Conn Modernizing Well Cementing Design and Evaluation Gérard Catala Vincent de Montmollin Andrew Hayman Rémi Hatin Gilles Rovault Clamaut, France Dominique Guillot Houston, Texas, USA Jacques jtten Umar Qureshi ‘Montrouge, France Brent Kelly Bernard Piot Thierry Simien ‘hab Toma SaineFiienne, France Well cementing has long been limited by design and evaluation being done largely by hand. Computer-aided design and evaluation promises to replace rule of thumb with systematic methods that can ensure consis: tently high-quality cement For belp in preparation of dis aril, shanks 10 ob "uch ad Dan tee Sehlunense Wel eres, Hou. ‘0a, lena, USA: Tom Clie, Dowell Sehlomberger, (Okihoma City Oller, USA: Jam Cade Hoja Seb Rehard (au fuer Favicavon Scere Sine terme, Fane: Cuts rs, Sclumtargee Wal Svcs, Layet, Lousiana, USA; Cvs Kimball and Fred Stake, Schlumberger Bol Reserc, Ridges, Connecticut, USA, David Lele, Schlumberger KK Facnobe, pan: Oewck © Kec, Dowell Shs Faeger Rock Spans, Wyoming. USA, Paul Pkington td Gad Were Conoco, ne, Houston, Teas, USA, and Rp Senger and Sa ly, Dowel Sumber Houston tena, USA. Inch aril, PACK Ranping, Aiding, Comentg Record) ConcADE (Comentng Computer ised Design ane Evaluation CenDABE\Cermering Ota Bice WELBOND, MUDFUSH and COL heer re Ima of Del Schlamberper CET (Cement Elution Taal CBT tCersent Bord Ta, CCT (Gane Contin. ‘ou Tool US Ulnar ager to NAMI 500 and \irnte Demsty rent bond ity fo ate ak ok Schlumbergs HOV" vs toemark ot Di eu Every year, a staggering volume of ‘cement—about three percent of the world's ‘output—goes into the completion of oil and a well. Ils main functions are mechanical support of the casing and hydraulic isola- tion, the sealing of producing intervals from ‘each other, from unwanted water and gas, and from the surface. Good cementing, also helps the casing esis! contosion, “Taditional well cementing is as much art as i is science, It lacks a systematic way 10 design a cement job—selecting. for exam- ple, where and how cement should be placed and the physical properties of the ‘cement slurry (a mixture of cement, water and additives) and set cement to assure {good cement bond. Also lacking is system- lic evaluation. Litle is known of the accu: racy of cement placement and whether the cement will do its job. f cement fails, the repair decisions are often made with limited Information or with poorly understood eval: Lation data But over the last few years, coment design and evaluation has begun to turn the comer with the rise of computer aided techniques. Improved knowledge of fluid and structural mechanics and a growing data base from laboratory and field studies of well cement- ing are beginning to replace rules of thumb. Using these data in computer simulation programs gives the cementing specialist a methodical way to foresee and prevent problems before cement is mixed or goes downhole. The same programs also permit systematic evaluation after each job, lead ing to beter cement designs in the futuee. Through empirical reasoning, cement eval uation can also suggest ways to repair a defective cement job. A review of these ‘emerging techniques begins wheve cement- ing begins—with good well cement design Designing the Cement Job Designing a cement job means defining, zones that need to be Isolated, then seloct- ing cement properties and a displacement strategy to obtain the best results while ‘ensuring a safe cementing operation. These variables are fixed by considering three aspects of the well: well depth/geometry, downhole pressure and well temperature. The position ofthe top of the cement col umn is frst derived from the depth of the formation(s)o be isolated. Depth and incl nation data are also used to calculate ‘cement hydrostatic pressure, to ensure well control throughout the operation (no dynamic pressure effect is taken into 55(CemCADE Placement Design “Annular ranges of rates Wel: Well Name Fold Judy Cient Gent Name Casing. 7-in Liner erty ea eer aT NP |eGBicuateo| Sener [Amul ales| nna ise rene |e TORT TY] ie 4s a Ell | 11004 | wer20.o ‘00 12000- | aa ua i klar [128 I ey The ciferental we account at this stage of the design). Slurry density is selected to ensure that the pres- sure exerted by the slurry lies beaween the pore pressure and fracturing pressure of the formations, while maintaining the desired ‘mechanical properties when set. Density selection is often tempered by other factors. ‘A high density is sometimes maintained t accelerate development of sive strength and improve other physical properties. Alternatively, low density may be ‘maintained to obtain a higher slurry yield per sack of cement for economic reasons. ‘Government, local and operator regulations may also dictate cement densit 1A Reynolds number san index that characterizes the ‘ype fow of haute ssn. ts the aloo! real to vcou rcs 2. Sauer CW. td Diplaceent Dare Cement: Sie othe At ou Pain Tet) 3 56 Interface oibasem, MUDPUSHXL) /(MUDPUSHXL, WELBOND) jabely erterion has been used, Depth and geometry data are used to cal culate annular volume—haw much cement is needed to ensure accurate annular “fill up.” Too much cement means excess cost and a cement of a given formulation being Circulated to a higher level than intended. This may elevate hydrostatic pressure and fracture the rock, endangering the well or ‘compromising the job. Insufficient cement ‘may not fil the annulus to the desired lovel and therefore fail to isolate the zone of interest. When available, an openhole caliper indicates washouts, which influence required cement volume. Without caliper data—the case in up to 90 percent of wells in some areas—excess slurry is mixed ‘Well deviation is another geometrical concern. Highly deviated wells may require mote care than conventional wells to ensure that slurries have a low fluid loss rate and no development of free water or sedimenta- tion (segregation by particle size). Fluid loss, which may compromise cement rheology, can be extensive in horizontal wells i the cement is exposed to a long, permeable [A CemCADE design plot for a specilic ‘comenting operation, The tirst traci Shows the well schematic, showing bore: hole diameter and casing stings. The ‘secend track is casing standot! calcu. {ated from the centralizer module of the CemCADE simulator. The dashed lino at 75% slamdol! gives a relerence fo make the actual value easier fo read. The third ‘and fourth fracks give the ranges of annu- Ir flow rates for which the two fluid intor. tac0s—"protlushes,” the interface between the mud and a weighted fluid called a spacer, and ‘sluries,” the interiace of tho spacer and cemen!—will be as flat as ‘Possible; n laminar flow, this gives maxi- ‘mum displacement efficiency. In each track, tho lett curve gives the lowest ‘acceptable flow rate and the right curve Ihe highest ‘There is no solution below 12,300, This is because below this depta the annular sizo fs such that the casing standott is too ‘smal for spacer fo fully displace the mud and the cement to fully displace the ‘spacer. In the enlarged hole (rat hole for the previous casing) the slurry was not displaced efticienily by the spacer. Con- sequently, this design is unacceptable, lc cut shows te ah a bo improved near the she, and ‘across the washout around 11,350 feet Tho theology of the fluids may also have tobe adjusted. interval. Development of free water can be 2 problem because it goes tothe high side Of the annulus, creating a channel that can destroy hydraulic isolation, Sedimentation can result in lowsstength, high permeability cement on the low side of the hole, This compromises isolation by allowing develop. ment ofa flow path through the cement Crucial t cement design are botomiole Cciculating and static temperatures and the temperature differential between the top and botiom ofthe cemant. Circulating tem perature largely determines selection of tetrders (adds that delay setting, Static temperature determines development ofthe cements compressive stensth and its long- term stability. The topt0-bottom tempera- ture dtferental is important in long cement Columns because cement adequately retarded forthe temperature at one depth may remain liquid oF develop insufficient Compressive strength when ciculated to a shallower depth with a lower temperature, Oilfield Review‘Another geometric consideration is casing centralization, an often undervalued aspect ‘of cement job design. The essential concept is “minimum standoff ratio." Casing at 100, percent standoff ratio is centered in the hole; casing at 0 percent standoff ratio is resting against the side of the hole. 1 annu lat clearance on the narrow side is 100 small, mud there will resist removal, and cement will be dificult to place on the n row side (the more mud left behind, the sreater the risk of upsetting cement integrity and of forming, channels). Overall job design must account for this (see “Mud Removal: Research Improves Traditional Cementing Guidelines,” page 44). Predict: ing minimum standof, therefore, allows the cementing specialist to account for these ‘effects in the job design by recommending a | ‘ments to calcuiate rheology ‘schedule and checks if annular rato Is within fango econvnended Dy msreneal Oilfield Review(CemCADE Placement Design Well Securety and Control casing Country: UK ‘Wel : Well Name Feld: Judy Gient : Gient Name Tn Liner MD ie Placement Pressure Lirits 1A typical welt socutity and con- trol output of the T2007 11400 1600-4 +1000: +2000 2200 124004 12000) ac Sante eit one l ‘dashed lines are, | | aoe nese | | amo \ pressure with a | | es. seca \ ‘dashed line from | | sereommae | | tne oe | | Besar ns ear, \ imum and maxi- 1 | en nem mem demi \ ‘hydrostatic and | tet cra pete \ ‘encountered dur- \ ing pumping. lo 2000000 ecco 10000 12009] = Min hydrostatic Safety pore pressure = Safely rac pressure the wollsite (cumulative volume of fluid ‘pumped, slury density, pump rate and pres sure). This comparison indicates whether the job was pumped according to desig. Second, the user re-enters execution data to resimulate the job (inthe near future, this will be performed automatically by the CemCADE program). This models the mud displacement as it actually occurted and indicates whether effective cleaning was achieved for the recommended! length of across the desired intervals. The resim- ulation can indicate the likelihood of whether the formation was fractured or whether well control was compromised or Tost. Answers to such questions can be used to improve cement design of the next well I may also suggest strategies for remedial treatment, if needed Apel 1991 Min and max dynamic prossures encountorod ‘uring the entie jo The third and final step of CemCADE evaluation focuses on competence of the solid cement and of its bond withthe casing and formation. The goal ofthis evaluation is, the same as before—determining the degree cof hydraulic isolation and well stabilty—but is achieved with the addition of wireline {cement evaluation logs In ils current format, the CemCADE pro- ‘yam focuses on the Cement Bond Log (CBD, ‘one of the oldest of three acoustic wireline techniques for cement evaluation (see “Comparison of Cement Evaluation Ser vices,” next page). The CBL measures the amplitude of a sonic wave propagating along the casing, Attenuation of this signal varies with, among other things, the acous- tic impedance’ of cement beyond the cas ing (which depends on its density and hard- ness) and the area of casing bonded by cement, Attenuation is high when hard cement is bonded to the casing and low when there is low strength cement or chan- nels filled with mud or gas. Because atenu- ation is related to the bonded area of the casing, it can be related to a “bond index’ —the percent of casing circumfer- fence cemented if the cement is well se. ‘One can also qualitatively evaluate the cementfformation bond with the Variable Density log (page 67). ‘A newer, more accurate relative of the CCBL, the Cement Bond (CBT) too}, has mul- tiple transmitters and receivers to obtain a direct, borchole-compensated measurement of attenuation rate (decibels per foot IdB/f)) that is influenced less by borehole fluid, temperature, pressure and tool centraliza- tion than the CBL- Like the CBL, it can also produce an amplitude display in millivolts mV) as an indication of sound attenuation. ‘Asinall mV value means a high attenuation; ‘large mY value isa low attenuation, ‘A problem with the sonic technique is that several benign conditions can mimic a poor bond and induce unnecessary repairs A new module in the CemCADE program, called the CBL Adviser, has been designed to help prevent incorrect interpretation of a bad bond and help wit the repair decision [CBL Adviser Input and Output,” page 64). ‘The program produces a plot of a synthetic cement bond log, showing the cement coustic impedance for a given cement design and the C&L amplitude traces core sponding to 80 and 100 percent of the cas- ing circumference bonded. (Eighty percent bond—over a given depth interval and “continued on ge64 “TAeowsic inpadance of noniaspaive mater ‘he pelo dest athe eyo es Shen tosnargin Kos Panel Maj P=“ Sonic ‘od or Arig the aio Comers ot Borehole Cai” paper SP 15120, reed the 5th SPE Aaa Meeting, Denes, Clerad USA, chine 25860, ate and Prcevau “Relat Between Cement Bod tox Outs and Borehole Gear Parte” poperSPEAADC 10139, rset te 1987 sPenaDe Dulin Cnverece New Ones, touisans, USA Moy 5.18, 1987 utes and Cera "Stade with Nao Cement Thess tend imprved BL in Concent Coe Ingy” ral of Peon Technology 4 11989 Tbo.ti Jute "Studies with Nar Cetet Thicknees {ead ngrovel CHL Conc Carper SPE e028 ese thes SP Anal ch {Confrence aed Ebon, Hou Tos, USA, Geter 25,1988 6 Colter ap aeon J The Cere ond Too” ssc othe SPWVLA Sind Xo a {ing Systm, Corps Csi, Tenas, USA ly sor ec. CB ample te sammie in onic heeds WD and Lee ID. 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This plot can be compared with the actual log. Where the two agree, the bond is assumed to be good. Where they disagree, the engineer and operator must rule out Talse causes of poor bonds before recommending repairs. The many causes of false readings include: *Microannulus: a gap of a few microns between casing and cement does not aifect well performance but gives the same CBL response as poorly cemented! pipe. It is often caused by theimal or pressure stress during, setting and does not usually dliseupt hydraulic isolation ‘**Fast” formation: when sound travels faster through the formation than along ceasing, the early part of the waveform is inluenced by the formation signal (the amplitude increases), making what may bbe a good bond look bad. A formation is fast if i transmits sound faster than the steel casing (17,515 feet [5,340 meters} peer second), or has the velocity inverse, slowness, of less than 57 microseconds {imicrosec) per foot. o4 nguish po ‘al fee ‘Reflections from a second casing? or a hard formation, Casing thickness changes. ‘Acoustic log problems: poor logging tool centralization", incorrect gate setting oF mud density calibration Incorrect data input into the CBL Adviser: ‘wrong casing thickness, wrong logging fluid type or density, predicted logging time after placement does not match actual logging time after placement. Concentric casings, casing thickness changes, fast formations and possible microannulus are flagged automatically by the program; other causes of false poor bonds must be determined empirically Prediction of a microannulus is particu larly important for the wireline engineer. If suspected, the well may have to be pres- sured up tothe minimum needed to remove the microannulus while logging. This liter- ally expands the casing, which closes the casing/cement gap and removes the microannulus effect, thereby making the CAL log interpretable. As a side effect, this action can also increase the size of the ‘microannulus when pressure is released Microannuli can have many causes, but the program raises a warning flag in response to what is considered a common cause: a pressure reduction in the casing, some time after the cement has set, The pro- ‘gram indicates a bottomhole hydrostatic pressure difference of at least 200 psi, ater ‘cement placement, between the displace: ‘ment fluid and the logging Muid. Empirical evidence suggestion this is the minimum pressure reduction likely to shrink the cas ing and break the casing/cement bond to form a microannulus. The CBL Adviser program can also be run at te CemCADE design slage, producing a design plot (next page, top), Vatying, job parameters (such as slurty density) at this stage will show haw different designs affect ‘cement acoustic impedance and, therefore, the bond log reading. Perhaps most impor- tantly, the program can tell the wireline ‘engineer what bond log reading to expect for a perfect job and how soon after ‘cementing the bond log can be run (next page, bottom). Predicting when to tun the bond log can mean significant savings because the required waiting-on-cement time is often shorter than that predicted by rule of thumb. Later, comparison ofthe sim- tulated bond log reading for a theoretically ppecect job can help elucidate where execu- tion and design of the actual job may have gone astray. canted on pape 67 Oilfield Review(CemCADE Piacement Design BL Adhioor from design Well: Wall Namo Fiad | Pomatang Géent = Ghent Name casing : Fn Line Country: Indonesia wo | version Jour ome] wn GShan | wice t | teen | EM | RB Fe | 1 won| ] | | 1] wool] | h wmf | ono 4000 ea 409 Retctonct ‘ucaasy lo salto ato cole || ey | 108] Dosned | Tacaone | Dostoned Lead tary Time ator placement = $6.00 hours 1880 boa Freep amps = 60.83 mi Tai sury 1866 bv Logging hag vator @=1.50 MReyh eBnoal | ° Waghtes “18m 2 5 3 é ftended on) 8 temo : oie eae water 1 0 > mH Tino, be Aisi 1991 The evaluation output of the CBL Adviser program, which simulates the ‘coment acoustic impodances ofthe differ. tent cement systems versus depth at the time of logging. The calculation assumes {good mud removal and tracks 80% and 100% cement bond. The program also (Provides warnings of four conditions that ‘eam mimic a poor cement job: microan: ulus, concentric casing, fast formation (and casing thickness changes. "The left track gives a well sketch, Bore- hole size is based on openhole caliper, but when caliper is not available, bit size ‘willbe used. The note at the bottom of the track warns there has been a sufficient reduction in bottomhole pressure ator Cement set (363.08 psi) fo induce a ‘aicroannulus. In the right ofthis track the thick broken lines indicate the presence of concentric casing (CC) and fast forma- tion (FF). Here, poor standetf is due fo an {insulficiont number of contralizos in well deviated 25°. The CBL amplitude track predicts an increase below 4000 feet, where TC indicates a casing thick- ross change, trom 29 pounds per foot {ibmx/tt] above to 38 lbm/t below. The unl of acoustic impedance is he megarayl (May). 1 Ray! is the sound [Pressure of | dyne/em: divided by the ‘Sound particle velocity of lem/sec. \Development of cement acoustic impedance with time, based on measure: ‘ments made on a variety of cements. The (CBL Adviser program predicts cement ‘acoustic impedance based on setting {imo as well as coment density, coment ‘class, temperature gradient and adltive {types and concentrations. This prediction eliminates excessive waiting-on-coment timo, CNeat’ coment i simply water and ‘coment at the recommended API ratio, ‘without adaitives.) 8. Fora review of crane al hi ‘educhon Pinion PE Tree Nee Rec hcanrlsElc on CBL" OM & Cas Fours oo. 22 (ay 30,18: 6874 9. Pikirgon Pe: "cbs Can Eslate Crete eon Wo Casing Sng” OU & Gas wr 8, oO DecenberH, 1990) 42-45, 10. For reconenendstons on eet CB tel cent "zalon Pilangon PE: fevers CL Cees Probar canbe Mined” Oo & Cas ora 5, oa? November 0 987) 85-9, 65,66 | Combination of CBL design and execu- tion data on one output to show the Ccomenting engineer where poor bond can ‘be caused by an interaction between the slurry, the mudeake or formation, or between all three. ‘Compare theso two sections from one well In the deeper section (let, the left Side of the second track from the loft hat «green line representing CBL amplitude {or 100% bond emda zed line for 60% two values fora perfect bond, which it does. Note that the simulated and actual BL indicate pertect coment across both sand (stipple) and shale zones (stacked dashes). Farther up the well ¢below, lett) the ‘measured CBL shows a strong correlation otwoen coment bond and thology. ‘Actoss tho sands marked A and B, ‘coment quality is poor even though the Caliper in the well schematic indicates the sands are in gauge. Because the sands are in gauge, mud removal here is ‘probably satisfactory, and poor bond Is therefore due to another acter, possibly exchange of fluids between the coment {and formation or poor mudcake removal. (On the other hand, the CBL correlates with the callper across the impermoablo shale zones, indicating a mud removal [problem there. Thus, two difforont prob- Jems are indicated: slurry design across the sands and mud displacement across tho shale. The two problems had to be ‘addressed differently for ropatring this ‘well or designing the next one. (From Jut- ton et al, reference 11.) 1 fate Too Moe Yan Feo heaton ‘of crmert Oso ete oe ne ne Tom per SPE 21680, reseed tthe PEP ten pester Sympontin, Olahoms Cy (Oilskams, USA, Apa. 193 12. Frolic Pan Dan Seem “Cant va {atin Too New Approach Coment als ton paper SPE 3.0, presenta tthe 9 SP ‘Aust technical Coneence a xb Ho fan exe USA. Seer 1619, 1904 15. Apes odo esate in hicks de when a ‘cad wave bounces back rl th bese he inca and etena pie walls 14. Catala GN, Stare ID nd ety "A Combi fon ol Acustc Measernens to fate Come tao ape P1313, preted a hey SP ‘Anal cal Confrence ad exh, Hows ton Texas USA, September 119, 184 Aa xe fume Mom, rece Oilfield ReviewPredicting when the bond log can be run is based on modeling of the development of the cement’s acoustic impedance, which varies with cement and slurry formulation ‘The model considers the temperature grad cent, cement type and density, additive type and concentration, thickening time and elapsed time after placement. Because den- sity often varies between design and execu- tion, slury density measured at the wellsite Is used for correction. This is reported to predict cement acoustic impedance accu Fate to within 10 percent." The final evalua- tion phase of the CemCADE program Is a log plot integrating well data (lithology and ‘openhole and casing diameters), openhole logs, bond logs and cement job design and ‘execution data (previous page’. ‘Another significant part of the CBL mea. surement is ils qualitative contribution, based on the Variable Density log of the full sonic waveform. This is a valuable adjunct to newer ultrasonic measurements because it provides the only means, albeit qualita: tive, to evaluate the cemeni/formation bond, The Variable Density log is a graphic Z- axis display of a large part of the full sonic waveform (200 to 1,200 microsec) versus depth. For ease of interpretation, the wave form is converted to black and white, in which black corresponds to positive peaks of the waveform and white 10 negative peaks. Useful information about the well is Contained in three components ofthe wave- fot: casing waves, formation waves and wellbore fluid waves. Their interpretation can be used to identify—in addition to the cemeni/formation bond—free pipe, bond index, casing collars, fast formations, ‘microannuli or channeling, gas zones, con: Centric casing and casing touching the wall Good Variable Density interpretation is always preceded by examination of the transit ime for log quality control. ‘Why Not Compressive Strength? ‘An essential property of cement i its compres- sive strength, which determines whether a we ‘completion wll ld up. ‘When ullasonic cement evaluation tols were Inte ement of acoustic Impadance—an elastic property that was @ ‘meaningless unit 0 all but a andl of fog inter pretes—was correlated with compressive strangth using a graph based on laboratory tests. ‘Compressive strength (8) was obtained trom the telationship: $=2 ese6) -(¢sc0) Apiil 1991 Evaluating Cement Quality—uitrasonics Cement evaluation made several advances in 1982 with the inoduction of the Cement Evaluation (CET) tool? (see *Compatison of Cement Evaluation Services," page 62). Per- haps most important was wider coverage of the wellbore, made possible by eight trans- ducers spaced 45 degrees apart. This per- mitted mapping cement acoustic impedance, in which cement channel ditec= tion relative to the high side, and channel width, could be identified. The higher acoustic frequency of the CET measurement ‘meant increased spatial resolution, but at a ccost-greater susceptibility t0 signal loss from heavy mud and casing corrosion. Other advantages over the CBL were also achieved: the CET measurement is less aflected by liquid-filed microannulus and by reflections from a second casing or hard formation (see "Logging for Cement Evalua tion,” page 63). ‘The CET tool measures the decay of a lat eral resonance across the casing thickness! to derive the acoustic impedance of cement bbchind the casing (see "Why Not Compres sive Strength?” below). & slow decay thigh resonance energy) indicates the acoustic impedance of the annulus material is low—that is, trending toward free pipe. Rapid decay indicates acoustic impedance ‘of the annulus material is high—that is, probably set cement, Casing thickness (dig tal CET tool) and internal casing radius ean also be computed from the wavefoun. Accuracy of the acoustic impedance mea surement depends on the so-called free-pipe calibration, Ths is preferably determined by. statistical analysis of CET log data. The ire. pipe calibration must be redetermined whenever casing thickness changes, Log interpreters soon recognized that a combination of CBLICBT and CET measure: ments would compensate for some limita ‘in whieh 2is acoustic impedance, C8CG is com- CSCO Is compressive However, the applicability of his empirical relationship is enything but universal. Laboratory stuies at Dowell Schlumberger showed that Indeed there Is no fundamental one-to-one rela- tionship between the accuse properties of that determine the too’ reading and fall- L3 Acoustic prop ial pro sueh as Young's modulus and Potsson's rato. ‘or Lamé eosficints, which have a weak relation ship with mechanical fallure. Recent work at Dowell Sehiumberger shows a correlation tions of both techniques. Several conditions were identified in which finding disagree ment between CBL/CBT and CET bond indexes can help prevent misinterpretation Or identify causes of cement failure:!* ‘Liquic-filled microannulus: apparent free pipe on the CBLICBT log (because the slightest microannulus removes shear coupling between casing and cement); the CET measurement is only mildly affected and will still indicate cement presence (next page) *Gas-invaded cement: combination of CBLICBT and CET tools can distinguish gas-invaded cement from free gas. ‘Reflections from second casing and hard formation: may be interpreted as a chan- rel on the CBL/CBT measurement and are usually detected by CET measurement. +#Poor cemeni/formation bond: qualitatively addressed with the sonic/Vatiable Density log, but beyond the range of the CET tool *Gas-filled annulus: CBL/CBT log reads free pipe, except faint formation signals ‘on the Variable Density display may indi- cate gas. The CET tool identifies gas by showing gas flags. *Castilled microannulus: CET tool is more strongly affected than CBLICBT tool. The benefits of the CET-CBL/CBT combina- tion in these conditions also apply to the combination of the CBL/CBT and the newest cement evaluation device, the Ultra Sonic Imager (USI tool. Many deficiencies Of the previous tools and the resulting inter- pretation ambiguities are addressed wit this new technique. ‘The USI too! employs the same physical principles a the CET tool, but benefits from Improvements in the transducer, electrnics, data acquisition and signal processing. The main difference is that the USI tool has a single rotating transducer at the bottom of the tool which scans the entice casing with a between slurty formulation an¢ elastic proper: ties, but that it varie with slurry formulation, acoustic impedance and compressive strength, compressive strength was th only cement date presented on the logs, and long remained the ‘means by which cement analysis was performed. sty i toward working ‘rectly with acoustic impedance when evaluating ‘cement behind casing with acoustic logs. = Seen ee, SESS aaioarinie seb 6768. Gannna Ray on Sonic Amplitude ow Transit Time cot ‘Casing Caller Locator 19 Variale Deny Casing Cota Locater incon Tasos Gamma Ray i eeeceteeeee cet etsaa lo orn 50) |Compressve Sirangth-max| Careenmcoeta:] oi eet teiaiit Srp te aoe sian Rescate ‘Cement Map | Diagnosis of a a Uleited mieroam: ‘ulus requires both the CBL-Vartablo. Density output ett an the an Lltasonte coment ‘bond log, here Gelow, ett) fom ‘he CET tool. In the (BL, the transit time curve clearly shows casing col Jens, The Variable Density output shows strong cas- Ing signals ancl ‘continuous weak fermation arrivals, ‘which could be due to @ microem- ulus or channol- ing. The CET log trun across the ‘Same intervel clar- ites the interpreta lon. There sno indication of @ ‘channel, $0 he Interpretation (per- formed without requiting pressure up the well must be a fuic-iled ‘microannutus. When 2,000 psi was applied from the surface, the (CL amplitude fol! 1050 16 mY, con- {timing a microan- pnulus.(From Jutton and Moris, refer: ence 3) Oilfield Reviewcer USI and CET logs run across the same rein J lo-s.4se | ‘maximum vertical sampling of 0.6 inches [15 mm} and azimuthal sampling of 5 degrees (right). This translates into 72 sam: ples for every 0.6 inch of verical 1001 move- ment, which provides fullbore imaging of the cement acoustic impedance (and of the casing condition), Because of its model based signal processing, the USI teol improves on the CET tool in several ways. It does not require free-pipe calibration and is less sensitive to casing thickness changes, second casing or hard formation reflections, signal attenuation in mud and transducer spectrum variations due to pressure and temperature (above ‘The toal’s measurement of acoustic impedance of material behind the casing is Converted into a color scale (next page). This is then interpreted by setting two thresholds on acoustic impedance: one between ‘cement and liquid, and another between gas and liquid. Setting the gas/liqid threshold is straightforward. The acoustic impedance of 2s is close to 0 megarayl (May!) andl the Fowest liquid impedance is 1-2 May so the value is noxmally set midway, at 0.6 MRayl. Setting the cementliquid threshold is more complicated. Because the aim of interpreta ish liquids from solids— including poorly set or contaminated ccement—this threshold is set according 10 the slurry density and is adjusted for different ‘cement types. Because of the low contrast between set cement and mud in the case of April 1991 Me Uitrasonic Imager (USD tool. To min. {mize signal loss in aitenuctive Muids, the standoff betwoon the rotating transducor ‘and casing wall fs optimally maintained bby selecting the appropriate diameter su, interval in which casing thickness J] changed trom 6.456 Inches to 6.276 inches. The USI log fsunattected by this change, whereas the CET ‘coment map is luninterpretable, lightweight cement (slurry density less than 12.5 pounds per gallon tbl), the com bination of the CBL/CBT and USI tools may assist intespretation (page 71). The CBL ‘Adviser can be a valuable aid in giving the expected cement acoustic impedance at the time of logging. Recently, sonic and ultrasonic cement ‘evaluation tools were run in a flow loop at the British Pevroleum Research Centre in Sunbury-on-Thames, England." A com= plete cycle of cementing double casing Strings in an artificial formation was simu Iated, After the test, the loop was cut into sections, and the actual cement placement compared with that reported by the logs. 15. Hayman Al Hate Rand Wit Ph Reso ton Cemertation are Caesion asin by Ulea ‘oun Teeton ofthe SPUR ns msl {ce St Sd es, J ie 69Wal-centered casing, ‘good bond 70 Cilfeld ReviewSUSE oe rien Complimentary use of the USI and CBL. logs fo confirm the coment top in lightweight cement. In such cements, the contrast of acoustic impedance between set cement and drilling fluids may be reduced. The combination of sonic and ultrasonic cement evali- ation measurements can increase contidence in the log interpretation. This well was cemented with bentonife-extendod cement (25 lbm/gab. The USI threshold was set at 2 MRay! (expected coment impedance <3.5 MRtayl). The two logs are in close agree ‘ment, and the cement top seen by the UST is supported by tho CBL. USI tracks are, trom let, 1} tool eccentering and eccentering azi- smuth calculated from transit time; (2) processing and telemetry diagnostics; (3) amplitude map; (4 and 5) mean internal and exter- ‘nal radius and its mirror image; (6) infornal radius map corrected for eccentering, with smaller rac as blue and larger as reds 7) ‘min/mean/ max thickness curves; () thickness map with blue as thicker, red as thinner; (9) cement impodace map, with deaker 4s higher impedence; (10) gas (red) and bond (yellow) indexes and the remainder az liquid (blue); (11) interpreted cement map, with gas (ed) liquid (blue) and cement (yellow /brown); (12) acoustic casing colla: locator 4: Three tracks of the USI log showing eft) an acoustic impedance using @ Color scale in which brown ls high (good Cement), yellow is low; (middle) a bond index with yellow as cement, blue as l- ld and red as gas; and (right) the ‘cement map interpreted trom acoustic Impedance, using tho same color scheme, except here brown is cement. A mud ‘channel is cleanly evident on both maps. ‘This logis from an essentially straight ‘well with no centralizes, and the channel Could be cue fo slight deviation and cas- Ing eecentrattztion. >b: Good cementation above and below washout, indicated by the large blue ‘teas in the middle track. Poor comenta- tion here is probably cue fo improper flow regime (turbulont flow not maintained) in ‘ont ofthe washout, .¢:A casing weld on threo USI outputs, ‘om left, amplitude image, interna radius mage and thickness image. The weld protrudes inside the easing about 02 inen (5 mm). «4: Good comentation in an intorval with ‘well-centralized casing. A centralize, indicated by tho small double peaks Apri'191 ‘about hal! way up the middle trace, is ‘shown in the midalle of two casing fonts ‘These joints aro indicated by the large © ‘Peaks in the middle track and light hori- Zontal lines in the left and right tracks. ‘The raised nubs on the surface of the cas- {ng are used to scratch the formation to ‘achieve good mud removal. They are vis- {ble as vertical discontinuous lines on the image. These nubs also act as “turbullz- fers" stimulate localized turbulence duz- {ng conditioning and cementing, improv- ing the likelihood of good cementation, 2: The acoustic impedance (ltt) of gas is ‘oar zero, well below that of oil, water ‘mud and cement, making it cleanly vist- ble in the UST image (right), shaded red. 4: Acoustic impedance (lett) and cement ‘maps (right) show that a centralizer has ‘lipped from the conter of the casing tothe {op of the casing because of friction while ‘being run in the wll Boccruso this and ‘other centralizers (not shown) are not In Paco, those joints are eccentered around the middle, resulting in a mud channel on the low sido, indicated by yellow in the acoustic impedance map Gnd blue (iq- lid) in the cement impedance map. 16: Brodng A: Appicron oe sont Volunaie Stantegio cere aluaton” Masato fhe SPAILA 25 Ane asin Spent, New (ers Loins USA me 1043 1980 fe Sod RA:°A Sone edie or Comet ah ton” farce SPA 270 Aa oe i Sos Howaon Tes, USA Mine Results of the experiment showed that the USI tool provided the most accurate predic- tion of cement distibution and quality, but that very thin annulus and mud-contami- nated cement posed interpretation problems for all tools Detailed information on casing condition is also provided by the USI tool during a ‘cement evaluation job, This information serves as a base log in new wells and can identify casing damage caused by drilling ‘operations, especially in deviated wells Several adcltional computations are being considered for cement evaluation and coro sion evaluation. One such possibilty is an azimuthal display of the US! waveform, in the Variable Density display fashion, to eval- uate the cement/formation interface, Also under consideration are additional filters and processing algorithms for the field log inter pretation centers, which will improve log ‘output in settings whore conventional inter- pretation is sensitive to well conditions The progress of log-based cement evalva- tion has improved our knowledge of the casing/cement bond. The remaining chal lenge is to complete the picture of hydraul isolation and push the limits of that vision deeper into the cement volume." The fro tier of cement evaluation lies a few inches may, atthe cemenvformation interface. IMK