Squeeze Cementing

The technical literature contains a number of

papers on squeezing wells. Still, many unanswered
questions are frequently asked.
• Where does the cement go on a squeeze job?
• What is formation breakdown and is it necessary?
• Should water or mud be used for breakdown?
• Will squeezed cement completely surround a
wellbore?
• Can perforations be plugged with cement?
• Can the quantity of cement be controlled during
placement?
 Squeezing is widely used in
wells for the following purposes
• • supplementing a primary cementing job
that may be deficient because of channeling
or insufficient fillip.
• Reduction or elimination of water intrusion
from above or below the hydrocarbon
producing zone.
• Reduction of the gas-oil ratio by isolating the
oil zone from an adjacent gas zone.
• • Repair of a casing leak that might have
developed due to corrosion, pressure parting
or joint leaks .
• Abandoning of old perforations or plugging
of a depleted or watered-out producing zone.
 Cement Does Not Enter
Formation Matrix
• The cement filtrate is pumped into the permeability while
the cement particles form a filter cake of cement.
• As the filter cake builds, the pump-in pressure increases
until a squeeze pressure less than fracturing pressure is
attained.
• It is obvious that the permeability must be high enough
to accommodate a reasonable pump-in rate before this
ideal squeeze procedure is attained.
• Fracturing is usually not the objective of squeeze
cementing but rather pump-in pressure is commonly
required to determine if a zone will take fluid or cement.
• Pump-in pressure is that pressure which is required to
push only the cement filtrate into the formation .
 Mud-Plugged Perforations
• Perforations will usually have some degree of mud fill-up,
depending on the completion fluid or primary cementing
technique and the breakdown process.
• Mud filter cake is capable of withstanding high pressure
differentials, especially in the direction from the wellbore to
the formation and the high pressures may create a fracture
before accepting cement filtrate.
• Selective breakdown and cleanup of single perforations
prior to a stimulation treatment have revealed the presence
of as much as 1000 psi higher pressure on an adjacent
perforation.
• Many squeeze failures may be attributed to subsequent
cleanup of a previously plugged perforation which did not
accept the cement slurry during the squeeze job.
 Fractures are Created
• Even though it is desirable to squeeze
without breaking down the formation,
in almost all instances, a fracturing
pressure must be attained to get the
formation to take fluid .
• This undesirable condition may be
caused by the perforations being
blocked or by low formation
permeability .
 Cement Compressive Strength
and Squeeze Pressure
• The compressive strength required for a successful
squeeze Job may be overemphasized.
• The typical perforation cavity has a shape that
tends to make the set cement plug act as a check
valve in both directions.
• A cement filled induced fracture has more bonding
area; therefore, it is capable of withstanding more
differential pressure than a perforation cavity.
• The final squeeze pressure required for a successful
job is just enough to dehydrate the cement so that it
will not flow back .
• A good guide for a squeeze pressure is 500-1000 psi
above the pump-in pressure with no flow back in 3-5
minutes.
 Design For Pressure
• Design the wellhead equipment and tubular goods to
accommodate the maximum anticipated squeeze pressure.
. This fundamental is rarely overlooked. However, the slurry
volume as it relates to pressure is a common oversight.
• Design the job so that the hydrostatic head of cement
slurry at any time during the job will not exceed the
wellhead equipment or maximum casing pressure
limitations.
• The extra time required to circulate the "long way" may
exceed the pumping time of the slurry .
• A good rule may be that the volume of cement used should
not exceed the volume of the tubular goods.
 Hole Conditions
• It is absolutely necessary for the hole to be in good
condition before starting a remedial squeeze job; otherwise,
the problems may become multiplied because of some
condition that would be adverse to the operation .
• The casing should be in gauge, clear of debris, and clear of
any residual cement sheath from a previous operation.
• A packer miss run may result because the packer seat
could not be reached or attained.
• A scraper and bit should be run to check this condition and
total depth tagged up to be sure fill up is not excessive.
• The hole should be circulated until clean and balanced.
• . Gas "bullheaded" into the formation ahead of the cement
could percolate through the cement and leave the cement
honeycombed.
 Well Completion Fluid
• Well completion fluid should be a clean, non-
wall building fluid such as salt or potassium
chloride water.
• This type fluid may be bullheaded into the
formation ahead of the squeeze slurry
provided the injection rate and depth are
such that the pumping time of the slurry will
not be adversely affected.
• In the event that mud is required to maintain
control of the well, the cement slurry should
be spotted as closely as practical to the
packer so that the least mud possible is
forced into the formation .
 Testing Squeeze Equipment
• The tubing, tubing-casing annulus, and
wellhead equipment should be pressure
tested with a tubing tester prior to starting
the job.
• To make the test, pump a test plug or set the
packer in blank pipe.
• The test pressure should be equal to or in
excess of the anticipated squeeze pressure
or the maximum differential pressure as a
result of excess cement left in the system.
 Packer Seat
• A squeeze packer should be set as closely as
practical to the squeeze target .
• This leaves the least completion fluid in the
rathole to be forced ahead of the cement into the
formation.
• Any appropriate connection that will seat the
packer between 30 to 60 feet above the squeeze
target will allow an error of one joint of tubing.
• Special cases such as a low pressure zone which
will require a hesitation-type squeeze may require
setting the packer much higher so that the
hesitation process may begin with cement below
the packer.
 Washes and Flushes
• Since perforations may be partially filled with mud,
especially if mud is the completion fluid, consideration
should be given to that condition prior to a squeeze job .
• This condition, if not corrected, may result in one or
more of several problems.
• The formation may be hydraulically fractured in an
attempt to pump into the formation. Since the mud
particles cannot enter the matrix of the formation, a mud
filter cake will build up.
• The mud may contaminate the cement in the perforation
cavity or induced fracture, causing a failure.
• Do not run a tail pipe below the packer for the purpose of
spotting. This could cause the packer to be cemented in
the hole.
 HIGH PRESSURE SQUEEZING
• In high pressure squeezing, a retrievable or non retrievable
tool is run on tubing to a position near the top of the zone
to be squeezed to confine pressures to a specific point in
the hole .
• A quantity of salt water (or chemical wash) is used to
determine the breakdown pressure of the formation to be
squeezed.
• Mud should not be used as a breakdown fluid since it can
plug or damage the formation.
• After breakdown, slurry of cement and water is spotted
near the formation and pumped at a low rate.
• As pumping continues, injection pressures begin to build
up until surface pressure indicates that either cement
dehydration or a squeeze has occurred.
LOW PRESSURE SQUEEZING
• The low pressure technique has become the more
efficient method of squeezing with the development
of controlled-fluid-loss cements and retrievable
packers.
• With this technique, formation breakdown is
avoided and pressure is achieved by shutting down
or hesitating during the squeeze process.
• In this hesitation method, the cement is placed in a
single stage, but in alternate pumping and waiting
period s.
• The controlled fluid loss properties of the slurry
cause filter cake to collect against the formation or
inside the perforations while the parent slurry
remains in a fluid state inside the casing.
 Low Pressure Fractured Zones
• Low pressure fractured zones are often times very hard to
squeeze.
• These wells normally have a low fluid level and start
taking fluid as soon as an attempt is made to load the hole;
usually more than one stage of cement is required.
• It is extremely important to squeeze with the least possible
standing pressure. With a packer used for best control,
load the backside and maintain about 1000 psi.
• Return in 4-6 hours for another stage. Most likely, a
squeeze pressure must be attained by using a hesitation
type squeeze-an alternate hesitation and pumping in which
the hesitation is to encourage cake buildup.
• The first hesitation probably will not decrease the bleed off
rate. At this point in the squeeze, it becomes an art rather
than science.