Developing Environmentally Compliant Materials for Cementing and Stimulation Operations

Abstract

Several offshore oil and gas well drilling operations involve discharging fluids to the sea as part of normal operations. This can have a potential environmental impact on marine and aquatic ecosystems, depending on the characteristics of the components of these discharges. Offshore drilling operations are carried out in many regions, worldwide, and different governments have enacted environmental regulations and requirements to control potential marine pollution. In addition, most of the companies that operate in these environments have their own internal environmental policies. All of those requirements must be met during offshore operations. However, some chemicals traditionally used in the onshore operations pose risks in the marine environment. Therefore, as more environmentally sensitive operations arise (e.g. deepwater cementing, where the tophole cement returns are circulated to the sea), environmentally friendly alternative chemical products are being developed to replace those hazardous chemicals. The challenge now is to develop environmentally friendly materials that do not sacrifice operational performance or significantly impact well economics. This paper analyzes materials developed for cementing and stimulation operations, comparing their environmental performance with the different environmental regulations requirements and considering their operational performance with traditional chemicals that pose more risks to marine environments.