CEMENTING HORIZONTAL AND HIGH

ANGLE SECTIONS
admin | November 29, 2009 | Comments (0)

CEMENTING HORIZONTAL AND HIGH ANGLE SECTIONS

SLURRY DESIGN AND TESTING
It is generally considered more difficult to effectively cement a horizontal section than it is a vertical section.
When cementing a horizontal section the slurry designs are not that different
to those used on vertical or near vertical sections but the control of slurry properties must be more stringent.
Batch mixing is recommended to maintain close control and consistency of slurry properties. Mixing on the fly
subjects slurries to a short period of high rate shearing, batch mixing to a long period of low rate shearing.
Cement slurry properties are sensitive to the duration and rate of shearing they undergo. Because the control of
slurry properties is more stringent, care must be taken that testing methods and conditions model, as well as
possible, the mixing regime to be used. API tables of BHCTs based on BHSTs and depth do not provide good
estimates of the BHCTs of highly deviated or horizontal wells. Therefore, a good computer simulation should be
run. Current API test procedures do not adequately evaluate settling stability. Therefore, a British Petroleum (BP)
settlement test should be carried out. This test is now a standard throughout the industry and is likely soon to be
incorporated into the API test specifications. For slurries to be used on horizontal sections:
A settlement less than 3mm is acceptable
A settlement of more than 5mm is unacceptable
A gradient of less than 0.5lb/gal is acceptable
A gradient of more than 1.0lb/gal is unacceptable.
One of the most important criteria to consider when cementing horizontal sections is the free water content.
Design cement slurries to contain no more than a trace of free water; zero free water is recommended. The API
operating free water test (see section 3.3 Slurry Testing) is the preferred API test. Inclining the test container at
forty-five degrees is a variation of the free water test that may be more applicable to cementing horizontal wells.
Fluid loss is important in horizontal wells because it is likely that the slurry is exposed to long permeable sections
of formation. Through an impermeable section an API fluid loss of around 150ml/30min is adequate. However, if
the section is through a length of highly permeable formation the API fluid loss should be 50ml/30min or less. The
rheology should be consistent with a stable slurry. The Yield Point (YP) should not be less than 5lb/100 sq ft.
Dispersants affect slurry stability and should therefore be used with care.