A Review of Recent Research on Contamination of Oil Well Cement with Oil-based Drilling Fluid and the Need of New and Accurate Correlations

Abstract

Drilling fluids and oil well cement are important well barriers. Their compatibility affects the long-term integrity of the well. The mixing of drilling fluid with the oil well cement causes contamination of oil well cement. If the contamination is due to diesel/oil-based drilling fluid (OBF) it adversely affects the rheological and mechanical properties of oil well cement—in other words, the long-term integrity of the well. An initial study on OBF contamination of oil well cement was carried out two decades ago. In recent years, several research projects were carried out on the same topic to understand the reason for changes in the properties of oil well cement with OBF contamination. This literature review shows that using OBF eliminates several drilling problems, as the long-term integrity of the well depends on the amount of OBF contamination in the cement slurry. This paper compares the experiments performed, results and conclusions drawn from selected research studies on OBF contamination of oil well cement. Their shortcomings and a way forward are discussed in detail. A critical review of these research studies highlights the need for new and accurate correlations for OBF-contaminated oil well cement to predict the long-term integrity of wells.

An Outlook of Drilling Technologies and Innovations: Present Status and Future Trends

“…Arbad et al [41] have shown the importance of measuring the bonding between casing and cement and compared these properties with other cement mechanical features such as shear strength and unconfined compressive strength. The paper highlights first a simple yet effective method to measure and compare the so-called interfacial bonding shear strength of casing-cement interaction as well as pure shear strength.…”

Impact of Drilling Fluid Contamination on Performance of Rock-Based Geopolymers

“…These structures will reduce the liquidity of the cement slurry because the free water is tied. Skalle and Sveen (1991) and Aughenbaugh et al (2014) showed another reason for cement strength degradation. They noted that the phase of high-water activity/low-salinity cement might invert to low-water activity/high salinity because of osmotic forces.…”

“…However, some traces of drilling mud will stay in the annulus. As a result, the cement will be contaminated with drilling fluid, which leads to degradation of the cement integrity (Arbad and Teodoriu 2020).…”

“…Several studies have been conducted on the cement contaminated with drilling mud to investigate the effect of contamination on the mechanical properties of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Aughenbaugh et al (2014) revealed that cement's compressive strength could be reduced up to 60% from its initial strength when the percentage of contamination with water-based mud is approximately 15% by volume. The thickening time may be reduced, which leads to the setting of cement at unpredicted depth and causes well integrity issues.…”

Hydrogen Impact on Cement Integrity during Underground Hydrogen Storage: A Minireview and Future Outlook

“…25,49 Various factors can contribute to cement degradation during UHS, such as the presence of CO 2 in the brine/formation, 30 the generation of hydrogen sulfide, 50 and the existence of fractures in the cement sheath or microbial activities that lead to casing corrosion. 51 Therefore, addressing and understanding the associated issues of wellbore integrity during UHS are crucial for successful long-term containment/utilization of hydrogen as an energy source.…”