BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing

Primary Cementing

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

Primary Cementing

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Sequence of Well Construction

Conductor

Surface
casing

Cement

Intermediate
casing
Production
casing

reservoir

reservoir

Production
liner

reservoir
PE Skill Group 10

reservoir
May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing

Learning Objectives
To describe functions and types of cement
To explain cement properties and their importance
To recognise surface and downhole cementing equipment
To explain cementing operations

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Content
Objectives of Cementing
Types/Class of Cement
Cement Properties
Cementing equipment
Surface
Downhole
Cementing Operations

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing

Two principal functions of

primary cement :

To support the casing

To restrict fluid movement

(communication) between
formations/reservoirs behind
pipe

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing

What can happen to cement behind casing ?

Complete displacement and seal

Channeling behind pipe
Incomplete displacement
Micro-annulus
Gas or fluid migration
Unset cement
Well cured cement have permeability of 0.001 md with
pore size of 2 microns and porosity of 35 %. Gas
migrating within cement slurry before curing can create a
network of pores of up to 0.1 mm with permeabilities of 1
to 5 md.

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
What can happen to cement behind casing ?
Complete displacement
& seal

Channeling
behind pipe

Gas or fluid migration

Incomplete
displacement

Micro-annulus

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Cement Component

Principal component of Portland cement

>50% Tricalcium silicate/ C3S (3CaO.SiO2)
>25% Dicalcium silicate/ C2S (2CaO. SiO2)
>10% Tricalcium aluminate/ C3A (3CaO.Al2O3)
>10% Tetracalcium aluminoferrite/ C4AF (4CaO. Al2O3.Fe2O3)
>10% other oxides

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Cement properties

Cement Testing Procedures :

Use standard API specification to describe
equipment and procedures for testing
Operating Thickening Time Test
time taken for cement slurry to set/harden
most important properties of an oil/gas well cementing
slurry
insufficient thickening time - cement set in casing, tubing
or drillpipe
excessive long thickening time - long waiting on cement
(WOC) time
PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Cement properties

Determination of Slurry Density

should be used in the field to monitor cement slurry quality
Operating Compressive Strength Test
useful for establishing WOC time and monitoring the stability
of the set material
in general, a compressive strength of 500 psi is adequate for
most operations
Determination of Normal and Minimum Water Content
to assess field slurry problem relating to water- to- solid ratio.
High water content can cause free water break out and solid
settling, low water can cause undesirable high slurry density
PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing

API Cement Types

API Class A and Class G

Predominantly used cement

Class A refer to construction cement
may normally used to a depth 6000 ft
Class G normally used in neat slurry to a depth
8000 ft

Other API Classes

Class D, E, F use for high temperature but not
widely distributed
Class J is specifically intended for high
temperature - does not set at BHST less than
230 deg F. Not widely available
PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Cement Additives

Properties that are modified by additives :

For slurry;
thickening time (acceleration,retardation)
density (extenders/weight increase/reduction
friction during pumping
fluid loss (by filtrate)
loss circulation resistance (whole slurry loss)
For set cement;
compressive strength
strength retgrogression (loss with time)
expansion and contraction
PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

Primary Cementing

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Cementing Equipment
Surface Equipment

Mixers or blenders

Pumping/displacing unit

Cementing or plug release

head

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Mixing Equipment

Jet Mixer

PE Skill Group 10

Pneumatic Blender
(for batch mixingaccurate )
May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Pump-skid Truck

The pumping unit draws slurry from the mixer. The slurry is
followed by the displacing fluid (gauged).

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing

Cementing Head
(with manual plug release)

Provide connection from

pumping unit and rig-pump
lines into casing and
receptacle for plugs
Modern heads equipped
with
quick change cap for
insertion of cement plug

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Downhole Equipment
(Conventional casing job)
Predetermined volume of slurry is
pumped into the casing betweem
two wiper plugs
The bottom plug ruptures when it
seats (top plug is solid)
The top plug is displaced with
mud or completion fluid, flow
stops and pressure builds up
when the top plug lands
Check valve in the float shoe
prevents backflow of heavier
column of slurry

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Downhole Equipment

A round-nosed shoe is run on

the bottom joint to guide
casing to pass borehole
irregularities
The collar also act as a seat
for pump down plugs

Commonly used shoes and collars

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Downhole Equipment

To separate cement from

preceding or following fluids
The bottom plug also
removes mud from the wall of
the casing, prevents mud
from accumulating beneath
the top plug and being
deposited around the lower
casing joints
Wiper plugs

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Stage-Cementing and Methods

Conventional placement of cement slurry around the

lower portion of a casing string followed by
placement of successive upper stages through ports
in a stage or port collar
Stage collars are most commonly used - contain
ports initially isolated by a sliding sleeve which can
be moved downward/upward to open and close the
port. Two types of collar opening methods :
displaced plugs and free fall plugs
Port collars can be opened or closed by mechanical
action of an inner string such as drillpipe - rotation or
vertical manipulation

PE Skill Group 10

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing

Displacement Type Method

PE Skill Group 10

Free Fall Plug Method

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Liner Cementing

Typical liner cementing procedures

PE Skill Group 10

Typical equipment used for

liner cementing
May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Cement Evaluation

Evaluation of cement job can determine :

PE Skill Group 10

failure of cement to fill the casing-borehole annulus

to minimum acceptable height
failure to provide a seal at the casing shoe, or at
the top of a liner
failure to provide effective isolation of the zone(s)
of interest

May 2003

BASIC WELL COMPLETION

Primary Cementing
Cement Evaluation

Common evaluation technique include :

PE Skill Group 10

temperature survey
radioactive tracer log
cement bond logging
pressure inflow test
production testing, production logging

May 2003