Concrete Developments in Cementing Technology

Jean Marc Boisnault Perhaps the most difficult borehole fluid to handle, cement is critical to the
Dominique Guillot
Montrouge, France performance and life of a well. Optimal slurry properties for placement of
standard oilfield cements typically do not coincide with optimal mechanical
Abderrahim Bourahla
Timothy Tirlia properties of set cement necessary for long-term zonal isolation. New
Anadarko Algeria Company
Hassi Messaoud, Algeria
technology optimizes both slurry and set-cement properties simultaneously.

Trevor Dahl
PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Chris Holmes
A.M. Raiturkar
Petroleum Development Oman
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Pierre Maroy
Clamart, France Since a flawlessly cemented wellbore protects Traditional Cementing Approaches
the conduit that links reservoir fluids to the sur- There are several fundamental purposes for plac-
Charles Moffett face where they are used, high-quality oilfield ing cement in oil and gas wells. Cement is used
Hunt Petroleum Corporation cement is an essential ingredient in any success- to support the casing. In addition, it hydraulically
Jena, Louisiana, USA ful well. The quality and integrity of a cement job isolates the various formations the well pene-
can determine how long a well remains stable trates, thereby protecting aquifers and prevent-
Genaro Pérez Mejía
and productive without requiring repair. In addi- ing fluid flow from high-pressure to low-pressure
Ignacio Ramírez Martínez
tion to promoting ongoing operational safety and formations, which might result in a loss of hydro-
Petróleos Mexicanos
Villahermosa, Mexico success, today’s cements must also be designed carbon production or excessive water production.
with cost savings and challenging operating envi- Cement guards against fluid broaching to the sur-
Philippe Revil ronments in mind. Environmental protection is a face, which could lead to a catastrophic blowout.
Houston, Texas, USA greater concern than ever, especially protection Cement also protects the casing from corrosion
of shallow aquifers during and after drilling. A by chemically aggressive brines.
Robert Roemer good primary cement job is essential because In the past, the least expensive material and
Aberdeen, Scotland remedial cementing (squeezing) is difficult to technology—typically displacing drilling fluids
accomplish and provides only temporary, local by pumping Portland cement behind casing—
For help in preparation of this article, thanks to Andrew zonal isolation—it is preferable to do the job cor- were acceptable in all but the most difficult
Acock and Kevin England, Dowell, Houston, Texas, USA;
Tyler Bittner, Walter Chmilowski and Mike Roy, Dowell, rectly the first time. Overcoming the trade-off cases. Portland cement mixes easily with water
Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Leo Burdylo, Oilfield Services, between cement slurry properties, including to produce a slurry that is readily pumpable and
Sugar Land, Texas; Erling Prado-Velarde, Dowell,
Villahermosa, Mexico; Tarek Ramadan, Dowell, Muscat, rheology, fluid loss, pumpability and thickening can be placed anywhere within hydrostatic pres-
Sultanate of Oman; and Eugene Toukam, Dowell, Hassi time, and mechanical properties of set cement, sure constraints of a wellbore. Prepared at the
Messaoud, Algeria.
CemCADE, CemCRETE, DeepCRETE, DensCRETE, DESC such as compressive strength, porosity and per- recommended water-to-cement ratio, Portland
(Design and Evaluation Services for Clients), FLAC (fluid- meability, is a major challenge. cement fulfills the most important objective,
loss additives for cement), GASBLOK, LiteCRETE,
SqueezeCRETE, USI (UltraSonic Imager) and Variable hydraulically isolating the formations. Further-
Density are marks of Schlumberger. Ping-Pong is a mark more, Portland cement is readily available world-
of Parker Brothers, Inc.
wide and is inexpensive.

Oilfield Review
16
 The usual method for placing a slurry in a well
during primary cementing operations consists of
pumping a series of fluids down the casing while
the fluid already in the well—the drilling mud—
flows out the casing-formation annulus to sur-
face. The first fluid pumped is usually a preflush
or spacer, or both, that separates the drilling fluid
from the cement slurry. The spacer must be com-
patible with both the drilling fluid and the slurry,
yet keep those fluids apart to preclude contami-
nation of the slurry by drilling fluid. Such con-
tamination degrades the quality of the set
cement. This is followed by as many as four
slurries. The preflush-spacer-cement series must
displace from the annulus all fluids ahead of it to
prevent development of mud channels within the
cement sheath.1 Such channels allow formation
fluid migration. The presence of mud can also
negatively affect set-cement properties, for
1. Bonett A and Pafitis D: “Getting to the Root of Gas
Migration,” Oilfield Review 8, no. 1 (Spring 1996): 36-49.
2. Aldred W, Cook J, Bern P, Carpenter B, Hutchinson M,
Lovell J, Rezmer-Cooper I and Leder P: “Using Downhole
Annular Pressure Measurements to Improve Drilling
Performance,” Oilfield Review 10, no. 4 (Winter
1998): 40-55.
Spring 1999
example by inducing shrinkage cracks, reducing
compressive strength or increasing permeability.
A mechanical plug is then launched into the cas-
ing and displaced to the bottom of the well by
another fluid, typically the drilling fluid needed to
drill the next section of hole. At the end of the
operation, the cement occupies the annular
space between the casing and the penetrated
formation from the bottom of the hole up to the
desired level.
During the cementing operation, the critical
goal is to maintain the pressure in the annulus
between the pore and fracture pressures of the
penetrated formations at all times and all depths
throughout the openhole interval.2 If the annular
pressure becomes lower than the formation pore
pressure, fluids can flow into the annulus and
lead to a potentially catastrophic situation, a
blowout. At the other extreme, if the annular
pressure becomes higher than the formation frac-
ture pressure, then annular fluids can split the
surrounding rock, damaging the borehole and
escaping into the formation.
The first factor affecting annular pressure
during drilling or cementing operations is the
density of the fluids, which exert hydrostatic
pressure on the exposed formations. The second
factor, fluid rheology, governs the frictional pres-
sures during placement. Though density is a
parameter that can be controlled easily during
the design and operation phases, the actual
rheology of a fluid is more difficult to control or
modify. Once these properties have been
designed properly for a given operation, such as
with CemCADE cementing design and evaluation
software or other simulators, it is important that
they be maintained within reasonable toler-
ances during the entire placement operation.
The cement slurry must be stable—solid parti-
cles that are denser than the water in which they
are suspended must not separate from the liquid
during either static or dynamic conditions. The
17
> Particle-size optimization. A slurry made from particles of a single size (left) contains larger water-filled spaces than a slurry made from an optimized blend
of several particle sizes (right). The smallest particles fill the spaces between larger particles and function much like lubricating ball bearings.
slurry must not lose excessive interstitial water
to the formation when the pressure in the annu-
lus is higher than in the formation. Excessive
fluid loss from a slurry can increase the viscosity,
which might result in incomplete placement of
the slurry and bridging of the annulus, and can
also lead to volume reduction in the cement, pro-
ducing channels or other defects.3 Finally, the
slurry should not thicken or set prematurely
during placement.
Performance of conventional cement slurries
ultimately is a function of many variables, includ-
ing the amount and types of solids, water, chem-
ical additives, temperature and pressure.
Weighting agents increase density; extenders
decrease it. Dispersants control rheology by
breaking larger particles into smaller ones, which
can reduce viscosity. Stability is either intrinsic to
the design, or improved by using free water con-
trol or solid-suspending agents (antisettling
agents). Fluid-loss control is achieved by adding
FLAC fluid-loss additives for cement. Retarders or
accelerators control thickening time. Clearly,
chemical additives define the performance of
Portland cement slurries.
Once in place, the cement slurry should set
quickly and develop adequate strength to mini-
mize the time spent waiting on cement (WOC) so
that the operator can proceed with the next
phase of well construction as soon as possible.
3. Bonett A and Pafitis D, reference 1: 38.
4. For more on primary cementing: Fraser L, Stanger B,
Griffin T, Jabri M, Sones G, Steelman M and Valkó P:
“Seamless Fluids Programs: A Key to Better Well Con-
struction,” Oilfield Review 8, no. 1 (Spring 1996): 42-56.
18
Limitations of Conventional
Cementing Technology
Good slurry and set-cement properties are mutu-
ally exclusive in many conventional cementing
situations. For example, standard high-density
cements, while necessary for well control in
high-pressure drilling, are difficult to pump and
prone to sedimentation as weighting agents set-
tle out of suspension. Low-density slurries with
proportionately higher liquid volumes develop
compressive strength slowly and attain low final
compressive strengths, limiting their value when
cementing production casing. Although chemical
additives are crucial to successful cementing
operations, the ultimate performance of conven-
tional cement systems is dominated by the
water-to-cement ratio.
The optimal water-to-cement ratio is about
44% by weight for a low-viscosity, stable slurry
of API (American Petroleum Institute) Class G
cement, one of the most commonly used Portland
cements in the oil field. This gives a density of
around 15.8 lbm/gal [1900 kg/m3]. Higher densi-
ties can be reached by either decreasing the
water-to-solid ratio or increasing the density of
the solid blend at a given water-to-solid ratio.
When the water-to-cement ratio is close to the
optimal value, the better choice is to reduce the
amount of water; but this quickly leads to
unpumpable or unmixable slurries. At that point,
the only option is to add weighting materials to
the cement, normally high-density minerals such
as barite, hematite (the most common weighting
agent) or ilmenite. The densities of these miner-
als are 35 to 43 lbm/gal [4200 to 5200 kg/m3],
whereas the density of Portland cement is about
27 lbm/gal [3200 kg/m3].
To achieve lower densities, the methods are
reversed: either increase the water-to-solid ratio
or add lightweight aggregates. Another possible
option is foaming the slurry with gas—usually
nitrogen or air. When the water-to-cement ratio
approaches the optimal value, the simplest
approach is to add more water to the slurry, but
this jeopardizes its stability, reduces the strength
of the set cement and increases porosity and per-
meability. To rectify stability problems, intersti-
tial water can be viscosified using colloidal clays
(bentonite or attapulgite), sodium silicates or
hydrosoluble polymers. However, these cement
systems exhibit higher porosity and permeability
once set, which often precludes their use in crit-
ical casing strings. Another technique consists of
blending Portland cement with lighter solid mate-
rials such as diatomaceous earth, perlite, fly ash,
fumed silica, blast furnace slag or hollow micro-
spheres. This method works only in relatively
narrow density ranges where the water-to-solid
ratio is maintained above a given threshold for
the slurry to be mixable and pumpable.
A further problem with standard cement
systems is that remediation of unsatisfactory pri-
mary cement jobs is difficult. Squeeze cementing,
even when performed satisfactorily, merely pro-
vides a temporary patch. Conventional cements
are difficult to place in small defects, such as
partially plugged perforations and damaged cas-
ing, because of their relatively large particle
sizes and poor injectability.
Oilfield Review
 Operators seek cementing materials that not
only are easier to place the first time, but also
offer the best long-term performance. Cements
that achieve compressive strength earlier
reduce waiting time and increase efficiency.
Because drilling a well is typically the culmina-
tion of months or even years of intensive effort,
including the acquisition and interpretation of
seismic data and planning well construction, it
is critical to achieve 100% cementing success
at the outset.4
Concrete Improvement
Typically, cements are weighted without consid-
eration for the particle sizes of the ingredients
(primarily cement and weighting agents). As the
required density increases, conventional addi-
tives alone quickly lead to either an unpumpable
or unmixable slurry if the solid-to-liquid ratio is
too high, or to a system that does not contain
enough cement to develop a reasonable strength.
A new system, CemCRETE technology, is con-
crete-based slurry technology to optimize slurry
performance during placement while ensuring a
high set-cement quality. By adjusting the parti-
cle-size distribution (PSD) of the different solids,
this technique uses more solid particles in a
given slurry volume while keeping slurry rheology
reasonably low. This allows slurries with densi-
ties as high as 24 lbm/gal [2900 kg/m3] to be
0.20
0.15
Permeability, mD
0.10
0.05
0 0
Extended 15.8-lbm/gal
lightweight Class G
cement cement
> Set-cement permeability. Permeabilities to gas
of set conventional and extended lightweight
cements can be as high as 0.20 mD. (“Extended”
lightweight cements have high porosities, typi-
cally 75%, because the slurry density is lowered
by increasing the water-to-cement ratio.) The
granulometric optimization of CemCRETE blends
results in set-cement permeability below 0.05 mD.
Spring 1999
used to cement critical casing strings in wells
with high pressure gradients.
Because many traditional cement slurries
have single-size particles, they can be visual-
ized as a box full of Ping-Pong balls (previous
page). Between each ball, there are large air-
filled voids. In a real slurry, the void space
would be filled with water rather than air. In a
high-performance slurry with engineered PSD
optimization, particles of three or more different
sizes are carefully selected. A box of Ping-Pong
balls with green peas and grains of sand filling
the voids is crudely analogous to a trimodal PSD
CemCRETE system.
By adjusting the PSD of the solids in the
blend, CemCRETE technology increases the
solids per unit volume of slurry above that
of Portland cement slurries. This increases
compressive strength and reduces porosity and
permeability by achieving a higher packing
volume fraction (PVF) independent of slurry
density. Packing volume fraction is defined as
the ratio of the sum of the absolute volumes
of all particles in the dry blend divided by the
bulk volume of the dry-blend components. Higher
PVF values generally indicate better set-cement
properties. For example, hexagonal packing of
identical spheres results in a PVF of 0.74, but
random packing of the same spheres achieves
a PVF of 0.64. The packing volume fraction of
14
12 77%
porosity
Mix water needed, gal/sack
10
8
6
4 porosity
2
CemCRETE 12.5-lbm/gal
cement Extended
lightweight
cement
> Slurry porosity. High water content, or porosity,
of a cement slurry improves its pumpability, but
can lead to sedimentation in the slurry and
higher permeability and lower compressive
strength once the cement sets. Conventional
slurry porosities range from 55 to 75% or more,
whereas CemCRETE slurry porosities are typi-
cally 35 to 45%. Sized particles in the optimized
blend ensure high strength in the set cement and
good slurry rheology despite low water content.
an optimized dry blend is increased by using
a trimodal PSD, which in turn decreases set-
cement permeability (below left).
Because the remaining fluid content is used
more efficiently, CemCRETE technology usually
requires lower concentrations of most chemical
additives compared to traditional approaches.
Gas-migration technology is more easily applied
because of the lower water-to-solid ratio and
because of the lower permeability and porosity
of the cement slurry during the transition from
liquid to solid as the cement sets. The 35 to 45%
porosity, or water content, of the new high-
performance slurries is significantly lower than
the average 55 to 75% porosity for standard
slurries (below right).
In contrast to conventional Portland cement,
state-of-the-art cements contain a specific blend
of particles engineered for each specific slurry
density. The PVF of the optimized blends com-
monly exceeds 0.80. The high solids content
results in stable systems that disconnect the
slurry density from rheology, require few addi-
tives and are easy to mix and place in operations
that are as simple as ordinary jobs yet require no
specialized equipment. These systems exhibit
low porosity and permeability once set, even
for slurry densities as low as 10 lbm/gal
[1200 kg/m3]. More simply stated, physics suc-
ceeds where chemistry often fails.
59%
40%
porosity
15.8-lbm/gal 10- to 24-
Class G lbm/gal
cement CemCRETE
cement
19
 500
250 450

400
200
350

Plastic viscosity, cp
Plastic viscosity, cp

300
150
250

200
100
150

100
50
50

0 30
30 40 50 60
Solid volume fraction, %
Monomodal silica suspension in 0.15 M NaCl, PVF 0.5
Trimodal silica suspension in 0.15 M NaCl, PVF 0.8
> Plastic viscosity of silica suspensions. A dry blend consisting of a
monomodal particle-size distribution produces a high-viscosity slurry
even at a relatively low solids content. The blend with the trimodal
particle-size distribution, typical of CemCRETE technology, achieves
better slurry properties and contains more solids per unit volume.
0
40 50 60
Solid volume fraction, %
Conventional slurry (20% fluid loss) Conventional slurry
CemCRETE slurry (20% fluid loss) CemCRETE slurry
> Fluid-loss effects. As slurries lose fluids to permeable formations, plastic
viscosity tends to increase. Compared with optimized slurries, conventional
Portland cement slurries tend to suffer greater increases in plastic viscosity
per unit of fluid loss. The bottom two curves show the difference in viscosity
between an optimized blend and a standard blend. The top two curves show
the increase in viscosity after both slurries have lost 20% of their fluid.
Optimized blends suffer less viscosification per unit of fluid loss.

Top
section 17.8 17.5 19.3 18.7 20.9
density lbm/gal lbm/gal lbm/gal lbm/gal lbm/gal

Middle
section 18 18 19.5 19.5 21
density lbm/gal lbm/gal lbm/gal lbm/gal lbm/gal

Bottom 18.1 18.7 19.6 20.7 21.2

section lbm/gal lbm/gal lbm/gal lbm/gal lbm/gal
density

DensCRETE Conventional DensCRETE Conventional DensCRETE

cement cement cement cement cement

> Sedimentation and segregation. In the BP settling test, a column of set cement cured under controlled pressure and
temperature is cut into sections and the density of each cylindrical section is measured. High-density conventional
cements tend to show greater vertical density variation because the weighting agent tends to settle out of suspension
as the cement sets. DensCRETE cements, or high-density CemCRETE cements, show little variation in density from top
to bottom because the network of particles and associated reduced water content inhibit sedimentation or segregation
of the heaviest particles. Each column represents a different cement type and density, with density variation measured
in the top, middle (where the designed density is most likely to be found) and bottom sections of the column.

20 Oilfield Review
 The rheology of CemCRETE slurry is decou-
pled from its density (previous page, top left). 6000
These water-reduced slurries have constant vis-
cosities even at high densities, low gel strengths 5000

Compressive strength, psi

and are easy to place. Low water content dimin-
ishes sedimentation (previous page, bottom), or
separation of liquid and solids during cementing,
yielding higher compressive strength and lower
permeability (previous page, top right). The spe-
cially engineered particle sizes allow easy mixing
and pumping because the smallest particles act
like ball bearings to provide lubricity for the
larger solids in the slurry. The compressive
strength of set CemCRETE slurries, whether of
high or low density, develops faster and reaches
higher levels than conventional cements (right)
because of the low water content.
CemCRETE technology benefits not only pri-
mary cementing applications, but also remedia-
tion. Particle-size optimization inhibits premature
dehydration of the slurry and the associated fric-
tion-pressure increase that commonly prevents
any remedial slurry from achieving deep penetra-
tion. Water-reduced primary cements have a
lower incidence of costly remediation than
Portland cements.
Additional benefits are that CemCRETE tech-
nology does not require specialized equipment or
personnel, and while never desirable, mixing
errors are better tolerated in the new slurries
than in Portland cement. Optimized dry blends
may be mixed with fresh water, seawater or salt
water. Optimized slurries can include conven-
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
0 2 4 8 16 24
Time, hr 18-lbm/gal DensCRETE slurry
12-lbm/gal LiteCRETE slurry
15.8-lbm/gal conventional slurry
> Compressive-strength development. CemCRETE slurries, both low-density LiteCRETE
cement and high-density DensCRETE cement, develop compressive strength earlier
and reach higher levels than conventional cement slurries. Rapid compressive-strength
development reduces waiting-on-cement time and speeds well construction.
tional defoamers, accelerators, dispersants, Specialized Applications
retarders, fluid-loss control additives, right-angle There are four broad applications of CemCRETE
set (RAS) additives and GASBLOK gas migration technology, encompassing low-density, high-
control cement technology. In fact, the combina- density, remedial and deep-water cementing
tion of specialized gas-migration control addi- situations. LiteCRETE slurry systems have low
tives, low bulk shrinkage and rapid strength densities and are ideal for cementing weak for-
development of optimized cements is breaking mations or eliminating a casing string or a risky
new ground in gas-migration control. Clearly, as multiple-stage operation (below). LiteCRETE slur-
exemplified in the case histories that follow, ries of 9.7 to 13 lbm/gal [1166 to 1563 kg/m3]
advanced cementing technology can be tailored perform comparably to ordinary 15.8-lbm/gal
to specific needs by changing components of [1900 kg/m3] slurries. Optimized lightweight
the dry blend. cement develops compressive strength earlier

LiteCRETE Stage-Operation Replacement LiteCRETE Cementing Production Liner LiteCRETE Cement Plugs

2 Zone 1

Filler
slurry
Weak zone Zone 2

1 Tail Zone 3
slurry

Conventional cement LiteCRETE cement Conventional cement LiteCRETE cement Conventional cement LiteCRETE cement

> New approaches to common problems. LiteCRETE cement (left) can replace stage-cementing operations, saving rig time and avoiding a complex, more
expensive operation. Here, the two-stage cementing operation on the left has a weak zone that is eliminated in the single-stage LiteCRETE operation on the
right. For cementing production liners (center) or casing across a weak or depleted zone, high-quality cement is placed across the primary pay zone as a
tail slurry at the bottom of the well. Shallower formations, isolated with lower-quality filler slurry, cannot be completed without additional cementing work.
LiteCRETE cement can be placed throughout the entire annulus so that any zone may be completed without additional cementing work, such as block
squeezes. Placing a higher density cement plug in a lightweight fluid (right) can lead to instability as the fluids intermix. Cement placement is improved by
matching low fluid densities with LiteCRETE slurries, which prevents fluid contamination and degradation of set-cement properties.

Spring 1999 21
 < Cementing high-pressure
DensCRETE Applications formations. In high-pressure
wells with narrow pore-fracture
pressure windows, the friction
pressure increase in a tight
annulus during cementing can
fracture the formation (left),
leading to improper zonal
isolation. DensCRETE slurries
have lower viscosity, allowing
slurry placement throughout
the annulus. In deviated holes,
standard high-density slurries
are prone to sedimentation as
hematite particles settle on
the low side of the wellbore and
do not contribute to the total
> Clean perforating. While conventional cements can shatter hydrostatic pressure (right).
during perforating, CemCRETE cement remains intact after This instability can lead to
perforating. The perforation diameter is 0.4 in. serious well control problems.

than conventional cement, reducing WOC time.
In addition, this type of slurry is more stable than
low-density Portland cement slurries because of
its low water content. It is strong enough to be
perforated cleanly and withstands fracturing and
stimulation treatments (above left).5
DensCRETE technology offers better rheol-
ogy at high density, adjustable density at the
wellsite and improved well control during
cementing (above right). High-density, water-
reduced cement is useful for whipstock plugs
and high-pressure cementing operations, for sit-
uations where the fracture and pore pressure
margin is narrow, and for grouting (injection
of cement to consolidate seabed sediments or
injection of high-strength cement between
pipes such as the legs of offshore platforms). A
high-performance, high-density slurry of 17 to
24 lbm/gal [2040 to 2900 kg/m3] has a lower
equivalent circulating density than that of a con-
ventional high-density cement slurry, allowing
placement even when the window between pore
pressure and fracture pressure is tight and con-
ventional high-density slurries are inadequate.
Slurry density can be adjusted by as much as
1 lbm/gal at the last minute on location without
perturbing other slurry properties. DensCRETE
slurries usually develop compressive strengths
well in excess of 5000 psi [34.5 MPa] and can
reach 20,000 psi [138 MPa] in especially
demanding applications.
For remediation of faulty cement jobs and
for water control, SqueezeCRETE technology
offers a new solution for wellbore repairs, such
as casing leaks, liner top leaks, old partially
plugged perforations, channels behind casing,
leaking stage tools, fractures or even squeezing
a gravel pack (below). A SqueezeCRETE slurry
system applies the new technology at the
microscale for injection into very small gaps or
fractures in primary cements and casing.
Optimized slurries with specially engineered
particle-size distributions penetrate deeply not
only because of the small particle sizes of the
blend, but also because their improved resis-
tance to dehydration reduces viscosification dur-
ing placement. The improved injectability that
results from fine-sized particles is key to success
in remediation. In addition to high injectability,
SqueezeCRETE cement has high compressive
strength and low permeability. Strength makes

SqueezeCRETE Applications

Microannulus Casing leak Repair of channel Top of liner Old perforation Squeeze through
squeeze repair behind casing squeeze squeeze gravel pack

> Remediation success. Perhaps the most versatile application of CemCRETE technology, SqueezeCRETE slurries penetrate more effectively than other
cement slurries. SqueezeCRETE slurries repair small microannuli and leaks in casing, channels in cement and liner tops. They can also isolate old, partially
plugged perforations and even be placed through gravel packs.

22 Oilfield Review
SqueezeCRETE cement an appropriate material
to plug wells upon abandonment, although it is
more commonly applied to remediate wellbore Injection point Injection point
problems that cannot be repaired with typical
cementing materials.
SqueezeCRETE technology succeeds where
standard gels used for water-control applica-
tions might fail, including remediation of cross-
flow behind casing and as a tail behind SqueezeCRETE slurry Standard microcement slurry
conventional gel treatments. When water cross-
flow behind the casing is diagnosed, the path > Improved penetration of remedial cement. Squeeze cementing materials were injected through
through the primary cement sheath might not the valve on the left side of the 120-micron slots shown in the photographs. As indicated by the black
arrows below the slots, the SqueezeCRETE slurry (left) achieved deeper penetration into the narrow
yet be large enough to place ordinary squeeze slot than the conventional microcement slurry (right), which lost more water earlier, viscosified and
slurries. On the other hand, the path may already plugged the left side of the slot. Improved penetration reflects lower fluid loss and reduced viscosifi-
be so large that a standard gel used for water- cation, allowing SqueezeCRETE slurry to better repair tiny wellbore defects.
control applications cannot perform correctly
or withstand the differential pressure once the
well returns to production. The advanced slurry
40 1.30
experiences a lower viscosity increase for the
Cement solubility in mud acid after 4 hr, wt %

same volume of fluid loss than conventional 35

1.25
squeeze cements. Its enhanced fluid-loss control
properties, commonly better than those of 30
drilling fluids, greatly improve slurry penetration 1.20
25
properties: it can penetrate 120 micron slots

more than 10 times farther than well-dispersed
squeeze slurries (top right).
Engineered slurry for squeeze applications is
placed after deep penetration through the chan-
nel and set like ordinary primary cement. In this
manner, SqueezeCRETE technology restores the
integrity of the cement sheath and provides com-
petent zonal isolation.
An alternative to foamed cement, DeepCRETE
technology, has been developed for deepwater
wells. Foamed cement—cement plus nitrogen
or air—requires specialized equipment and a
cementing team trained in its use (as well as
availability of nitrogen when air is not used),
which might be logistically challenging and
costly on some offshore rigs and platforms.
DeepCRETE cement develops strength faster,
even at temperatures as low as 39°F [4°C], so
WOC time is reduced when rig costs are calcu-
lated by the minute, such as in deepwater areas.
No specialized equipment clutters up limited
floor space. LiteCRETE slurry systems can also
substitute for foamed cement.
Traditionally, cement jobs were planned by
identifying the application of the cement and the
total hydrostatic limitations on the placed
cement column. The liquid slurry density was
inferred from the physical properties necessary
for the set cement. A major change precipitated
by new cementing technology is that the initial
planning step is to decide the slurry density first
20
15
10
5
0 1.00
Extended
lightweight
cement
> Resistance to acid attack. Better zonal isolation
is inherent in all CemCRETE systems because of
their improved resistance to aggressive, corro-
sive fluids, as demonstrated in laboratory tests
on cement solubility by acid or brine. This prop-
erty makes LiteCRETE systems particularly valu-
able for geothermal applications or when acid
stimulation is planned, since low density and
resistance to corrosive fluids are of paramount
importance in those situations.
and then the slurry porosity. From that, the spe-
cific gravity of the dry blend is calculated and a
blend designed according to the job parameters.6
CemCRETE technology results in cement
properties that ensure long-lasting zonal isola-
tion. Its strong resistance to corrosion from acid
stimulations and formation fluids is enhanced by
its low permeability (above left). Its mechanical
integrity is high, even in workover, perforating
and other specialized applications (above right).
Oilfield cement must withstand corrosion
and CemCRETE cements provide good sulfate
resistance when designed for that purpose.
T/E
1.15
1.10
1.05
15.8-lbm/gal CemCRETE 12-lbm/gal 15.8-lbm/gal 18-lbm/gal
Class G cement CemCRETE Class G CemCRETE
cement cement cement cement
> Cement integrity. The mechanical integrity of
cement, or its ability to withstand stresses from
perforating, hydraulic fracturing and other opera-
tions, is critical for long-term zonal isolation. The
ratio of the tensile strength (T) and Young’s modu-
lus (E) is one indicator of the relative performance
of different cements. The higher T/E of CemCRETE
cements reflects their superior integrity.
5. For more on high-performance, lightweight cement
slurries: Moulin E, Revil P and Jain B: “Using Concrete
Technology to Improve the Performance of Lightweight
Cements,” paper SPE/IADC 39276, presented at the
SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology Conference,
Bahrain, November 23-25, 1997.
Revil P and Jain B: “A New Approach to Designing High-
Performance Lightweight Cement Slurries for Improved
Zonal Isolation in Challenging Situations,” paper
IADC/SPE 47830, presented at the IADC/SPE Asia Pacific
Drilling Technology Conference, Jakarta, Indonesia,
September 7-9, 1998.
Sumartha I and Martinez R. JA: “Application of a
New Technique for Lightweight Cement Formulation to
Improve Cement Placement in Campeche Bay Area,”
paper SPE 39889, presented at the SPE International
Petroleum Conference and Exhibition, Villahermosa,
Mexico, March 3-5, 1998.
6. Moulin E et al, reference 5.

Spring 1999 23
 Also, their low permeability inhibits water per-
colation into the cement, slowing corrosion (see
bottom left figure, page 19 ). Destructive events,
such as repeated freeze-thaw cycling, tectonic
activity, production-induced subsidence and
thermal expansion during production and tests
prior to abandonment of wells, can impact
cement integrity.
Protection of shallow aquifers is an ongoing
concern, so regulatory requirements for cement
performance, such as in well abandonments, are
becoming stricter in many areas. Recently,
prudent operators have recognized that surface
casing should be cemented as carefully as
production liners. New high-performance oilfield
cements have greater reliability than traditional
cements, even in extreme conditions, so using the
257 CemCRETE jobs worldwide in 1998 best technology available might help operators
meet stricter environmental protection standards.
During 1998, more than 250 CemCRETE jobs
> Locations of CemCRETE operations. The size of each circle is proportional to the number of jobs in
were carried out in 20 countries (left). LiteCRETE,
the area. During 1998, more than 250 cementing operations using CemCRETE technology demonstrated
the versatility of optimized cement blends in a variety of critical casing operations. Stage-operation
DensCRETE and SqueezeCRETE technologies
replacement has been the most significant application to date. have been used in most cases, although
DeepCRETE technology, introduced at the end of
1998, is also gaining popularity.

Elimination of Stage-Cementing Operations

Typical Casing Program LiteCRETE Casing Program
In the Hassi Berkine field in the Ghadames basin
of Algeria, Anadarko Algeria Company uses
LiteCRETE cement to avoid stage-cementing
operations and better protect the supply of fresh
Fresh water Fresh water water coming from the overpressured Albian
The stage tool created a sandstone. The Albian aquifer overlies oil-
weakness in the 9 5/8-in. producing Cambrian sandstones and underlies
casing, requiring 7-in.
casing to surface salty Senonian carbonate and evaporite rocks.
Low fracture Low fracture
Additional geologic complications include the
gradient gradient weakness of certain formations below the Albian
that are prone to lost circulation during drilling
and the potential for flowing salt. The previous
approach had been to set a stage tool below
9 5/8-in. intermediate casing 9 5/8-in. casing the Albian, cement the lower zones, and then
cemented in two stages to cemented in one
cover freshwater zone with stage with
isolate the Albian in the second stage of cement-
low-permeability cement LiteCRETE slurry ing operations.
Stage cementing resulted in higher costs than
a single-stage operation and suboptimal zonal
7-in. full production 7-in. production liner isolation that often required remedial cementing.
string replaces the full string
due to the elimination After careful consideration of the risks and
of the stage tool rewards of different approaches, Anadarko chose
a solution proposed by Dowell engineers—
> Elimination of stage-cementing operations. In the Hassi Berkine field, Alge-
single-stage cementing using a LiteCRETE slurry.
ria, LiteCRETE technology meets multiple operational challenges: protection
of freshwater supplies, high strength with low density and reduced cost and Key factors that make this preferable to conven-
risk. Senonian carbonate and evaporite rocks must be isolated from underly- tional cementing include rapid setting time, high
ing Albian sandstone, a freshwater aquifer. Oil production comes from deeper compressive strength, low set-cement porosity
Cambrian sandstones. By eliminating stage-cementing operations, a 7-in. pro- and permeability that result in better zonal isola-
duction string to the surface can be replaced by a 7-in. production liner.
tion and superior resistance to corrosive forma-
tion fluids (left).

24 Oilfield Review
 Fluid compensated CBL amplitude (CBLF)
0 MV 50
Transit time (TT)
Cement map with < Evaluation of LiteCRETE cement using bond
impedance 400 µsec 200
classification Transit time (Sliding Gate) (TTSL) logs. The USI UltraSonic Imager (USI) log,
0.0000 0 MV 50 cement bond log (CBL) and Variable Density log
0.3000
Predicted Amplitude for 100% BI from (VDL) from a well in Algeria give information
1.9000
Gamma Ray 2.0909 Dowell cement data (DCD PA 100 BI) related to the presence of a 10.85-lbm/gal
(GR) 2.2818
0 MV 50 [1.33-kg/l] LiteCRETE cement behind 95⁄8-in.
0 API 100 2.4727
Bonded from 2.6836 Predicted Amplitude for 80% BI from casing. In the first track (from left to right), the
USBI to LHF2 2.8545 Dowell cement data (DCD PA 80 BI)
Caliper 1 3.0454 green gamma ray curve shows minor lithology
(DCD CALI1) Gas from 3.2364 0 MV 50 Min Amplitude Max variation with depth; the black curve indicates
10 in. 20 LHF2 to USGI 3.4273
3.6182 CCL (CCLU) bit size and the red curve hole size (as uploaded
Bit size (BS) Liquid from Sonic_VDL_Curve (VDL)
3.8091
4.0000 -35 5 200 µsec 1200
from the CemCADE software). The bond index is
10 in. 20 USGI to USBI
denoted from 100% to 0% in track 2, with yellow
indicating cement behind the casing. The
cement map in the third track is a circumferen-
tial representation of the material present
behind the casing. The cement map was
generated by rescaling USI UltraSonic Imager
data from the default (0 to 8 MRayl) to a scale
of 0 to 4 MRayl to better fit the lower acoustic
impedance of LiteCRETE cement, which
averages 3 to 4 MRayl. Dark areas, equivalent
to 4 MRayl here, indicate excellent cement bond
to the casing. The fourth track displays classic
cement bond log information, including ampli-
tude (solid purple), transit time (blue and red
dotted) and casing collar locations (black).
Additionally, the orange and green solid lines
represent the expected amplitude for 100%
and 80% bond (as predicted by the CemCADE
simulator). The amplitude values are higher
for LiteCRETE cement than for standard,
heavier cements, which typically have greater
attenuation. Finally, the Variable Density cement
bond log (VDL) in track 5 provides information
about the quality of the cement-formation bond
by displaying a color-coded traveltime trace at
every depth. The relatively low color contrast
(low amplitudes) at early times indicates weak
casing arrivals, which is to be expected for a
good bond between the casing and a relatively
low acoustic impedance cement. (A high
acoustic impedance cement under the same
circumstances would give lower amplitudes
and weaker casing arrivals, if any.) The higher
color contrast (high amplitudes) at later times
represents arrivals from the formation, whose
velocity varies with lithology, and correlates
roughly with lithology indicated in the
gamma ray log.

The cost savings associated with the single-
stage operation and decreased need for remedial
cementing were also compelling. A typical sin-
gle-stage operation in this area can save almost
a full day of rig time and decrease costs of fluid
contamination that might occur during the first
stage of cementing. Additional savings stem
from the low incidence of remedial work, which
typically requires two days of rig time as well as
additional cementing costs. The elimination of
the stage tool removes a known weak point from
the 95⁄8-in. casing string, making it possible to
replace a full 7-in. production casing to surface
with a 7-in. production liner, saving on tubular
In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi
Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO)
has performed similar successful single-stage
LiteCRETE cementing operations.8
Ongoing collaboration between engineers
from Dowell and Schlumberger Wireline &
Testing has improved interpretation of bond logs
of lightweight cementing systems. In the past,
acoustic properties were incorrectly related to
compressive strengths of cement, resulting in a
false expectation of similar log responses
between 15.8-lbm/gal Portland and LiteCRETE
systems. The new systems have compressive
strengths as high as 15.8-lbm/gal Portland
cements, but their acoustic impedances are
between 15.8-lbm/gal cements and ordinary
lightweight cements. LiteCRETE systems display
a lower acoustic impedance contrast with
drilling fluids, producing a different log
response, so log interpretation for these systems
is not as straightforward.
7. For more on single-stage cementing operations in
Algeria: Toukam E: “New Cement Improves Costs,
Operations In Northern Africa,” Petroleum Engineer
International 72, no. 3 (March 1999): 23-29.
8. Mukhalalaty T, Al Suwaidi A and Shaheen M: “Increasing
Well Life Cycle by Eliminating the Multistage Cementer
and Utilizing a Light-Weight, High-Performance Slurry,”
paper 53283, presented at the SPE Middle East Oil Show,
Bahrain, February 20-23, 1999.

and cementing costs as well as rig time (above).7

Spring 1999 25

Optimized CemCRETE Plug for Sidetracking
2878 m
Cement plug
4150 m
4160 m
> High-performance lightweight slurry. Optimized,
low-density blends are used for whipstock plugs
and liner cements in depleted reservoirs with
low fracture gradients. In this example, PEMEX
decided to sidetrack to reach a better part of
the reservoir. By using CemCRETE technology,
PEMEX has improved its success ratio for
kickoff plugs and minimized WOC time.
Whipstock Plugs and Liner Cementing
In Mexico, Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) has
used LiteCRETE cement for whipstock plugs and
liner cementing. PEMEX initially used the
lightweight optimized blend for whipstock plugs
to kick off deviated wells past irretrievable fish.
The success ratio of kickoff plugs has been
improved greatly by using the new technology in
a low-density environment. The matched densi-
ties of the drilling fluids and cement slurries pre-
vented swapping and mixing of fluids during
placement and ensured development of the
required compressive strength.
In a field with a low fracture gradient in the
Villahermosa region, CemCRETE technology
proved to be the best answer for cementing
deep (4500- to 5000-m) [14,760- to 16,400-ft],
depleted, fractured, dolomitic Mesozoic carbon-
ate reservoirs. Lightweight cement is employed
because the reservoirs have a low fracture
gradient.9 In one deviated well, PEMEX elected to
kick off in order to reach a better part of the
reservoir (above left). A special 15-lbm/gal opti-
mized whipstock plug material designed for
PEMEX reached a compressive strength of
3750 psi [26 MPa] within eight hours and a final
compressive strength of 4203 psi [29 MPa] in
12.5 hours, allowing the sidetrack to be com-
pleted successfully.
26
Cementing Low-Pressure Zones
8 5/8-in., 24-lbm/ft surface
casing at 1712 ft
Weak zone
5 1/2-in., 15.5-lbm/ft
production casing
at 3150 ft
> Cementing in a low-pressure gradient. The
use of conventional cements in the Olla field
typically required two or three block squeezes
after each primary cementing operation. Using
LiteCRETE slurry systems on five wells improved
zonal isolation without block squeezes. It also
makes it possible to complete shallower zones
without additional cementing work. In this
example, the LiteCRETE slurry column could
be placed high enough in the annulus to cover
the weak zone.
Liner cementing has also been improved
through the use of new cementing technology.
Because of the low formation pressure and sus-
ceptibility to fracturing, a low-density slurry was
critical to success. In one case, an 11.1-lbm/gal
[1330-kg/m3] LiteCRETE slurry was used to
cement a 5-in. production liner from 13,399 ft
to 15,095 ft [4084 to 4600 m]. The cement
developed a compressive strength of 1200 psi
[8273 kPa] after eight hours. A cement bond log
confirmed a good seal between the liner cement
and formation.
The overall cost of using LiteCRETE technol-
ogy, including service, products and rig time, is
lower than the cost of using traditional technol-
ogy. PEMEX reduced the cost of rig time during
cementing by 30% because new lightweight slur-
ries develop compressive strength rapidly. By
using optimized cement for kickoff plugs, PEMEX
saved 45% of the total operation cost compared
with the use of conventional cement, which com-
monly entailed repeating the cement plug. Also,
remedial squeeze operations have not been nec-
essary. Conventional jobs commonly required one
or two squeezes.
Cementing Shallow, Low-Pressure Wells
Hunt Petroleum Corporation has used LiteCRETE
cement to complete five wells in the Olla field,
LaSalle Parish, Louisiana, USA. Shallow Wilcox
oil wells, with total depths of 3500 ft [1067 m]
and bottomhole static temperatures of 129°F
[54°C], have low bottomhole pressures and low
fracture gradients, so getting a column of cement
high enough in the annulus has proven difficult.
In the past, as many as three block squeezes per
well were performed to remediate poor primary
cement jobs in 51⁄2-in. casing (left).
The Wilcox reservoir in Olla field has a strong
waterdrive. Productive zones are completed by
perforating the top of the productive interval
above the oil-water contact. Offset wells com-
monly produce high volumes of water at water
cuts greater than 95%. The wells completed
with LiteCRETE cement produce at water cuts
less than 85% water, but, more importantly, the
total volume of water produced is significantly
reduced. Hunt Petroleum interprets the reduced
water production as verification of proper isola-
tion of the producing zone from nearby zones
that contain 100% water. The additional water
production in the offset wells has been
attributed to water channeling from nearby
water zones; radioactive tracer injection logs
have verified this. None of the wells in which
Hunt Petroleum used LiteCRETE cement has
required remedial work.
Besides reducing the need for remedial work,
Hunt Petroleum has lowered total well costs on
Wilcox completions by avoiding the mechanical
risks associated with squeezing operations. Such
risks include the possibility of setting the cement
retainer incorrectly, drilling a hole in the casing
when drilling out the cement retainer, splitting
casing during the squeeze, cementing the work-
string if cement sets up early, or fracturing into a
water zone. Because LiteCRETE cement columns
extend higher in the annulus, upper zones of the
Wilcox may be completed without additional
cementing to cover these zones, which generally
are not covered during conventional operations.
9. Pérez Mejía G, Ramírez Martínez I and Prado-Velarde E:
“Optimización de los Tapones de Desvío y Liners,
Utilizando un Sistema de Cemento de Baja Densidad y
Alta Resistencia a la Compresión (LBDARC), en la
Región Sur de Pemex, México,” presented at the XI
Congreso Latinoamericano de Perforación, Buenos
Aires, Argentina, October 25-29, 1998.
10. In the North Sea, a LiteCRETE blend remained on a sup-
ply boat for several days in bad weather. Nevertheless,
the blend did not segregate during its rough journey to
the wellsite.
Oilfield Review
Cementing High-Pressure Wells
High-pressure wells benefit from the use of
reduced-water cements. Petroleum Development
Oman (PDO) first adopted DensCRETE technology
to address numerous challenges in fields such as
the Al Noor and Sarmad fields of southern Oman.
While adjustments to the mud system and casing
program can reduce the cost and risk of drilling
operations, the use of new cementing technology
was the most important factor in improving oper-
ations for PDO.
In the southern Oman fields, PDO produces oil
from stringers of tight Cambrian Athel silicilyte
embedded in salt. The Athel reservoir, which is
also a world-class hydrocarbon source rock, is up
to 400 m [1312 ft] thick and contains 80 to 90%
microcrystalline silica, with an average porosity
of 22% and permeability below 0.05 mD. High
drawdown pressures are applied to produce oil
from such a tight reservoir, so it is crucial to
mechanically isolate the individual stringers of
reservoir rock.
Drilling and completing such wells suc-
cessfully are challenging. At depths of 3500 to
4800 m [11,483 to 15,748 ft] and temperatures of
90°C [194°F], pressure control dictates a high-
density slurry. Segregation of the weighting
agent, hematite, from conventional dry blends
during transport across graded roads led to diffi-
culty mixing and pumping slurries and up to
three hours of lost time to clean plugged
cementing lines. Displacing heavy muds with
high rheologies was inefficient. There was a nar-
row window between the formation pore pres-
sure of 16.2 lbm/gal [1941 kg/m3] and formation
fracture pressure of 20.4 lbm/gal [2444 kg/m3],
as well as a low differential pressure between
the 17-lbm/gal [2037-kg/m3] mud system, 18.3-
lbm/gal [2193-kg/m3] spacer and 19.6-lbm/gal
[2348-kg/m3] cement. There was little leeway to
adjust densities and displacement rates.
Properties Conventional slurry
Compressive strength at 8 hr 0 kPa
Initial set 50 psi After 20 hours
Compressive strength at 24 hr 18,275 kPa [2651 psi]
Stability of set cement 0.35 kPa/m [0.297 lbm/gal]
(BP settling test) top to bottom
Shrinkage 1.5% after 24 hours
Separation of heavy particles High risk
from blend during transport
Tolerance to density variations Low
Spring 1999
Contamination of fluids by salt-saturated mud
led to instability. Bulk shrinkage of set cement
often resulted in microannuli. In at least one
well, a microannulus was not detectable with a
cement bond log, but was discovered when pres-
sure in the annulus rose. Finally, when compared
with conventional cements, CemCRETE slurries
set faster at the top of the liner, which reduces
the risk of fluid migration. In one well, a gas kick
occurred 14 hours after conventionally cementing
the liner and it took four days to control the well
and avoid a blowout.
Before approval for the initial use of
DensCRETE cement by PDO, numerous tests by
PDO and by Dowell in Oman and at the
Schlumberger-Riboud Product Center in France
confirmed that the advanced technology would
surpass critical performance requirements. In
addition to exceeding the performance of tradi-
tional cements in 8-hour compressive strength,
24-hour compressive strength, stability and
shrinkage, DensCRETE cement offered greater
ability to optimize slurry rheology and density
(below). A yard trial in early 1998 also demon-
strated that the DensCRETE blend would not seg-
regate during transport, remained mixable after
transport and passed relevant API tests, such as
rheology, compressive strength and fluid loss.10
The first DensCRETE operations in Oman
were performed during the second quarter of
1998 on the Sarmad-1 well, placing cement plugs
at 4100 m [13,451 ft] and 4300 m [14,108 ft]
with 21.5-lbm/gal [2576-kg/m3] slurry and a 7-in.
liner at 3850 m [12,631 ft] with 19.5-lbm/gal
[2337-kg/m3] slurry (above). Because the well
encountered a fault and fluid losses occurred just
above total depth, PDO decided to set plugs
above the fault and then cement the liner using
DensCRETE cement for both operations. The
plugged interval exceeded 200 m [656 ft] in thick-
ness, so the plug was set in two stages.
DensCRETE slurry
18,616 kPa [2700 psi]
After 4 hours
24,132 kPa [3500 psi]
0.20 kPa/m [0.169 lbm/gal]
top to bottom
0% after 24 hours
Very low risk
High
DensCRETE Plug and Liner Cementing
Liner cement
(19.5-lbm/gal)
7-in. liner
3850 m
4100 m
Cement plug
4300 m (21.5-lbm/gal)
> High-pressure cementing. In the deep, high-
pressure Sarmad-1 well, PDO set 21.5-lbm/gal
DensCRETE cement plugs to counter fault-
related fluid losses near total depth and
then cemented the liner using a 19.5-lbm/gal
DensCRETE slurry.
To date, seven DensCRETE cement jobs have
been performed in the area for PDO, including
three liner jobs and four plugs for abandonment
of high-pressure wells. The slurry is less sensi-
tive to salt-saturated mud contamination than
ordinary cement. As the optimized high-density
cement sets, it is less prone to forming a
microannulus because it suffers less bulk shrink-
age. Even in long liners, no density gradient is
observed in the set cement column in the annu-
lus. The column is uniform and stable, even as
the cement is setting, so the risk of a blowout is
reduced. The top of DensCRETE plugs is closer to
the theoretical top than that of conventional
plugs because the rheology of optimized high-
density slurries allows more efficient removal of
drilling fluids.
< Laboratory testing. In tests
conducted before the first
use of high-performance
heavyweight slurry by
Petroleum Development
Oman (PDO), DensCRETE
slurries outperformed
conventional heavyweight
slurries. This superior
performance carried over
to field applications.
27
 The WOC time for conventional cements to
develop adequate compressive strength under 196 5200

the conditions in the southern Oman fields is at 176 4680

Compressive strength
least 28 hours. DensCRETE cement achieves high 156 4160
compressive strength in as few as 15 hours (the

Compressive strength, psi

137 3640
worst case to date has been 26 hours) and ulti-

mately develops higher compressive strength
than standard high-density cement (right). The
decrease in WOC time has proven especially
important in drilling exploration wells, and there
has been a decreased need to repeat plugs or
remediate liner cements. Thus, PDO plans to
continue to use DensCRETE cement for high-
pressure cementing operations.11
Water-Control Applications
SqueezeCRETE technology has been used in
Alberta, Canada, for numerous squeeze jobs. In
the Halkirk field northeast of Calgary, an oil well
operated by PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd. pro-
duced 35 m3 [220 bbl] of oil nearly water-free
from the Upper Manville ”I“ Glauconitic forma-
tion upon its initial production in 1995. Within
a year, however, water production increased from
1 m3 [6 bbl] per day to more than 20 m3 [126 bbl]
per day. By late 1998, the well was completely
watered out. From knowledge of reservoir geol-
ogy and performance, the water influx was
attributed to layer breakthrough.
Temperature, °C
117 3120
98 2600
Temperature
78 2080
58 1560
39 1040
19 520
0 0
0:00 1:45 3:30 5:15 7:00 8:45 10:30 12:15 14:00 15:45 17:30 19:15
Elapsed time
> Rapid development of compressive strength. High-density optimized slurries develop
compressive strength sooner than their conventional counterparts. In this example
from the Al Shomou-4 well, the 22-lbm/gal DensCRETE slurry achieved a strength of
5000 psi in only 17 hr.
The attractive economics for remedial work proximity, the Dowell DESC Design and
prompted action. On the basis of known wellbore Evaluation Services for Clients engineer was
integrity, a bridge plug was set above existing asked to verify that water coning was occurring.
perforations at 1266.5 m [4154 ft] and the zone Water-control diagnostic plots, which display
above it was reperforated, but water production raw historical production data versus time on a
continued. After reviewing geological, reservoir log-log scale, help identify water sources, such
and completion data, the water influx was as differentiating bottomwater coning from
ascribed to poor cement behind the bridge plug. multilayer channeling (below). Systematic flow
Because of a large drawdown and close water model numerical simulations were performed to

> Water-control diagnostic

plots. Log-log plots of the 10 1000
WOR WOR
actual water-oil ratio (WOR) WOR' WOR'
and its derivative (WOR’) 100
1
versus time help differentiate
between water-control 10
WOR or WOR'

WOR or WOR'

problems, including water 0.1

coning and channeling, dur- 1
ing production. Systematic
flow model numerical 0.01
0.1
simulations produced
characteristic curves. These 0.001
curves are used to diagnose 0.01
problems and then decide
the appropriate remedy. The 0.0001 0.001
theoretical representation of 1 10 100 1000 1 10 100 1000 10,000
bottomwater coning (upper Time, days Time, days
left) is similar to the actual
field example below it. 10 10,000
Simulated multilayer WOR WOR
channeling (upper right) WOR' 1000 WOR'
also mimics actual multilayer
channeling observed in the 1 100
field (lower right).
WOR or WOR'

WOR or WOR'

10

0.1 1

0.1

0.01 0.01

0.001

0.001 0.0001
10 100 1000 10,000 1 10 100 1000 10,000
Time, days Time, days

28 Oilfield Review
produce characteristic curves for different types
of water production. On the basis of the water-
control analysis for the Halkirk well, the diagno-
sis was a high-permeability layer with water
breakthrough (right). This problem was compli-
cated by a microannulus that allowed water flow
behind the casing.
Because of low oil prices and the fact that the
mature Halkirk field is undergoing waterflooding,
workover costs must be minimized to achieve
acceptable economic results. Considerable effort
is made to mitigate the risk and impact of unsuc-
cessful treatments. Therefore, procedures with a
high probability of success are favored. In this
well, a conventional cement squeeze was
deemed too risky. The SqueezeCRETE treatment
was predicted to have a much higher probability
of success, so the economics for that treatment
were acceptable.
SqueezeCRETE slurry was placed across the
perforations from 1263 to 1265.25 m [4144 to
4151 ft] as a balanced plug, and a hesitation
squeeze was performed.12 After 24 hours, the
cement was drilled out and successfully pres-
sure- and swab-tested. Following reperforation,
the zone is producing 28 m3 [176 bbl] of oil,
3100 m3 [110 Mcf] of gas and 0.32 m3 [2 bbl]
of water per day, reversing the water cut
from 99.5% before to only 1.1% after the
squeeze operation.
In another well in southern Alberta,
PanCanadian wanted to shut off old perforations
and complete a deeper interval. Because the
slurry feed rate into the old perforations was less
than 20 L/min [5.3 gal/min], ordinary slurries
would not be effective. After acid was spotted
across the perforations to increase the injection
rate, only minor improvement occurred.
SqueezeCRETE slurry was then batch mixed and
1.2 m3 [8 bbl] placed across the perforations, fol-
lowed by a hesitation squeeze. After 48 hours,
the cement was drilled out and the perforations
were successfully pressure tested and swab
tested. The lower interval was subsequently per-
forated and completed. Without a highly
injectable remedial system like SqueezeCRETE
11. For more on the use of high-density slurries in well
construction: Adamson K, Birch G, Gao E, Hand S,
Macdonald C, Mack D and Quadri A: “High-Pressure,
High-Temperature Well Construction,” Oilfield Review 10,
no. 2 (Summer 1998): 36-49.
12. In a hesitation squeeze, a portion of the slurry is pumped,
then pumping stops to expose the slurry to differential
pressure against the zone of interest in stages over
a period from several minutes to several hours. This
pressure, higher than necessary for fluid movement, is
applied to force filtrate from the cement slurry, leaving
only solid material in the area requiring repair. This pro-
cedure is repeated until all the slurry has been pumped.
The dehydrated cement remaining in the zone forms a
seal with a higher compressive strength and lower per-
meability than the original slurry design.
Spring 1999
10,000
1,000
WOR Wellbore water
WOR' holdup
100
High-permeability layer
water breakthrough
WOR or WOR'
10
1
Initial wellbore
fluid cleanup
0.1
Post-treatment WOR
0.01
0.001
10 100 1000 10,000
Cumulative production time, days
> Halkirk water-control diagnostic plot. The PanCanadian Halkirk well produces oil from several
layers. A log-log plot of the actual water-oil ratio (WOR) and its derivative (WOR’) versus cumulative
production time illustrates water breakthrough from a high-permeability layer. Increasing hydro-
static pressure from wellbore water holdup significantly reduced oil production, and the water
cut reached 99.5%. Successful shutoff of the water layer restored the previous oil production and
reduced the water cut to 1.1%.
slurry, the operator might have risked impairing Present and Future Value
the additional completion by using a casing patch of Optimized Cements
to shut off the abandoned perforations. CemCRETE technology has proven its value on
SqueezeCRETE cement has the potential to several fronts. Its early development of compres-
address stringent well plugging requirements as sive strength saves rig time because drilling
some of the many shallow gas wells in western operations can resume sooner. The reliability of
Canada are abandoned. Its high injectability and the technology decreases the need for remedial
low permeability can repair gas leaks better than block squeezes or repetition of plugs. Repairs of
traditional cementing materials. faulty cement and casing are more effective than
Successful water-shutoff jobs have been ever before. The risk and expense of stage-
performed using engineered squeeze cements cementing operations are avoided with a single-
elsewhere. In one case in the North Sea, oil pro- stage operation using CemCRETE technology.
duction increased from 2000 to 4000 bbl per day Well designs can be optimized to avoid costly
[317 to 635 m3/d] while water production casing strings.
decreased from 7000 to 1500 bbl per day The lower porosity and permeability of
[1112 to 238 m3/d]. This sharp reduction in set cements using CemCRETE technology will
water production made gas lift unnecessary allow safer abandonment of wells and isolation
after production resumed. of aquifers from hydrocarbon zones. Low-
Also in the North Sea, BP Amoco plc success- permeability cements are more resistant to
fully abandoned a reservoir section in a well from corrosive brines and there is less bulk shrinkage
its Bruce platform using a single optimized as the cement sets, resulting in better zonal iso-
cement plug. After remedial completion efforts lation over time. Studies are nearing conclusion
and other attempts to isolate and abandon the on the enhanced durability of the new systems
reservoir failed, SqueezeCRETE slurry was over conventional cements when perforating.
pumped through coiled tubing across the perfora- The successful application of CemCRETE
tions and then squeezed. BP Amoco plc was then technology in 257 wells during 1998 provides a
able to sidetrack an adjacent wellbore to reach foundation for expansion of this versatile tech-
the reservoir. nology from specialized initial applications to
Merely pumping a superior slurry does not mainstream cementing operations. —GMG
always effect the desired repair. Sound comple-
tion engineering concepts, proper design and
execution are critical ingredients for successful
well remediation.
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