AADE-06-DF-HO-36

Salt vs. Non-Salt Cement SlurriesA Holistic Review

James Heathman and Richard Vargo, Halliburton
Co!right "##$, AA%& %rilling 'luids (echnical Con)erence
(his aer was reared )or resentation at the AA%& "##$ 'luids Con)erence held at the *!ndham +reensoint Hotel in Houston, (e,as, Aril ----", "##$. (his con)erence was sonsored b! the
Houston Chater o) the American Association o) %rilling &ngineers. (he in)ormation resented in this aer does not re)lect an! osition, claim or endorsement made or imlied b! the American
Association o) %rilling &ngineers, their o))icers or members. .uestions concerning the content o) this aer should be directed to the individuals listed as author/s o) this wor0.
Abstract
(he toic o) when to use salted vs. non-salted
cement slurries has been around )or decades and still
arises )re1uentl!. (he answers var! deending on the
situation and the bac0ground o) the erson being as0ed.
(his mi,ed bag o)ten contributes more con)usion than
clari)ication because well lanners o)ten see0 a universal
answer that does not e,ist. (he correct answer to this
simle 1uestion is 2it all deends.3 (he variables
involved in ma0ing the correct decision are mostl!
covered in e,isting literature, but there is lac0ing an all-
inclusive treatment on the sub4ect.
(he t!e o) 1uestions that should be raised an! time
this toic arises should at least consider 5-6 the
)ormation t!es 5halite, anh!drite, reactive shales,
mineralog! o) salt )ormations other than halite, etc.6 that
the cementing )luids will contact, 5"6 comosition o) the
mud s!stem, 576 the wellbore temerature ro)ile, 586 the
intended urose o) the casing string, and ultimatel! 596
what the set cement is to accomlish. :nl! a)ter all
these issues have been e,amined can the engineer
design a cement s!stem seci)ic to the alication
without over or under-designing. (his aer will rovide
a comlete review o) salt-cementing alication
situations, and a ractical guide to hel the well designer
decide when the use o) salt-containing cementing )luids
is aroriate, and when it is not necessar!. Also
included will be highlights o) some more recent )indings.
Background
(his aer will al! the term 2salt3 when discussing
the general toic o) cementing across redominantl!
evaorate subterranean )ormations, but will al! the
aroriate seci)ic mineralog! or chemistr! when
needed. (he literature is )illed with ublications on the
toic o) salts in cements and cementing across salt
)ormations.---; <ost earlier aers were generall! in
)avor o) minimi=ing use o) high concentrations o) salts
such as sodium chloride in cement slurries.
--9
(his
hilosoh! carries through to some o) the more recent
aers.
$
(hese more recent aers concentrate on the
North Sea and the >S +ul) o) <e,ico. Some discussion
o) cementing as related to salt dome solution mining
wells also aears in these ublications.
<an! o) these ublications resent con)licting results
and recommendations when viewed as a whole.
However, the! all contain valid recommendations when
viewed within the con)ines o) the boundar! conditions o)
the aer and ersective o) the author5s6. &,tensive
consideration has been given to?
@ 'ormation 5salt6 e))ects on the cement slurr!
@ 'ormation 5salt6 e))ects on the set cement sheath
@ &))ects o) salts added to the cement b! design
Additionall!, )ormation damage )rom the ersective
o) imaired )low caacit! or )ormation damage has been
investigated.
A,;
<ore recentl!, the toic was again
e,lored, but )rom the ersective o) wellbore stabilit!.
B
Cn the -BA#s, and again most recentl!, the toic o) salt
)ormation dissolution during the cementing rocess was
e,amined in detail, and while the data indicated similar
trends, the recommendations b! the authors di))ered to
some degree.-#,--
Not All Salt Formations are Created Eual
*hen the term 2salt3 is used, whether in the conte,t
o) )ormation mineralog! or with resect to cement slurr!
design, man! individuals automaticall! assume the term
means sodium chloride or halite. *hile most evaorite
)ormations )ound in oil and gas basins are indeed halite,
man! cases e,ist o) salts that are an!thing but halite, or
can be one o) man! combinations o) mineralog! to the
oint that the salt is the cementitous material holding
together sand and other )ormation materials. 'or
e,amle, the 2salt3 )ormations o) the Dreuss )ormation in
the western >S :verthrust Eelt )it this descrition.
-9
(he
Rustler and >er Salado )ormations o) *est (e,as are
redominatel! halite, but contain signi)icant 5" to 9 )t
thic06 stringers o) anh!drite. (hese anh!drites are not
siml! calcium sul)ate, but mi,tures o) calcium,
magnesium, and sodium sul)ate. *ater-soluble sul)ates
are 0nown to adversel! a))ect Dortland cement in several
wa!s, most noticeabl! with severe gelation and long-
term degradation, i) not accounted )or b! using sul)ate-
resistant cements. Eecause the water-soluble salt is also
the cementitous matter )or some o) these )ormations,
allowing e,cessive dissolving b! drilling and cementing
)luids can cause roblems with wellbore stabilit! and lost
circulation. Cnclusion o) high sodium chloride
concentrations in these situations are used to minimi=e
" J. H&A(H<AN, R. VAR+: AA%&-#$-%'-H:-7$
borehole washout and interactions between the cement
slurr! and these )ormations.
(he Fechstein grou o) evaorites that e,tends
across much o) northern &uroe and the North Sea is
notorious )or drilling roblems and casing collases.
%eending on where the well is located, this salt
se1uence ma! be comosed o) an! combination o)
anh!drite, g!sum, bischo)ite, carnalite, halite, 0ieserite,
ol!halites, and s!lvite. !able " reroduced )rom
<uec0e rovides a detailed chemical descrition o) each
o) these salts.
-"
(he >S +ul) o) <e,ico is well-0nown )or its massive
salt )ormations that e,ceed -#,### )t thic0ness in laces.
(he general assumtion is that these )ormations are, )or
all ractical uroses, -##G halite. However, a recent
case )ound otherwise. An oerator was encountering
unset cement a)ter drilling out shoe trac0s and having
di))icult! in obtaining shoe tests on drilling liners set
through aro,imatel! B,### )t o) salt )ormation.
Conventional lab testing o) cement blends did not reveal
a roblem, nor did a detailed review o) 4ob rocedures.
Samles o) the )ormation salt were later anal!=ed and
)ound to contain other salt secies as shown in !able #.
Subse1uent lab testing b! contaminating the cement
slurr! with various amounts o) )ormation salt as shown is
!able 3 resulted in signi)icantl! longer times to develo
comressive strength. Regardless o) whether the non-
halite secies o) this articular salt )ormation were a
causal )actor, it is common 0nowledge that the more
sodium chloride that is resent 5above a certain critical
level that will be cement chemistr!-seci)ic6 in a cement
slurr!, the slower the h!dration rocess will be. E!
designing the slurr! with relativel! high concentrations o)
sodium chloride on subse1uent wells, this contamination
e))ect was alleviated.
$denti%ication o% Salt &ones
Cdenti)ication o) the resence and t!e o) salt
)ormations can be accomlished in a variet! o) wa!s.
:ther than the most obvious o) drilling )luid anal!sis and
coring, earl! warnings ma! ta0e the )orm o) seismic
detection to detect the resence o) massive salt bodies,
although the mineralog! is still un0nown until enetrated
b! drilling.
Advances in log anal!sis have allowed )or not onl!
identi)ication o) evaorate )ormations, but to some
degree, mineralogical identi)ication as well. Classic
densit!, neutron, sonic, and other logs can be combined
to solve )or volumetric 1uantities o) evaorate, sand,
shale, other comonents such as water and
h!drocarbons. Eear in mind that this e,ercise is onl! as
good as ma0ing the correct choices o) logs, modeling
algorithms, the 1ualit! o) the logs, and the individual log
resonses chosen to characteri=e and solve )or the
individual comonents. <ineral identi)ication b! wireline
logs ma! ta0e the )orm o) direct elemental
measurements which can rovide value combined with
other log resonses to determine matri, constituents,
orosit!, orosit! distribution, and )luid identi)ication.
'ater-Sensiti(e Formations
*ellbores that enetrate water-sensitive shales are
drilled with e,ensive, )it-)or-urose )luids ranging )rom
the simler diesel-based s!stems to the ver! comle,
s!nthetic and highl!-inhibited water-based muds. Still,
some )ormations are so sensitive to even the osmotic
e))ects o) internal water hases o) invert drilling )luids
that the! must be drilled with -##G non-a1ueous )luids.
However, these same wellbores are then o)ten sub4ected
to simle )reshwater-based sacers and even cement
slurries. :ne must as0, does this reall! ma0e good
engineering senseH (he ris0 o) wellbore or oerational
roblems due to this ractice ranges )rom non-e,istent
to e,treme, deending on the situation and degree o)
)ormation sensitivit! to the cementing )luids.
'ormations that have e,tremel! high levels o) active
cla!s in the shale matri, can be roblematic )or obtaining
shoe tests a)ter a cementing oeration er)ormed with
)reshwater slurries. Reorts o) shales containing over
$#G smectite cla!s are not uncommon across the >S
+ul) coast )rom Ia)ourche and (errebonne arishes o)
Iouisiana all the wa! 5west6 to Chambers and +alveston
Counties, (e,as. Comlicating the scenario are
numerous 0aolinite shales that do not resond to the
same drilling-)luid chemistr!. %eths o) these shales
range an!where between 8,### and -",### )t (V%.
(hese )ormations have been documented to wash out
severel! when shoc0ed with )reshwater sacers and
cements.
B
(he result o) not ad4usting cementing )luids to
better accommodate these )ormations can include
1uestionable cement bond logs, di))icult! in obtaining
shoe tests, lost circulation during a cementing oeration,
and on ver! rare occasions annular ac0o)) and
ressure buildu su))icient to halt the 4ob.
Shales encountered in deewater regions are o)ten
!ounger, less comacted, and more h!drated.
&ncountered at all deths, these highl! reactive shales
do not resond well at all to )reshwater e,osure. Fig) "
is an S&< hoto o) a shale samle )rom the +ul) o)
<e,ico. (a0en at a total deth o) $,### )t RJE )rom a
location at 8,###-)t water deth in a well drilled with
SE<, this )reshwater e,osure resulted in immediate
swelling and associated stress crac0ing o) the shale.
Fig) # shows the same shale e,osed to cement slurr!
)iltrate, the cement slurr! being mi,ed with )resh water.
Note the similarities. 'or comarison, Fig) 3 shows
another samle o) the same shale e,osed to AG JCl
water. Note that the swelling and stress crac0s are not
evident.
'inall!, a common 1uestion that arises is whether or
not a reactive shale damaged b! a )reshwater-based
cementing )luid can be subse1uentl! reaired b! a )luid
o) higher salinit!. *hile the h!sics is well documented
that changing the activit! o) the )iltrate in the borehole
AA%&-#$-%'-H:-7$ Salt vs. Non-Salt Cement SlurriesA Dractical Review 7
can reverse the rocess and ull water bac0 out o) a
reactive shale, the mechanical damage that can lead to
wellbore instabilit! 5and conceivabl! lost circulation6 is
irreversible as shown in Fig) *. However, the e,tended
e,osure time shown in !able + shows that these initial
e,osure tests b! no means advocate that JCl should
alwa!s be the salt used in a cementing )luid. Cn )act, it
indicates that, )or this articular shale, there is a limit to
the e))ectiveness o) JCl as measured b! swelling.
(here)ore, the design engineer should consider both the
intent o) the cement sheath and the e,osure time
between initial contact b! the sacer and/or cement
slurr! and the cement h!dration 5initial set6 when )iltrate
would be less available to interact with the shale.
Collectivel!, all this data illustrates that the e))ects o) the
water activit! o) cementing )luids on reactive shales
should be a consideration in 4ob design, eseciall! when
targeting a success)ul shoe test as the rimar! goal o)
cementing oeration.
(hese authors roose that, even with the lower
reactive cla! levels, leaving a )reshwater-based cement
slurr! 5or sacer6 across them can result in some degree
o) destabili=ation 5so)tening6 o) these )ormations.
*hether or not this so)tening is detrimental to long-term
=onal isolation or casing suort )or a seci)ic well is u
to the ractitioner to determine.
(he ion e,change over time between )ormation
solutions and the remaining cement )iltrate 5water that is
not reacted in the CSH gel structure o) the cement6 is a
ver! elusive toic. (his is not a simle issue and is
a))ected b! numerous environmental variables? insitu
ressure, temerature, ion e,change e))icienc! through
the shale membrane, cement e))ective ermeabilit!, ion
concentrations, di))erentials between )ormation and
cement )iltrate on all these, etc. (he most recent
ublication on this toic attemts to address all these
issues in as comlete a manner as ossible, but bear in
mind that the authorsK emhasis was on cementing
across salt )ormations. Nevertheless, the 0e!
recommendation reorted was to run aro,imatel! -8G
NaCl 5bwow6 when cementing across massive salt
5resumabl! halite6 )ormationsL an!thing else was
unnecessar!.
Salt Formation Dissolution
Several authors have reorted studies on salt
)ormation dissolution rates.-#---,-$--A *hile not alwa!s in
agreement as to the magnitude o) dissolution, the
general trend o) gradual borehole enlargement as a
)unction o) e,osure volume and original cement )iltrate
salinit! is consistent. (he di))erences between these
research e))orts are li0el! buried in variables such as
)low regime, volumetric e))ective )low arameters, total
dissolved solids 5as oosed to siml! the salinit!6, and
minute di))erences in the h!sical structure o) the salt
cores 5both man-made and natural6 themselves.
Su))ice to sa!, )ormation salt dissolution does occur
to some degree but the imlications and ris0s associated
with a seci)ic 4ob must be considered on a case-b!-
case basis. 'or e,amle, the evaorites o) the Fechstein
grou are most o)ten magnesium-based. <agnesium will
cause severe gelation and )lash-setting o) Dortland
cement, so NaCl-saturated cements are common. Ct is
also common ractice to use NaCl-saturated slurries
when cementing casings across and into salt domes that
will be solution-mined and the resulting caverns later
used )or storage. NaCl-saturated cements are generall!
stressed in these cases to reduce the ris0 o) long-term
isolation issues between the storage cavern and the
)reshwater a1ui)ers above, and with concern to
achieving the re1uired mechanical integrit! test.
"#
:n the other e,treme, casings and liners set through
thic0 halite )ormations in the >S +ul) o) <e,ico are
seldom given consideration be!ond low concentrations
o) either NaCl or JCl. Reorts )rom North %a0ota were
that switching to low concentrations o) JCl in lace o)
NaCl resulted in )ewer casing )ailures, resumabl! b!
wa! o) achieving )aster cement h!dration as oosed to
when using NaCl-based cement slurries.
8
(he low
concentration o) salt in both situations is )avored due to
the desire to obtain )aster comressive strength
develoment so that casing shoes can be drilled out
sooner and to reduce the assumed ris0 o) oint loading
on the casing. (he assumtion is that an! e,cessive
enlargement or debonding will be irrelevant due to
closure caused b! salt )ormation cree. However, aside
)rom ver! clean, massive halite )ormations, this
assumtion ma! be overl!-simli)ied because salt cree
into a borehole is generall! not uni)orm due to borehole
mechanics, insitu stress magnitudes and orientations,
and imurities. Cn addition, boreholes are not er)ectl!
circular.-9,-$ Cn )act, salt cree and/or e,trusion into a
borehole during drilling ma! create ellitical boreholes
that will in turn a))ect casing centrali=ation and the )low
attern in the annulus during the cementing oeration.
(his non-uni)orm )low attern will obviousl! result in non-
uni)orm salt )ormation dissolution.
>ltimatel!, at the end o) a cementing 4ob umed
with a non-salt-saturated cement slurr!, the annulus will
be )illed with a cement slurr! having varied salt
concentrations both )rom to to bottom and when viewed
as a cross-section o) the wellbore. *hether or not this is
a detriment to the longevit! o) the cement sheath or the
casing should be considered b! the design engineer
based on local e,erience or that o) similar areas.
,aborator- .esults (s) Do/n0ole .ealit-
:ne o) the most common arguments )or minimi=ing
salt content in cement slurries is the concern about slow
comressive strength develoment, eseciall! at low
temeratures. However, given the results reorted in the
literature and in the revious section regarding
dissolution o) salt )ormations during cementing, it is
evident that i) signi)icant )ormation dissolution does
8 J. H&A(H<AN, R. VAR+: AA%&-#$-%'-H:-7$
occur, the cement roerties and/or timing o) achieving
the roerties anticiated in the wellbore 5based on lab
data6 are not correct. !able 3 rovides an illustration o)
this argument based on 4ust the comressive strength
develoment issue.
Cn light o) this observation, the oerator has the
choice o) either 5-6 allowing )or a sa)et! )actor o)
considerabl! longer *:C time than is normall!
considered )or comressive strength develoment )or a
non-salt cement be)ore drilling out, 5"6 er)orming salt
)ormation contamination testing as art o) the cement lab
testing rogram, or 576 redesigning the cement slurr! to
better align with the desires to minimi=e *:C time.
!able 6 rovides a set o) e,amle data to illustrate
the variance in comressive strength develoment that
can occur )or the same basic design b! siml! var!ing
the source o) cement and amounts o) various salts.
Comaring comressive strength rate develoment data
o) various s!stems in simle table )orm can be
cumbersome, so the derivative 5rate o) develoment6 is
also rovided. (his method shows 1uite clearl! that
between "8 and A" hours, the di))erences in rate o)
strength develoment )or all )ive slurries shown are
small.
Cn addition to di))erences between the lab and
downhole comressive strength rami)ications, slurr!
densit! and rheolog!, thus &C%, are also a))ected. 'or
e,amle, Fig) + rovides a curve o) slurr! densit! with
increasing NaCl in solution, holding the water content o)
the slurr! constant. Assuming a cement slurr! has
su))icient contact time across a thic0 halite )ormation to
aroach saturation, this curve illustrates the e))ect on
densit! alone. (his is an ideal scenario that does not
account )or variances in solution rate caused b! thermal
e))ects and )low atterns in an eccentric, noncircular
annulus. However, the ensuing e))ects and ossible
comounding e))ects o) the increased densit! and
rheological e))ects on &C% should be aarent to the
reader.
Salt E%%ects on Cement 1ec0anical 2ro3erties
Several things occur simultaneousl! when salts and
Dortland cements interact, whether the salt source is
)ormation-rovided or included as art o) the design.
Easicall!, three distinct rocesses occur, but the! are
concurrent, so one cannot be given secial
consideration at the e,clusion o) the others. (hese
rocesses are bul0 shrin0age, ion e,change e))ects, and
the h!sical e))ects on both )ormations and the cement
itsel).
<edium to high levels o) sodium chloride are
sometimes used to reduce the e))ects o) h!dration bul0
shrin0age. %eending on the seci)ic cement chemistr!,
most Dortland cements undergo some degree o)
h!dration bul0 shrin0age unless stes are ta0en with
ost-h!dration e,ansion additives to o))set this rocess.
+as-generating additives rovide lastic-state shrin0age
revention and also aid in reventing stress buildu in
the cement sheath during the earl! stages o) h!dration.
Dost-set e,ansion can be rovided with comonents
containing high amounts o) tricalcium aluminate or
various grades o) dead burned magnesium o,ide. Salts
)all somewhere in between. (he authors believe this is
because the mechanism b! which the! wor0 to o))set
h!dration shrin0age is that the! reciitate as the
remaining )iltrate loc0ed inside the setting cement
becomes suer-saturated. As the salts cr!stalli=e, their
solid )orm ta0es u more room than when in solution,
thus o))setting the bul0 shrin0age, and, to some degree,
causing the bul0 e,ansion. Note also that this trend
would be a))ected b! the solubilit! o) salts in cement
)iltrate as a )unction o) temerature. (his observation
could also e,lain wh! some researchers have reorted
samles o) salt-saturated cement cubes )alling aart
a)ter a )ew wee0s.
-
(hese cubes siml! build u so
much internal stress that the! )ail )rom the inside out
when le)t unconstrained and without an e,ternal source
o) lower-salinit! water with which to e,change ions. (his
would be h!sicall! analogous to water )ree=ing in a
roc0 and slitting the roc0 oen.
.elations0i3 Bet/een Cement4 Formation4 and
Casing
<uch o) the earl! wor0 re)erenced in this aer was
concerned about both the rate o) comressive strength
develoment and the ultimate comressive strength o)
the set cement. (his wor0 centered rimaril! on the lac0
o) available cement admi,tures that were comatible
with high salt concentrations in the slurr!L oerators
concluded that high-salt slurries were unattractive )or
this reason. Cement additive and slurr! design
technolog! has advanced su))icientl! to reduce the
severit! o) man! o) these rior issuesL however,
roblems still e,ist under certain situations, such as low
temeratures. Cn addition, recent advances in cement
mechanical roert! investigations have aided in
reducing the once-insistent emhasis on obtaining high
comressive strengths.-7,-8 Cn )act, a comarison o)
con)ined mechanical roerties data shown in !able 5
)or a simle cement design shows that a saturated-salt
cement does in )act rovide substantiall! di))erent, but
not necessaril! detrimental, mechanical roerties. Note
the aarent general imrovement in aarent ductilit!
)or the saturated-salt-cement slurr! in terms o) the
observed changes in MoungKs <odulus and cohesion.
(he )ull imact o) the comarative data in !able 5 is
not aarent until it is used in a )inite elemental anal!sis
o) a cemented wellbore. Drevious authors have
addressed '&A modeling o) salt )ormation and casing
interactions e,tensivel!, but the degree to which the
cement mechanical roerties were investigated is not
clear.
-9
(o that e,tent, Figs) 6 and 5 rovide a
comarison o) )reshwater-based versus salt-saturated
cements )or a -7 9/;-in. cemented casing enetrating a
AA%&-#$-%'-H:-7$ Salt vs. Non-Salt Cement SlurriesA Dractical Review
t!ical massive halite interval in the >S +ul) o) <e,ico. ultimatel! be determined )or the seci)ic alication.
Eoth cements modeled were -$ lb/gal, and although this
ignores
the
di))ere
nce in
solids-
to-li1uid ratio, constant Ackno/ledgments 9
densit! was used siml! due to common convention.
(o )urther illustrate the e))ects o) borehole geometr!
and stando)) and wh! each situation must be studied
individuall!, Figs) 6 t0roug0 "0 show the same casing
modeled with a larger borehole diameter and imroved
casing centrali=ation. (he cross-section o) 'ig B shows
the cement sheath shear deterioration that was indicated
in 'ig ;. *hile this anal!sis redicts debonding and loss
o) cement sheath integrit! )or the )reshwater-based
cement sheath in 'igs. $ and ;, it did not redict an!
signi)icant imrovement due to changes in the borehole
geometr!. However, a noticeable imrovement is
redicted )or the same borehole e))ects when comaring
'igs. A and -# o) the salt-saturated cement.
(he anal!sis in 'igs. $ through -# does not account
)or the salt cree that is common to the +ul) o) <e,ico
halite )ormations that would resumabl! close an!
microannulus or mechanical debonding event. Also,
even though the anal!sis shows that shear )ailure within
the matri, o) the )reshwater-cement sheath is li0el!, the
most common )unction o) the cement sheath across
these )ormations is suosedl! to reduce the ris0 o)
oint loading o) the casing and to ensure a shoe integrit!
test so that the well can be deeened as soon as
ossible. >nder these circumstances, even though the
'&A model indicated that )ailure due to debonding is
li0el!, the cement sheath would still have served its
urose. Eear in mind that this articular model does not
ta0e into account the salt cree that occurs with man!
evaorite )ormations. 'or e,amle, average rates o) ".9
to 7 inches er !ear are reorted in the literature )or the
>S +ul) o) <e,ico.
-;
Note that this cree rate should not
be con)used with the borehole closure rates reorted
while drilling these massive salt )ormations that can
e,ceed one-hal) inch in onl! -" hours, nor those o) over
one inch an hour reorted )or some o) the 2dirt!3 salts.
-9
Note also that locali=ed cree rates are a )unction o) salt
mineralog!, imurities, temerature, overburden, water
content, and the resence o) non-salt inclusions.
Conclusions
(he decision as to whether or not to use salts in
cementing )luids, be it sacers, cement slurries, or both,
is not alwa!s a simle decision, nor should it be. &ach
scenario should be evaluated on its own merits including
economics, wellbore stabilit!, anticiated dislacement
e))icienc!, and long-term =onal isolation. Elan0et
statements such as 2alwa!s use salt o) some seci)ic
concentration3 or 2never use salts in cements3 can be
overl!-simli)!ing, and, in some cases, a detriment to the
long-term integrit! o) the cement and casing. C) in doubt,
small concentrations o) salts are generall! a rudent
ractice, but the correct salt mineralog! and
concentration to include in cementing )luids should
(he authors than0 the management o) Halliburton )or
ermission to ublish this aer, and ac0nowledge the
editorial assistance o) Ronnie 'aul.
Nomenclature
ECD = Equivalent Circulating Density
FEA = Finite Elemental Analysis
RKB = Rotary Kelly Bushing
SBM = Synthetic-Based Mud
SEM = Scanning Electron Microscoe
!"C = !ait-"n-Cement
NNIS= neutron limestone orosity
Ob= #ul$ density %environmentally corrected log reading&
OI:+= density %log reading not environmentally
corrected&
De= hotoelectric 'actor
Dem= modi'ied hotoelectric 'actor
Ptc= comressional interval transit time
Pts= shear interval transit time
Qma= thermal neutron cature cross section matri(
!able "7Descri3tions o% Common Com3onents o% t0e &ec0stein Seuence
"#
1ineral
C0emical Formula Solubilit- in 'ater4
g8"00 cc
Cold9 Hot9
S3eci%ic
:ra(it-
Anh!drite 8RCaS:8S #."-7 #.-$- ".B$#
+!sum 8RCaS:8 @ "H":S #."8# #.""- ".7"#
Eischo)ite "R<gCl7 @ $H":S
-$A.### 7$A.### -.9A#
Carnalite -"RJ<gCl7 @ $H":S $8.9-;
decomoses
-##
-.$-#
Halite
Jieserite
8RNaClS
8R<gS:8 @ H":S
79.A##

7B.-"-
$;.8-#
".-A#
".89#
Dol!halite 8RJ"<gCa"5S:868 @ "H":S ".A;#
S!lvite 8RJClS "7.;## 9$.A-# -.B;#
T(emerature 5UC6 at which solubilit! was reorted
!able #7C0emical Anal-sis o% :ul% o% 1e;ico Dee3/ater Salt Formation9
Elemental Scan b- <.F
Sam3le Number
NaCl4 =
S#O4 =
CaO4 =
1iscellaneous !race Elements4 =
"
VB7
-.7#
".-#
7.-#
#
V;B
".7#
$.##
".-"
3
V;;
".A#
A.9#
-.7"
TSamles )rom 7## )t intervals below -;,###-)t (V% and rinsed with he,ane 57,6 and
acetone 5-,6 to remove :E< and mud solids
AA%&-#$-%'-H:-7$ Salt vs. Non-Salt Cement SlurriesA Dractical Review
!able 37Com3ressi(e Strengt0 Data o% Contaminated Cement9
A
Sam3le De3t0
Salt
Contamination4
= b/o/
"#-0r Comressi(e #*-0r Com3ressi(e
Strengt04 3si Strengt04 3si
36-0r Com3ressi(e
Strengt04 3si
Re)erence
-
"
7
-
"
7
#
-#
-#
-#
Saturation
Saturation
Saturation
","7#
-,###
-,#"#
-,#$#
#
#
#
",$8#
N(
N(
N(
#
#
#
N(
N(
N(
N(
N(
-,88#
$##
TSlurr! Comosition? Class H W 7G JCl W s!nthetic )luid loss additive and retarder. Slurr! was
reconditioned )or " hr at -"9U' be)ore contaminating slurr! with )ormation salt and ouring cubes.
Cubes were cured at -99U' and -A,9## si.
!able *7,ogging !ool .es3onses to E(a3orites
Name
Halite
S!lvite
NaCC
JCC
Formula
>N,S9
t0ermal
?3)u)@
--.9
-"
Ab
g8cc
".-A
-.BB
A,O:
g8cc
".#8
-.;A
2e
8.$9
;.9-
2em*9
8.;$
;.A-
Btc
?Cs8%t@
$A
A8
Bts
?Cs8%t@
--$
Dma
?c)u)@
A$-
9A"
Carnallite J<gCC7 $H": $7 -.$- -.9A 8.#B 8.-- A; 7A"
Anh!drite CaS:8
+!sum CaS:8 "H":
Iangbeinite J"<g"5S#867
Dol!halite J"Ca"<g5S#868 "H":
Jieserite <gS:8H":
T %SN-CC neutron orosit! onl!
--
97
--.-
-8.9
7A
".B$
".7"
".;7
".A;
".9A
".B;
".79
".;"
".AB
".9B
9.#9
7.BB
7.9$
8.7"
-.;7
9.-8
7.BB
7.9A
8.79
-.AB
9#
9".9
9"
9A.9
BA.9 -".$
-;.$
"8.#
"7.;
-8.-
TT <oa0e, +.I.? X%e)inition o) an Cmroved Iitholog! 'actor and a Iaborator! (echni1ue )or Cts <easurement.X Dresented
at the "Bth Annual SDwla S!mosium in San Antonio, (e,as, June -B;;, aer DD.
!able +7S0ale S/elling !ests o% a Dee3/ater S0ale
'reshwater
Fluid
2ercent ,inear S/elling
35-0r E;3osure 6+-0r E;3osure
88.#8 9#.##
Cement sacer
Cement sacer with 7G JCl
Cement sacer with 9G JCl
Cement sacer with AG JCl
S!nthetic drilling )luid
"$.#$
"7.BB
-;.98
-A.A7
#.-A
7-.A-
"9.--
-B.#;
-;.87
#.-;
; J. H&A(H<AN, R. VAR+:
!able 67Com3ressi(e Strengt0 !rend Com3arisons
AA%&-#$-%'-H:-7$
Slurr- Descri3tion9
Densit-4
lb8gal
Com3ressi(e Strengt0 at
$ndicated Hours4 3si
Deri(ati(e
Class A W 9G JCl W 9G ost-set
"# #* 36 *6 5# d#* d36 d*6 d5#
e,anion additive
Class A W 7A."G NaCl
(!e - W 7A."G NaCl
Class A--TT W 7A."G NaCl
(!e - W 79."G NaCl W -.9G
CaCl"
N( Y Not (ested
-9.$
-$.-
-$.-
-$.-
-$.-
-7#7 -A;B "##" "-89 "77; 8- -; -" ;
$B- -"$" -8B" N( N( 8; -B N( N(
A"B -"B" -97- -A## -B7# 8A "# -8 -#
B"$ -$87 -;B7 "#$# ""B8 $# "- -8 -#
-##8 -9A$ -;## -B$7 "-;# 8; -B -8 B
TNaCl and JCl content based on weight o) mi,ing water
TTClass A-- denotes a di))erent manu)acturer o) Class A
!able 571ec0anical 2ro3erties Com3arison
2arameter Ender
Con%ining ,oad
Comressive strength, si
Moung <odulus, si
Doisson ratio
(ensile strength, si
'riction angle, U
Cohesion, si
Eul0 volume change, G
Fres0/ater Cement4
Cured in Fres0/ater
$,"7;
-.$; , -#&#$
#.-"
89#
A."9
",8AB
--.;#
NaCl-Saturated Cement4
Cured in Saturated Brine
7,"B-
-.-$ , -#&#$
#.-9
";#
;.9"
-,"$A
#.99
TClass A cement mi,ed at -9.; lb/gal, cured at -##U' )or "; da!s. <echanical
roerties tested at -,### si con)ining load.