The Research and Application of Cementing Isolation Technology in High Porosity and Permeability of Developed Clastic Rock Reservoir in Tarim Basin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongtao Liu ◽  
Zhengqing Ai ◽  
Jingcheng Zhang ◽  
Zhongtao Yuan ◽  
Jianguo Zeng ◽  
...  

Abstract The average porosity and permeability in the developed clastic rock reservoir in Tarim oilfield in China is 22.16% and 689.85×10-3 μm2. The isolation layer thickness between water layer and oil layer is less than 2 meters. The pressure of oil layer is 0.99 g/cm3, and the pressure of bottom water layer is 1.22 g/cm3, the pressure difference between them is as bigger as 12 to 23 MPa. It is difficult to achieve the layer isolation between the water layer and oil layer. To solve the zonal isolation difficulty and reduce permeable loss risk in clastic reservoir with high porosity and permeability, matrix anti-invasion additive, self-innovate plugging ability material of slurry, self-healing slurry, open-hole packer outside the casing, design and control technology of cement slurry performance, optimizing casing centralizer location technology and displacement with high pump rate has been developed and successfully applied. The results show that: First, the additive with physical and chemical crosslinking structure matrix anti-invasion is developed. The additive has the characteristics of anti-dilution, low thixotropy, low water loss and short transition, and can seal the water layer quickly. Second, the plugging material in the slurry has a better plugging performance and could reduce the permeability of artificial core by 70-80% in the testing evaluation. Third, the self-healing cement slurry system can quickly seal the fracture and prevent the fluid from flowing, and can ensuring the long-term effective sealing of the reservoir. Fourth, By strict control of the thickening time (operation time) and consistency (20-25 Bc), the cement slurry can realize zonal isolation quickly, which has achieved the purpose of quickly sealing off the water layer and reduced the risk of permeable loss. And the casing centralizers are used to ensure that the standoff ratio of oil and water layer is above 67%. The displacement with high pump rate (2 m3/min, to ensure the annular return velocity more than 1.2 m/s) can efficiently clean the wellbore by diluting the drilling fluid and washing the mud cake, and can improve the displacement efficiency. The cementing technology has been successfully applied in 100 wells in Tarim Oilfield. The qualification rate and high quality rate is 87.9% and 69% in 2019, and achieve zone isolation. No water has been produced after the oil testing and the water content has decreased to 7% after production. With the cementing technology, we have improved zonal isolation, increased the crude oil production and increased the benefit of oil.

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 597-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mileva Radonjic ◽  
Arome Oyibo

Wellbore cement has been used to provide well integrity through zonal isolation in oil and gas wells as well as geothermal wells. Failures of wellbore cement result from either or both: inadequate cleaning of the wellbore and inappropriate cement slurry design for a given field/operational application. Inadequate cementing can result in creation of fractures and microannuli, through which produced fluids can migrate to the surface, leading to environmental and economic issues such as sustained casing pressure, contamination of fresh water aquifers and, in some cases, well blowout. To achieve proper cementing, the drilling fluid should be completely displaced by the cement slurry, providing clean interfaces for effective bond. This is, however, hard to achieve in practice, which results in contaminated cement mixture and poor bonds at interfaces. This paper reports findings from the experimental investigation of the impact of drilling fluid contamination on the shear bond strength at the cement-formation and the cement-casing interfaces by testing different levels of contamination as well as contaminations of different nature (physical vs. chemical). Shear bond test and material characterization techniques were used to quantify the effect of drilling fluid contamination on the shear bond strength. The results show that drilling fluid contamination is detrimental to both cement-formation and cement-casing shear bond strength.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Ilnicka ◽  
Antonio Bottiglieri ◽  
Maja Jaskiewicz ◽  
David Kulakofsky

Abstract North Sea lithologies are often complex creating a difficult environment to deliver effective zonal isolation with standard cementing practices. With ever-present weak, fractured, and unconsolidated formations, the practice of fully lifting heavier cement up the annular gap between the formation and the casing or liner often times compromises the formation and the cement integrity. Wellbore Stabilizing (WBS) technology has been shown capable of providing zonal isolation under these difficult conditions. A cementing spacer has been developed that incorporates WBS technology providing a simple way to deliver the technology in front of any cement job, without compromising the cement integrity or requiring any last-minute slurry design or redesign. By separating the placement of the WBS technology from the cement itself, the cement slurry can be designed with the sole focus being on the interval's zonal isolation requirements. On Askepott wells in the Norwegian part of the North Sea, the Nordland weak zone is encountered after drilling out the 30-inch shoe from the Oseberg Vest H template. Cement back to the seafloor is required when cementing the 20-in casing in these 26-in. holes. Prior to the introduction of the WBS technology, pressure had been observed on the D-annulus, hinting at a lack of sufficient cement circulation. With assistance from this new WBS spacer, pressure is no longer observed in the D-annulus indicating the cement is now being circulated back inside of the conductor string. The WBS spacer has also been used successfully ahead of cement across the production interval in wells where losses were typically expected, and again full returns were observed. Normally cement spacers are utilized to separate the drilling fluid from the cement as these two fluids are normally incompatible with each other and to help push the drilling fluid out of the well so the annulus may be completely filled with cement. If the drilling fluid is not successfully displaced from the annular space, the zonal isolation intended by the primary cement job is usually less than ideal. In addition to these standard functions in preparation for cementing operations, this specialized WBS spacer also can prevent loss of cement to the formation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose A. Barreiro ◽  
John S. Knowles ◽  
Carl R. Johnson ◽  
Iain D. Gordon ◽  
Lene K. Gjerde

Abstract An operator in the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) required sufficient zonal isolation around a casing shoe to accommodate subsequent targeted injection operations. Located in the Ivar Aasen field, and classified as critical, the well had a 9 ⅝-in. casing shoe set in the depleted Skagerrak 2 reservoir. The lost circulation risk was high during cementing because the Hugin formation, located above the reservoir, contained 40 m [~ 131.2 ft] of highly porous and permeable sandstone. During previous operations in the field, lost circulation was observed before and during the casing running and cementing operations. After unsuccessful attempts to cure the losses with various lost circulation materials, a new solution was proposed to target the specific lost circulation problem by combining two types of reinforced composite mat pill (RCMP) technology. Specifically, the first type of RCMP technology was engineered for use in the viscous preflush spacer, and the second was applied to the cement slurry itself. Working in synergy, the RCMP systems mitigated the risk of incomplete zonal isolation. With no losses observed upon reaching total depth (TD) for the 12 ¼-in. hole, the 9 ⅝-in. casing was run with a reamer shoe and 15 rigid centralizers. Between 2700 and 2728 m [~ 8,858 and 8,950 ft] measured depth (MD), the rig observed constant drag of 30 to 40 MT whilst working the casing down, and circulation was completely lost before partial returns were eventually observed. The rig continued to work the string down to the planned landing depth at 3897 m [~ 12,785 ft] MD. Precementing circulation ensued with staged pump rates increasing at 100-L/min [~ 0.6-bbl/min] intervals up to 1400 L/min [~ 8.8 bbl/min], which induced losses at a rate of 6.5 m3/hour [~ 40 bbl/hour]). Subsequently, the flow rate was reduced to 1300 L/min [~ 8.1 bbl/min], and the annular volume was circulated 2.6 times with full returns. Attempts to reduce equivalent circulating density (ECD) ahead of the cementing operation were implemented at 1300 L/min [~ 8.1 bbl/min] using a low-density, low-rheology oil-based drilling fluid pill. However, a significant loss rate of 18.0 m3/hour [~113 bbl/hour] was observed. The flow rate was reduced to 950 L/min [~ 6.0 bbl/min], and partial circulation was recovered. After the spacer and cement had reached the annulus, full returns were immediately observed and continued until the top plug was successfully bumped. Acoustic logging determined that the operation had achieved the primary job objective of establishing the required length of hydraulically isolating cement in the annulus. Lost circulation is a costly problem that can be difficult to solve, even with the wide variety of technologies available (Vidick, B., Yearwood, J. A., and Perthuis, H. 1988. How To Solve Lost Circulation Problems. SPE-17811-MS). This case study demonstrates a successful solution. The operator will be able to incorporate lessons learned and best practices into future operations, and these lessons and practices will be useful to other operators with similar circumstances.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wajid Ali ◽  
Freddy Jose Mata ◽  
Faisal Abdullah Al-Turki

Abstract Maintaining zonal isolation is vital to well economics and productive life. Well integrity is becoming more challenging with the drilling of deeper, highly deviated, and horizontal wells worldwide. Oil companies are focused on to enhance the well productivity during drilling long horizontal wells in a harsh environment by achieving maximum accessible reservoir contact. These wellbore geometries incorporate additional challenges to design and deliver a dependable barrier. In this paper, a case study about cementing the longest liner across Khuff-C reservoir has been presented discussing the main challenges, engineering considerations, field implementation, results, and conclusions. The well was drilled horizontally across Khuff-C carbonates using oil-based drilling fluid. The 5-7/8-in open hole section was planned to be cemented in single stage, utilizing 8370 ft of a 4-1/2-in liner. Careful attention was paid to estimate the bottom hole circulating temperature, using the temperature modeling simulator. A 118-lbm/ft3 slurry was designed to keep the equivalent circulation density intact. Gas migration control additives were included in the slurry design to lower the slurry's transition time, in order to reduce the chances of gas migration through the cement slurry. The slurry was batch-mixed to ensure the homogeneity of the final slurry mixture. A reactive spacer was designed to improve the cement bonding from long term zonal isolation perspective. Additionally, the spacer was loaded with optimum amounts of surfactant package to serve as an aid to remove the mud and to water-wet the formation and pipe for better cement bonding. Centralizers placement plan was optimized to allow around 63% average standoff around the pipe, staying within the torque and drag (T&D) limits. The cement treatment was performed as designed and met all zonal isolation objectives. The process of cementing horizontal liners comes with unique procedures. There are several challenges associated with carrying out wellbore zonal isolation for primary cementing of horizontal liners, therefore, a unique level of attention is required during the design and execution stages. The slurry design requires careful formulation to achieve the desired specifications while ensuring its easy deployment and placement in the liner annulus. By planning in advance and following proven techniques, many of the problems associated with the running and cementing of deep and long horizontal liners can be alleviated. This paper highlights the necessary laboratory testing, field execution procedures, and treatment evaluation methods so that this technique can be a key resource for such operations in the future. The paper describes the process used to design the liner cement job and how its application was significant to the success of the job.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmedagha Hamidzada ◽  
Ahmed Rashed Alaleeli ◽  
Azza El Hassan ◽  
Fatima Bin Tarsh ◽  
Islam Abdelkarim

Abstract Cementing a highly deviated production liner is associated with cement placement challenge that can compromise zonal isolation. A major operator in UAE, was facing a challenge to cement 4 ½ in slim production liner set at + 5000 ft off-bottom. The corresponding 6 in. section was drilled with a relatively high mud weight in the range of 12 to 13 PPG. One of the main challenge was the risk of solids settling on the low side of the wellbore, making mud displacement difficult to achieve while cementing. Additionally, cementing off-bottom without an ECP in a highly deviated wellbore with multiple exposed production zones, further increased cement placement complexity. A holistic engineering approach was integrated to ensure successful zonal isolation. Wellbore parameters and fluid properties were critically evaluated. To overcome off-bottom cementing and prevent slurry fallback risks, a weighted high viscosity pill with high yield point was placed as a temporary basement to support the cement column and isolate the reservoir during 4 ½ in liner job. After placement of the pill, the wellbore was observed for flow checks to ensure stable downhole conditions prior to displacing the drilling fluid across the liner interval to brine within the same density. A centralization program was implemented to achieve more than 70% stand-off which required a minimum centralization pattern of two rigid centralizers per joint which helped minimize the presence of mud channels on the narrow side. Effective mud removal was ensured through implementation of a spacer train in front of the cement. The first spacer was pumped with same mud density to reduce ECD followed by another advanced low invasion loss circulation spacer to mitigate losses as well as provide a sustained downhole rheology. A resilient, expandable and gas tight cement slurry, was selected to target long-term zonal isolation. Multiple hydraulic simulations were performed to optimize ECDs and ensure safe margins during placement A CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model was utilized to simulate hydraulics, expected mud removal and fluids inter-mixing especially during liner rotation. In addition, the model simulated high-calculated torques based on flow restrictions through liner hanger assembly. Lack of mechanical liner movement was compensated by additional pre-job circulation to fully condition the wellbore. The job was executed with no losses during cementing, and spacer and cement returns were received on the surface during reverse out. Utilizing the best engineering approach, practices, and techniques from this job is implemented in the future wells as the production of the well is directly affected by the cement quality. Post job cement integrity evaluation via a cement bond log confirmed excellent bonding of cement to the liner and reservoirs across the entire open-hole interval.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Gu ◽  
Ju Huang ◽  
Su Zhang ◽  
Xinzhong Hu ◽  
Hangxiang Gao ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study is to improve the cementing quality of shale gas well by mud cake solidification, as well as to provide the better annular isolation for its hydraulic fracturing development. Based on the self-established experimental method and API RP 10, the effects of mud cake solidifiers on the shear strength at cement-interlayer interface (SSCFI) were evaluated. After curing for 3, 7, 15 and 30 days, SSCFI was remarkably improved by 629.03%, 222.37%, 241.43% and 273.33%, respectively, compared with the original technology. Moreover, the compatibility among the mud cake solidifier, cement slurry, drilling fluid and prepad fluid meets the safety requirements for cementing operation. An application example in a shale gas well (Yuanye HF-1) was also presented. The high quality ratio of cementing quality is 93.49% of the whole well section, while the unqualified ratio of adjacent well (Yuanba 9) is 84.46%. Moreover, the cementing quality of six gas-bearing reservoirs is high. This paper also discussed the mechanism of mud cake solidification. The reactions among H3AlO42- and H3SiO4- from alkali-dissolved reaction, Na+ and H3SiO4- in the mud cake solidifiers, and Ca2+ and OH- from cement slurry form the natrolite and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) with different silicate-calcium ratio. Based on these, SSCFI and cementing quality were improved.


2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (05) ◽  
pp. 65-65
Author(s):  
Gunnar DeBruijn

Wow! What a year it has been! We have experienced enormous upheavals in our professional and social circles and wholescale changes in the way that we interact with each other. As engineers, though, we recognize that in every challenge there is an opportunity. I have been lucky to attend SPE online events, including a happy hour and a webinar on geothermal energy. As we witness a shift to renewable energy, I note that 2020 SPE President Shauna Noonan highlighted that our SPE professional expertise in the subsurface will be needed to both maintain existing energy production and develop new sources of energy. Cementing, zonal isolation, and well integrity continue to be an important piece of the puzzle. This year, in the presence of enormous challenges, the selected papers demonstrate step changes both in efficiency and in the results of cementing operations. Managed-pressure cementing extends the benefits of managed-pressure drilling, and a successful case is described in paper OTC 30481. Last year, we read about offline cementing in North America. Offline cementing continues to increase rig efficiency, and wellhead equipment that enables offline cementing is described in paper SPE 202439. Improving cementing results by enabling casing rotation with rotating cement heads is discussed in paper SPE 198970. Research that will enable future successful changes also continues. Although not summarized in this edition, extra reading is recommended for interesting discussions on proving shale as a barrier (SPE 200755), cement properties and initial state of stress in confined pressure conditions (SPE 201770), and the evaluation of neutron logging as a possible cement evaluation tool (SPE 202973). As an industry, we also continue to investigate materials that will provide effective isolation in the annulus. Papers about self-healing systems (SPE 203174), epoxy (SPE 202648), and expanding metal sealing systems (SPE 203354) are also recommended as extra reading. Although it has been a challenging year, operational improvements, research, and material investigation continue to provide engineering opportunities in cementing and zonal isolation. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 200755 - Innovative One-Trip System Helps Qualify Creeping Shale as Permanent Barrier for Plug and Abandonment of Wells on the Gyda Field by Thore Andre Stokkeland, Archer, et al. SPE 201770 - Laboratory Measurement of Cement Stress Before, During, and After Curing Under Undrained Condition With Constant Hydrostatic Pressure by Meng Meng, Los Alamos National Laboratory, et al. SPE 202973 - Potential Usage of Neutron Logging Technology for Casing Cement Evaluation—Feasibility Study by Espen Dommersnes, University of Stavanger, et al. SPE 203174 - A Game-Changing Technology for Cementing in Highly Deviated and Horizontal Wells Using Interactive Mud-Sealing Cement System by Choosak Orprasert, Mubadala Petroleum, et al. SPE 202648 - Primary Cementing Using Epoxy Resins as Additive: Experimental and Application by Khawlah Abdulaziz Alanqari, Saudi Aramco, et al.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 339
Author(s):  
I. Carneiro ◽  
M. Borges ◽  
S. Malta

In this work,we present three-dimensional numerical simulations of water-oil flow in porous media in order to analyze the influence of the heterogeneities in the porosity and permeability fields and, mainly, their relationships upon the phenomenon known in the literature as viscous fingering. For this, typical scenarios of heterogeneous reservoirs submitted to water injection (secondary recovery method) are considered. The results show that the porosity heterogeneities have a markable influence in the flow behavior when the permeability is closely related with porosity, for example, by the Kozeny-Carman (KC) relation.This kind of positive relation leads to a larger oil recovery, as the areas of high permeability(higher flow velocities) are associated with areas of high porosity (higher volume of pores), causing a delay in the breakthrough time. On the other hand, when both fields (porosity and permeability) are heterogeneous but independent of each other the influence of the porosity heterogeneities is smaller and may be negligible.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdulwahhab Suhail ◽  
Mohammed H. Hafiz ◽  
Fadhil S. Kadhim

   Petrophysical characterization is the most important stage in reservoir management. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate reservoir properties and lithological identification of Nahr Umar Formation in Nasiriya oil field. The available well logs are (sonic, density, neutron, gamma-ray, SP, and resistivity logs). The petrophysical parameters such as the volume of clay, porosity, permeability, water saturation, were computed and interpreted using IP4.4 software. The lithology prediction of Nahr Umar formation was carried out by sonic -density cross plot technique. Nahr Umar Formation was divided into five units based on well logs interpretation and petrophysical Analysis: Nu-1 to Nu-5. The formation lithology is mainly composed of sandstone interlaminated with shale according to the interpretation of density, sonic, and gamma-ray logs. Interpretation of formation lithology and petrophysical parameters shows that Nu-1 is characterized by low shale content with high porosity and low water saturation whereas Nu-2 and Nu-4 consist mainly of high laminated shale with low porosity and permeability. Nu-3 is high porosity and water saturation and Nu-5 consists mainly of limestone layer that represents the water zone.


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