Improved Primary Cement Jobs Through the Use of Unique Spacer Design Technology: Gulf of Mexico Case History Study

Abstract

This paper was selected for presentatmn by an SPE Program COmmltteO fo{lowmg revfew of Informal!on ccmtamed LOen abstract sutm !tted by tfw author(s) Ccmtents of the pap+r, as presented, have not b%en rewewed by IM %cmty of Petroleum Engineers and are subject lo Correchan by (he au!hor(s) The mater$al as presented, does not necessarily reflect any poslban of the %cmty of Petroleum Engineers ,ts offbeers,or members Papers presented al SPE meellngs are subject to publlcalon rev$ew by Edllorlal Comm,ltees of me Society of Petroleum Engmews Permtsslon to copy IS restncled to an abstracl of not mwe than 300 words Illustrations may not be Copied The abstract should Con!am conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented Write Lrbrar$ an, SPE P O Box B32J3M, Richardson, TX 75093 .383S U S A fax 01.214.952-9435 Abstract The primary cement job is critical to the success of a well completion. In many instances, the use of present spacer technology has resulted in mud contaminated cement. This paper discusses how the ARCO designed spacer system exhibits exceptional performance to clean out the wellbore and improve the quality of the cement job. Field examples from Offshore Gulf of Mexico show that this cleanout technology, together with pipe centralization and proper job execution, has resulted in good downhole placement of the cement slurry with minimal mud contamination.This success not only has drastically reduced the need for remedial cement work, but also has made the cement bond evaluation straight forward.This spacer technology has been successfully applied in water-based, oil-based and synthetic-based mud systems.Furthermore, the use of this spacer technology is now being expanded to other ARCO operations aro~nd the world.

Contamination of cement slurries with diesel-based drilling fluids in a shale gas well

“…However, OBMs are difficult to clear because of their strong adhesion to the casing and well. As a result, the displacement efficiency cannot reach 100% (Schumacer et al, 1996). OBMs residue in the wellbore may mix with cement during cementing operations.…”

Nano-emulsions as Cement Spacer Improve the Cleaning of Casing Bore During Cementing Operations

“…Several types of spacers have been used with different degrees of success. Solvent spacers have been considered (Morris et al, 1973) and nowadays innovative spacers have been developed looking for more effective formulations (Schumacher et al, 1996;Zanten et al, 2010). In this context nano-emulsion technology could be an innovative approach in spacer preparation and could improve their cleaning performance.…”