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Abstract
Sustained casing pressure (SCP) is a challenge faced
by the oil and gas industry during the life cycle of a well.
From the cementing point of view, SCP could be caused
by (1) inadequate drilling fluid displacement and/or (2)
the failure of cement sheath to withstand well operational
loads. Primary cement jobs should be designed and
deployed so that the cement slurry is placed in the entire
annulus and the cement sheath properties are fit for
purpose to withstand downhole chemicals and the
anticipated stresses from well operations.
This paper outlines the challenges during drilling fluid
removal and cement slurry placement. After the cement
slurry is placed in the annulus, a hydration reaction
transforms the cement slurry to a solid cement sheath.
The shrinkage and expansion characteristics and
mechanical properties of the cement system play a
crucial role in how well the cement sheath withstands
subsequent well operations.
The hydration volume change and the mechanical
properties of a cement sheath under downhole
conditions were measured in laboratory tests. These
tests show that cement slurry formulations can be
optimized to meet the property requirements for specific
well conditions. Properties of different cement systems
are compared and their applicability to well conditions is
discussed.
The work reviewed in this paper should help in the
design of cement systems to suit well parameters and to
withstand well operations during the life of the well. This
should address nonproductive time by reducing remedial
and intervention costs.
Introduction
The main purpose of a primary cementing job is to
provide effective zonal isolation for the life of the well so
that oil and gas can be produced safely and
economically. To achieve this objective, the drilling fluid
should be removed from both the wide and narrow
segments of the annular cross section, and the entire
annulus should be filled with a competent cement
system.
In recent years, the number of wells worldwide, with
annular pressure has increased significantly. In the late
1990s, in the Gulf of Mexico alone there were more than
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represented as:
C3S and C2S + water --------hydration reaction--> CSH, Ca(OH)2
The volume of the products formed is less than the
volume occupied by the reactants. A phenomenon
referred to as hydration volume shrinkage. The total
volume shrinkage can also be classified as bulk
(external shrinkage) and contraction of pores (internal
shrinkage). Drying shrinkage, as used in the construction
industry, refers to the shrinkage observed when the
cement sheath is cured in the absence of water, after
curing in the presence of water for a certain number of
days. This does not apply directly to oilwell cementing,
but the findings and results can increase overall
understanding of cement slurry behavior.
If the capillary pores in the cement sheath are at
water saturation, internal shrinkage may not be a
concern. However, external shrinkage can still be a
concern, leading to a micro-annulus if not addressed.
The risk of pores not being at water saturation increases
when the cement sheath is curing in an environment
devoid of surrounding water. If internal shrinkage is not
offset, it could lead to tensile cracks.
Different methods of measuring volume shrinkage
are discussed elsewhere.15-16 Shrinkage during the early
hydration phase contributes to external or bulk
shrinkage. During this phase, if the cement system is
able to compensate for the external or bulk shrinkage, a
microannulus can be avoided. The dimensional changes
caused by external or bulk shrinkage can be offset by a
physical occurrence, such as cement system expansion.
Beyond the stage when the cement sheath matrix
becomes rigid, bulk shrinkage may no longer be a
problem, but internal shrinkage becomes increasingly
important. In oilwell cementing, the pores can be below
water saturation if the environment in which the cement
system is curing is devoid of water (tie back cementing
and cementing across low to ultra-low permeable
zones).
In the concrete industry, total volume shrinkage is
commonly measured with a conical flask and pipette.15-16
Water uptake is assumed to represent the total
shrinkage in the cement system during hydration. This
method might serve for measurement at ambient
conditions, but measurements at downhole temperatures
and pressures require the use of an alternate device
discussed later in this paper. A flask-pipette setup
(Fig. 1) was used to measure the water uptake for
different slurries.
The flask was filled with a known volume of slurry
and excess water. A pipette was inserted into the flask,
as shown, to measure the change in water level.
Precautions were taken to minimize evaporation losses.
Precautions were also taken to remove any trapped air
by subjecting the slurry to vacuum for 30 minutes after
stirring in an atmospheric consistometer for 30 minutes.
All slurries were formulated with appropriate additives to
prevent free water.
If the slurry took water at any time, it was interpreted
as shrinkage, and the volume of water added was
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Summary
Cement slurry formulation can be modified to
optimize the hydration volume shrinkage and
cement sheath mechanical properties.
A combination of foam and/or elastic polymers
and expansion additive can help reduce the
effect of total shrinkage on cement sheath
integrity.
Elastic polymers modify the Youngs modulus of
the cement sheath. In the example shown, the
Youngs modulus of a 16-lb/gal system was
decreased by a factor of 3.
The cement sheath properties discussed should
be considered for long-term integrity of the well,
and compressive strength is not a sufficient
parameter for determining the durability.
Tests discussed in this paper quantify cement
sheath hydration volume reduction.
References
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