CEMENTING BASICS

Cement bond logs were run as early as 1958 with early sonic logs and the
temperature log was used to find cement top beginning in 1933. Cement integrity
logs are run to determine the quality of the cement bond to the production casing,
and to evaluate cement fill-up between the casing and the reservoir rock. A poor
cement bond may allow unwanted fluids to enter the well. Poor fill-up of cement
leaves large channels behind the pipe that, likewise, allow the flow of unwanted
fluids, such as gas or water into an oil well. By-products of cement integrity logs
are the compressive strength of the cement, the bond index, and in some cases,
the quality of the casing string itself.
Both poor bond and poor fill-up problems can also allow fluids to flow to other
reservoirs behind casing. This can cause serious loss of potential oil and gas
reserves, or in the worst case, can cause blowouts at the wellhead. Unfortunately,
in the early days of well drilling, cement was not required by law above certain
designated depths. Many of the shallow reservoirs around the world have been
altered by pressure or fluid crossflow from adjacent reservoirs due to the lack of a
cement seal.
Getting a good cement job is far from trivial. The drilling mud must be flushed out
ahead of the cement placement, the mud cake must be scraped off the borehole
wall with scratchers on the casing, fluid flow from the reservoir has to be
prevented during the placement process, and the casing has to be centralized in
the borehole. Further, fluid and solids loss from the cement into the reservoir has
to be minimized.
Gas percolation through the cement while it is setting is a serious concern, as the
worm holes thus created allow high pressure gas to escape up the annulus to the
wellhead - a very dangerous situation.
Poor bond or poor fill-up can often be repaired by a cement squeeze, but it is
sometimes impossible to achieve perfect isolation between reservoir zones. Gas
worm holes are especially difficult to seal after they have been created.
Poor bond can be created after an initial successful cement job by stressing the
casing during high pressure operations such as high rate production or hydraulic
fracture stimulations. Thus bond logs are often run in the unstressed environment
(no pressure at the wellhead) and under a stressed environment (pressure at the
wellhead).
Cement needs to set properly before a cement integrity log is run. This can take
from 10 to 50 hours for typical cement jobs. Full compressive strength is reached
in 7 to 10 days. The setting time depends on the type of cement, temperature,
pressure, and the use of setting accelerants. Excess pressure on the casing should
be avoided during the curing period so that the cement bond to the pipe is not
disturbed.

CEMENT INTEGRITY LOG BASICS

Todays cement integrity logs come in four flavours: cement bond logs (CBL),
cement mapping logs (CMT), ultrasonic cement mapping tools (CET), and
ultrasonic imaging logs (USI, RBT). Examples and uses for each are described in
this Chapter.
Before the invention of sonic logs, temperature logs were used to locate cement
top, but there was no information about cement integrity. Some knowledge could
be gained by comparing open hole neutron logs to a cased hole version. Excess
porosity on the cased hole log could indicate poor fill-up (channels) or mud
contamination. The neutron log could sometimes be used to find cement top.
The earliest sonic logs appeared around 1958 and their use for cement integrity
was quantified in 1962. The sonic signal amplitude was the key to evaluating
cement bond and cement strength. Low signal amplitude indicated good cement
bond and high compressive strength of the cement.
In the 1970s, the segmented bond tool appeared. It uses 8 or more acoustic
receivers around the circumference of the logging tool to obtain the signal
amplitude in directional segments. The average signal amplitude still gives the
bond index and compressive strength, but the individual amplitudes are shown as
a cement map to pinpoint the location of channels, contamination, and missing
cement. This visual presentation is easy to interpret and helps guide the design of
remedial cement squeezes. An ultrasonic version of the cement mapping tool also
exists. The log presentation is similar to the segmented bond log, but the
measurement principle is a little different.
Another ultrasonic tool uses a rotating acoustic transducer to obtain images for
cement mapping. It is an offshoot of the open hole borehole televiewer. The signal
is processed to obtain the acoustic impedance of the cement sheath and mapped
to show cement quality. The tool indicates the presence of channels with more
fidelity than the segmented bond tool and allows for analysis of foam and extended
cements.
Individual acoustic reflections from the inner and outer pipe wall give a pipe
thickness log, helpful in locating corrosion, perforations, and casing leaks.

TEMPERATURE LOGS FOR

CEMENT TOP
In the good old days before the
invention of sonic logs, there was no
genuine cement integrity log. However,
the location of the cement top was often
required, either to satisfy regulations or
for general knowledge. Since cement
gives off heat as it cures, the temperature
log was used to provide evidence that the
well was actually cemented to a level that
met expectations. An example is shown at
right. The top of cement is located where
the temperature returns to geothermal
gradient. The log must be run during the
cement curing period as the temperature
anomaly will fade with time.
Today, most wells are cemented to surface
to protect shallow horizons from being
disturbed by crossflows behind pipe. In
this case, cement returns to surface are
considered sufficient evidence for a
complete cement fill-up.
 CEMENT BOND
LOGS (CBL)
Cement bond logs (CBL)
are still run today because
they are relatively
inexpensive and almost
every wireline company
has a version of the tool.
The log example at the
right illustrates the use of
the acoustic amplitude
curve to indicate cement
bond integrity.
The examples in this
Section are taken from
Cement Bond Log
Interpretation of Cement
and Casing Variables, G.H.
Pardue, R.L. Morris, L.H.
Gallwitzer, Schlumberger
1962.
EXAMPLE 1: CBL in well bonded cement low amplitude means good bond. The
SP is from an openhole log; a gamma ray curve is more common. Most logs run
today have additional computed curves, as well as a VDL display of the acoustic
waveforms.

The CBL uses conventional sonic log principals

of refraction to make its measurements. The
sound travels from the transmitter, through the
mud, and refracts along the casing-mud interface
and refracts back to the receivers, as shown in
the illustration on the left. In fast formations
(faster than the casing), the signal travels up the
cement-formation interface, and arrives at the
receiver before the casing refraction.
The amplitude is recorded on the log in millivolts,
or as attenuation in decibels/foot (db/ft), or as
bond index, or any two or three of these. A travel
time curve is also presented. It is used as a
quality control curve. A straight line indicates no
cycle skips or formation arrivals, so the
amplitude value is reliable. Skips may indicate
poor tool centralization or poor choice for the
trigger threshold.
The actual value measured is the signal
amplitude in millivolts. Attenuation is calculated by the service company based on
its tool design, casing diameter, and transmitter to receiver spacing. Compressive
strength of the cement is derived from the attenuation with a correction for casing
thickness. Finally, bond index is calculated by the equation:
 1: BondIndex = Atten / ATTMAX
Where:
Atten = Attenuation at any point on the log (db/ft or db/meter)
ATTMAX = Maximum attenuation (db/ft or db/meter)
The maximum attenuation can be picked from the log at the depth where the lowest
amplitude occurs. On older logs attenuation and bond index were computed
manually. On modern logs, these are provided as normal output curves. Bond
Index is a qualitative indicator of channels. A Bond Index of 0.30 suggests that only
about 30% of the annulus is filled with good cement.

INTERPRETATION RULE 1: Low Amplitude = Good Cement

INTERPRETATION RULE 2: High Attenuation = Good Cement
INTERPRETATION RULE 3: High Bond Index = Good Cement

A nomograph for calculating attenuation and bond index for older Schlumberger
logs is given below.
Chart for calculating cement bond attenuation and cement compressive strength
Zone isolation is a critical factor in
producing hydrocarbons. In oil wells,
we want to exclude gas and water; in
gas wells, we want to exclude water
production. We also do not want to
lose valuable resources by crossflow
behind casing. Isolation can
reasonably be assured by a bond
index greater than 0.80 over a specific
distance, which varies with casing
size. Experimental work has provided
a graph of the interval required, as
shown at the left.

The following examples

illustrate the basic
interpretation concepts of
cement bond logs. Note
that log presentations as
clean and simple as this
are no longer available, but
these are helpful in
showing the basic
concepts.
EXAMPLE 2: CBL with both
good and bad cement;
hand calculated
compressive strength
shown by dotted lines,
labeled in psi; SP from
openhole log. Note straight
line on travel time curve
and bumps indicating
casing collars.
 EXAMPLE 3: This log
shows good bond over
the oil and water zones,
but poor cement over
the gas zone, probably
due to percolation of
gas into the cement
during the curing
process. The worm
holes are almost
impossible to squeeze
and this well may leak
gas to surface through
the annulus for life,
because the bond is
poor everywhere above
the gas. A squeeze job
above the gas may shut
off any potential hazard.

EXAMPLE 4: Cement bond

log before and after a
successful cement
squeeze. Even though
modern logs contain much
more information than
these examples, the
basics have not changed
for 40 years.

CEMENT BOND
LOGS
WITH VARIABLE
DENSITY DISPLAY
(CBL-VDL)
While the important results of a CBL are easily seen on a conventional CBL log
display, such as signal amplitude, attenuation, bond index, and cement
compressional strength, an additional display track is normally provided. This is
the variable density display (VDL) of the acoustic waveforms. They give a visual
indication of free or bonded pipe (as do the previously mentioned curves) but also
show the effects of fast formations, decentralized pipe, and other problems.
But you need really good eyes and a really good
display to do this. The display is created by
transforming the sonic waveform at every depth
level to a series of white-grey-black shades that
represent the amplitude of each peak and valley on
the waveform. Zero amplitude is grey, negative
amplitude is white, and positive amplitude is black.
Intermediate amplitudes are supposed to be
intermediate shades of grey.
This seldom happens because the display is printed on black and white printers
that do not recognize grey. Older logs were displayed to film that did not have a
grey only black or clear (white when printed). So forget the grey scale and look
for the patterns. Older logs were analog the wavetrain was sent uphole as a
varying voltage on the logging cable. These logs could not be re-displayed to
improve visual effects. Modern logs transmit and record digitized waveforms that
can be processed or re-displayed to enhance their appearance.
The examples below show the various situations that the VDL is supposed to
elucidate. These examples are taken from New Developments in Sonic Wavetrain
Display and Analysis in Cased Holes, H.D. Brown, V.E. Grijalva, L.L. Raymer,
SPWLA 1970.

INTERPRETATION RULE 1: Low Amplitude = Good Cement

INTERPRETATION RULE 2: High Attenuation = Good Cement
INTERPRETATION RULE 3: High Bond Index = Good Cement
EXCEPT WHEN FAST FORMATION ARRIVALS APPEAR
 EXAMPLE 5: CBL-VDL in free pipe (no cement). Notice straight line and high
amplitude pattern on VDL pipe arrivals (railroad track pattern). Travel Time curve is
constant and amplitude curve reads high. Note casing collar anomalies on travel
time and amplitude curves, and more weakly on VDL display.

EXAMPLE 6: Casing is still unbonded (high amplitude railroad tracks on early

arrivals on VDL), amplitude curve reads high, BUT late arrivals on VDL have
shape and track porosity log shape. This indicates free pipe laying on side of
borehole and touching formation. The VDL arrivals with shape are the formation
arrivals. Better casing centralization should be used on the next well. A cement
squeeze will improve the scene but will probably not provide isolation on the low
side of the pipe.

EXAMPLE 7: Well bonded pipe (low amplitude on early arrivals on VDL, good bond
to formation (high amplitude late arrivals with shape). Mud arrivals would have
high amplitude but no shape.

EXAMPLE 8: At Zone A, amplitude shows good bond, but VDL shows low
amplitude formation signal. This indicates poor bond to formation. Travel time
curve reads very high compared to baseline, indicating cycle skipping on casing
arrivals but casing bond is still good. Travel time less than base line value would
indicate fast formation. If you can detect fast formations, bond is still good,
regardless of high early arrival amplitude.
 EXAMPLE 9: VDL on left shows poor bond but formation signal is fairly strong.
When casing is put under pressure, bond improves (not a whole lot) as seen on
lower amplitude early arrivals on right hand log. This is called a micro-annulus.
Under normal oil production, the micro-annulus is not too big a problem unless
bottom hole pressure is very low. Micro-annulus is caused by dirty or coated pipe,
pressuring casing before cement is fully cured, or ridiculous pressures applied
during stimulation.

EXAMPLE 10: When there is no CBL-VDL made under pressure, the un-pressured
version can be used to interpret micro-annulus. High amplitude early arrivals
(normally indicating poor bond) actually indicate good bond (with micro-annulus)
IF formation signals are also strong.

EXAMPLE 11: The travel time curve is lower than baseline (shaded areas, Track 1)
indicating fast formation arrivals. If you see fast formation, you have a good bond
to pipe and to formation. However, you cannot use the amplitude curve (labeled
Casing Bond on this example) to calculate attenuation, compressive strength, or
bond index, because the amplitude is measured on the formation arrivals, not the
pipe arrivals.
 EXAMPLE 12: CBL-VDL shows the transition from normal to foam cement just
above 4650 feet. The foam cement has lower compressive strength so the
amplitude curve shifts to the right. Notice the use of the expanded amplitude scale
(0 to 20 mv) to accentuate the change. The compressive strength is computed from
a different algorithm than normal cement, shown in the nomograph in below.

Nomograph for calculating compressive strength in normal and foam cement.

Note

Source : https://www.spec2000.net/07-cementlog1.htm
Cement Evaluation
Noninvasively confirm annular barrier and bond between the casing and
cement with acoustic sonic and ultrasonic insight
Cement placement is a critical component of the well architecture for ensuring mechanical support of the
casing, protection from fluid corrosion, isolation of permeable zones at different pressure regimes to
prevent hydraulic communication, and effective plug and abandon operations.

Quantify zonal hydraulic isolation

Acoustic sonic and ultrasonic cement evaluation tools measure the bond between the casing and the
cement placed in the wellbore annulus between the casing and wellbore. Confirming hydraulic isolation
between reservoir layers is essential to avoid potential problems such as crossflow behind the casing
between zones. The early detection of poor cement quality or the absence of cement enables conducting
remedial action before the well is completed to avoid potential production problems and their associated
costs.

New PowerFlex annular barrier evaluation service combines the classic pulse echo technique with
imaging of flexural wave propagation along the casing and as third-interface echoes (TIEs) from the
cement-to-formation interface. The powerful new transducer overcomes signal attenuation in heavy muds
for cements from ultralight to heavyweight and multiple casings up to a diameter of 22 in and thickness of
1 in. Enhanced wellsite processing delivers a field answer product in two hours.

PowerFlex and PowerEcho Annular Barrier Evaluation Services

Quantify annular content and bond and confirm centralization and casing condition in almost all well fluids
and cements in large-diameter, thick-walled casings.

Isolation Scanner
Confidently evaluate zonal isolation even for lightweight cements by mapping annulus material,
pinpointing cement channels, and assessing real-time information about casing eccentralization, ID, and
thickness.

USI Ultrasonic Imager

Accurately determine pipe-to-cement bond quality and downhole pipe condition with real-time, high-
resolution, 360o coverage of the entire pipe circumference.

Invizion Well Integrity Services

Increase zonal isolation assurance in your well.

Cement Bond Logging Tools

Measure the bond between casing and cement using the industry standard.

Source :

http://www.slb.com/services/drilling/cementing/cement

_evaluation.aspx
Cement Evaluation - Cement Bond Log
Interpretation

This article presents the key elements for Cement Bond

Log Interpretation (free pipe, good bond, hard formation, micro annulus)

Free Pipe
Free Pipe is characterised by the following:

CBL / VDL CET

High CBL readings > 50% White on log

Parallel lines on VDL vs. Depth CSMX* & CSMN* are zero

Weak formation signals

VDL shows clear w pattern at collars

No change in transit time with depth

White on VDL log

*CSMX & CSMN are the Maximum and Minimum Cement Strength respectively.
Good Bond
AGood Bond is characterised by the following:

CBL / VDL CET

Low CBL readings (m Amp) below 5 Black on log

Casing signals very weak High CSMX & CSMN

Strong formation arrivals on VDL provided formation

attenuation is not too high

Formation arrivals change pattern with depth.

Casing arrivals show as parallel lines

May be a correlation between GR and VDL in shales

Hard Formations
Hard Formations such as anhydrite or dense limestone, behind the casing, are characterised by the

following:

CBL / VDL CET

Formation arrivals precede the casing arrivalsMay show as free pipe but they will be
flagged

Can be identified on the VDL

Micro-annulus
In the following two cases, the CBL / VDL shows up as poor cement. The CET must be used to

differentiate between the cases. This is important since channelling would be considered a failure

whereas the existence of a micro-annulus is unlikely to cause problems.

Micro-annulus should not be considered as a failure and is characterised by the following:

CBL / VDL CET

Shown as poor cement Shown as good cement

Decrease in formation signal and increase in casing
signal

Apply pressure (500-1000 psi) to casing and re-run log.

A micro-annulus should now show up as good cement -
unless hydraulic seal prevents closing of the gap

Channelling
Channelling is characterised by the following:

CBL / VDL CET

Shown as poor cement Channels are easily seen since whole

circumference is scanned

Decrease in formation signal and increase in

casing signal

The CET only determines the cement / casing bond, therefore, channels will be identified only

where they extend to contact the casing wall.

Source : http://www.wipertrip.com/cementing/evaluation/291-

cement-evaluation-cement-bond-log-

interpretation.html