to elongate under the reverse circulating process and not have
the seals go into the liner top and stop circulation.

In one particular well, a reverse circulated tieback casing

string was not stabbed into the liner top. Many of the
procedure adjustments listed above were made after that job
and have been successful in eliminating the problem. A
second production liner was run and cemented across the
tieback sleeve to isolate the drilling liner from the
produced fluids.

After the space out 7-5/8 casing rams are closed in the
BOP. The cementing line is tied into the outlets on the B
section of the wellhead. The annular volume is then
circulated. Next the cement is pumped. There are no positive
signs as to the depth of the cement slurry. The volume is

Problem Example
Primary cementing has been very successful. However, the
combinations of depth, high temperatures, minimal casing
clearances and the need to pump as much cement as possible
on production liners leaves little room for mechanical

SHAUGHNESSY AND HELWEG

problems11. This example illustrates the low margin for error.

A 4- production liner was being cemented at 21,958. After
the cement was in place, the running string could not be
backed out. The top drive grabbers could not bite on the pup
joint. Efforts to increase the units force resulted in downtime.
By the time the cementing string was backed out four stands
were pulled and the cement set up. Twenty-seven joints of 3 drill pipe were ultimately washed over, resulting in total
downtime of 42 days. The procedures have been modified to
eliminate use of pups above the cementing head because they
have a greater chance of being undergauge and the running
string is backed out of the top drive prior to pumping cement.
If it becomes necessary to displace the cement with the rigs
pumps, the top drive can be tied back into the string.
Keys to Success
Thorough planning that builds on the experience in
the HTHP environment.
Comprensive cement testing under the best known
conditions and with the mud from the well.
Simulating the displacement prior to the job.
Matching the testing and simulation to field
experience.
Getting consistent execution by the same supervisors,
rig crew and cementing crew.
Overall attention to detail from the simulation,
testing, loading and execution.

IADC/SPE 74483

References:
1

Pankonien, Laura J., Operators scramble to tap deep gas in South

Louisiana, World Oil, September, 1979.
2
Funkhouser, L.W., et al, The deep Tuscaloosa Gas trend of
Louisiana, Oil & Gas Journal, September 8, 1980
3
Locke, H.A., 20-Plus Years of Tuscaloosa Drilling: Continuously
Optimizing Deep HTHP Wells, IADC/SPE 59181, New
Orleans, 2000.
4
Shaughnessy, Fuqua, Romo, Successfully Drilling Highly
Depleted Sands, SPE/IADC 67744, Amsterdam, March, 2001.
5
Tehrani, Ahmadi, et al, Laminar Displacement in Annuli: A
Combinded Experimental and Theoretical Study, SPE 24569,
Washington, October, 1992.
6
Beirute, Robert, Amoco memo, Tulsa, OK, 1995.
7
Wilkins, P. Rae, and Free, D. A New Approach to the Prediction
of Gas Flow After Cementing,
SPE/IADC 18622, New
Orleans, March, 1989.
8
Drecq, P. and Parcevaux, P.A., A single Technique Solves Gas
Migration Problems Across a Wide Range of Conditions, SPE
17629, Tianjin, China, 1988.
9
Sabins, Fred L. et al, Transition Time of Cement Slurries Between
the Fluid and Set State, SPE 9285, Dallas, September, 1980.
10
Jain, Bipin, et al, Using Particle Size Distribution Technology for
Designing High Density, High Performance Cement Slurries in
Demanding Frontier Exploration Wells in South Oman,
IADC/SPE 59134, New Orleans, February, 2000.
11
Shaughnessy, et al. Successful fishing operations requires
teamwork, risk management, Oil & Gas Journal, March 8,
1999.

Figure 1

Wellbore Skectch and Formation Log

Tuscaloosa Prospect: Judge Digby Field

TVD -RT

30" Casing Driven to 250'

20 Hole
9.0 - 9.2 ppg WBM
16" Casing @ 5,150

Het Lime @ 5950

Vicksburg @ 8325

14-3/4 Hole
9.0 - 10.5 ppg
WBM & OBM

Sparta @ 9400
Wilcox @ 10500
7-5/8" Tieback Casing
Midway Shale @ 14400

11-7/8" Casing @15,900

Selma Chalk @ 16050

10-5/8 Hole
16 17 ppg 0BM
Eutaw Shale @ 17700
Pilot Lime Top @18860

Tuscaloosa A Sands

9-5/8" Liner @20,500

Tuscaloosa B Sand

8-1/2 Hole
15.5 - 17 ppg 0BM

7" or 7-5/8 Liner @23,000

Tuscaloosa C Sand Top

Total Depth: 23,000

Figure 2

Judge Digby Field: Log Temperatures

Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
3000

5000

7000

9000

Depth

11000

13000

15000

17000

19000

21000

23000
100

150

200

250
Degree, F

300

350

400

Figure 3

Judge Digby Field: Initial Pore Pressures

Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
3000

5000

7000

9000

Depth

11000

13000

15000

17000

19000

21000

23000
8

10

11

12

13

14

Pore Pressure, ppg equivalent mud weight

15

16

17