SPE 90829

Transition Time of Cement Slurries, Definitions and Misconceptions, Related to

Annular Fluid Migration
Murray J. Rogers, SPE, Robert L. Dillenbeck, SPE and Ramy N. Eid, SPE, BJ Services Company

Copyright 2004, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.

development can be studied.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and
Exhibition held in Houston, Texas, U.S.A., 26-29 September 2004.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of
Another defmition for transition time is the use
information contained in a proposal submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as of a static gel strength (SGS) analyzer to
presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to
correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
measure the time from which cement goes
position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at from 100 lbf/100 sq. ft (48 Pa) to 500 lbf/100
SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society of
Petroleum Engineers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper sq.ft (240 Pa). It has become an industry
for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is
prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to a proposal of not more than 300
standard that once cement slurries reach an
words; illustrations may not be copied. The proposal must contain conspicuous SGS of 500 lbf/100 sq. ft (240 Pa)., gas or
acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O.
Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435.
other fluids cannot be transmitted through the
cement. The faster that you achieve this
Abstract optimum SGS, the less likely
Transition time of cement slurries is a term that that the cement will transmit gas.
has been used throughout the oil industry for
many years. During this time, the term has This paper will establish a definition for
been defined, redefined and misused to cover cement transition time and discuss the
a wide range of cementing topics. This has misconception of only using gel strength
led to numerous misconceptions and confusion development to control gas migration. Test
as to what transition time really means. For data that exhibits gas tight slurries with long
many years, this term has been directly tied to transition and those with short transition
the term right-angle-set, which relates to the that allowed gas influx will be shown. Also
speed in which slurries undergoing discussed in the paper will be the advantages
continuous shear go from a pumpable to a of cements with a short transition in
non-pumpable state. Once pumping is controlling high-pressure water flows.
stopped, the profile of how cement transition
from a liquid, to a gel, to a set cement changes. Introduction
These changes can directly affect the The control of annular gas migration after
performance of cement slurries to control fluid cementing has been the subject of many
migration. studies and papers 1-6. These include practical
approaches, theoretical approaches,
With the advent of the Ultrasonic Cement mathematical modeling and physical
Analyzer (UCA), the term "transition time" of modeling, each concentrating on one or two
cement slurries was redefined. UCA's have specific causes of gas migration. The one
developed into an essential piece of thing that all these studies have in common is
equipment. Not only can they achieve the fact that they all present valid
compressive strength information, but the conclusions, and although beneficial, have all
apparatus can also provide a continuous failed in field applications at one time or
measurement of how cement sets in static another. These failures illustrate that
state. This information has shortened wait although we have learned a great deal about
on cement (WOC) time, and provides an the causes and prevention of gas migration,
excellent profile on how fast cement there is still a lot to learn. However, before
develops strength. However, the transducers we can progress, we need to make sure that
in a standard UCA only provide information we understand and are using the
after the cement develops a compressive preferred nomenclature.
strength set. With improvement in
computerization and transducers, a more The term transition time has been used to
sensitive evaluation of gel strength refer to the dynamic set profile of cement
slurries as exhibited on a pressurized
consistometer. In other words, slurries that
provided a short transition time were those
which demonstrated what is referred to as a
"right angle set" on a thickening time chart.
Fig. 1 illustrates what is meant by right
angle set. By defmition a "right angle set" is
one in which the viscosity of a slurry remains
relatively low through a majority of the test
and then rapidly sets in a 20 to 45-minute time
frame to more than 70 Beardon Units of
Consistency (Bc)4. Work performed in 1993 by
Mueller 7 demonstrated that the set profile
during a dynamic-state event is not
representative of the way that some cement
slurries will develop gel forces under static
conditions Most slurries are designed to
.

provide thickening times in the range of 4

hours, when the actual job time may be less
than 1 hour. Slurries that exhibit a right angle
set after 4 hours in a dynamic test, may
demonstrate a different profile if placed
under static conditions 1 hour into the test.
Once cement movement is stopped, SGS
development may occur within several
minutes to over an hour, dependent on well
conditions and slurry designs. Wellbore
temperature and pressure, along
3 SPE 90829
with slurry density and additives are the main
contributing factors determining how SGS's
develop. For these reasons, the term "right
angle set" (a dynamic analysis), should not be
used when referring to slurries with short
transition times (static-state test).
Another misconception on transition time is
the use of the initial compressive strength
determination, derived from an UCA. In some
cases, the time from 50 psi to 500 psi has been
used as a determining factor for how fast
slurries will transition into a solid. The time
to 500 psi is important in reducing WOC time,
but may have little to do with the SGS
development of cement slurries. Some of the
confusion is from the fact that an ultrasonic
gel strength analyzer is available on the
market. This instrument is called the static gel
strength analyzer (SGSA) and will be
described later in this paper. Part of the
confusion stems from the fact that the SGSA
can also be used to determine compressive
strength, while a UCA cannot be used to
determine SGS.
As described by Sabins et al, "transition time
is the period during which the slurry changes
from a true hydraulic fluid to a highly viscous
mass showing some solid characteristics" 8
,
under static-state conditions. From this point
forward, the aforementioned defmition will be
used when referring to transition time. In
this work and others, it is generally
accepted that at SGS development greater
than 100 lbf/100 sq ft (48 Pa), gas or fluid
intrusion into the gelled cement can occur.
This is considered the start of the transition
time and is the point in which full hydrostatic
pressure transmission is restricted. In an
effort to prevent shallow water flows,
Mueller 9 proposed a program to calculate the
initial transition time based on downhole
parameters. This provides a mathamatical
approach to calculate the critical gels at
which fluid intrusion can occur. The transition
time ends when the SGS increases to 500
lbf/100 sq ft (240 Pa). At this point, the slurry
developed sufficient gel strength to prevent
fluid or gas migration into the cement
column. In subsequent work, Sabins and
Sutton 10 proposed reducing the transition time
between 100 and 500 lbf/100 sq ft to less
than 40 minutes. This suggests that reducing
the transition time will minimize the time for
fluid or gas intrusion into the cement.
Although the authors agree with this
statement in principal, concentrating on
short transition times as your primary
approach to gas control is a one-dimensional
approach to a multi-dimensional problem. This
work will demonstrate that some slurries with
short transitions can fail when tested in a gas
migration model. It will also show that in
some cases slurries with extremely long
transition times can prevent intrusion of gas,
if otherwise properly designed.
Given the previous defmition for transition
time, a brief description of the mechanisms
to control fluid or gas migration is needed.
This paper will not attempt to establish a cure-
all for gas migration, but is intended to
illusrate that this is a multi-phase problem
requiring a broader testing approach.
It is generally understood that gas
migration can occur
between channels at the cement/formation
interface,
cement/pipe interface, cement/mud interface
and through the cement matrix itself.
Assuming that the cement slurry is designed
to minimize volume reduction, the first
three mechanisms are a function of following
good cementing practices1'4. These include
mud/annular conditioning, proper
centralization, casing movement, good
displacement efficiency and proper spacer
design. Good cementing practices are an
extremely important part of achieving a good
annular seal. However, it is not the intent of
this work to further explore these practices.
Instead, the authors believe that preventing
flow through the cement matrix requires the
use of a fit-for-purpose cement. Designing
such a cement requires focus on multiple
slurry properties that include the following:
1. Stabilized slurry — which includes zero
free fluid and minimal particle
segregation.
2. Low fluid-loss — normally fluid losses
below 50 cc's in 30 minutes is
recommended.
3. Short transition time — although a
desirable property, concentrating on
transition time solely can provide a false
sense of security.
4. Minimize volume reduction — Several
papers 2 on gas migration discuss
' 3
' 11
volume reduction during the plastic-
state, which is controlled primarily by
the slurries fluid loss and is relatively
small. More than 95% of the hydration
volume reduction occurs after initial set.
The entry rate for gas or fluid can never
4 SPE 90829

be more than the total cement volume

losses rate.
5. Reduced internal slurry permeability —
Although Sutton and Ravi 2 present a
good case that slurry permeability has
a direct relationship to fluid loss, in our
work we noted variances in the
permeability during the initial
hydration of the slurry. These
variances may be attributed to the type
of fluid loss additive used or to an
increase in permeability during the
induction period. We observed that the
use of materials which reduce
permeability of the cement can help to
minimize flow paths for gas or fluid.
Figure 2 demonstrates this increase in
permeability. The fluid loss for this
slurry was approximately 12 cc's using
a convensional fluid loss cell and API
procedures. During the hydration of the
slurry, the permeability appeared to
increase. There was also a simultaneous
increase in filtrate production, causing a
voulume reduction.

Test Equipment Description

The cement slurries examined in the
laboratory for this work were subjected to a
variety of tests. Those tests included
standard API HTHP thickening times, and
Fluid Loss testing, as well as non-API gas
migration model, and SGS testing.

Thickening Time: All HTHP slurry thickening

times were performed following API RP-10B
testing standards, on HTHP pressurized
consistometers using API test schedules
appropriate for the simulated well depth
and specific temperature gradient.

Fluid Loss: The HTHP slurry fluid loss tests

were all
performed following API RP-10B standards in
standard HTHP
SPE 90829
stirred fluid loss cells, at temperatures
reflective of the wells for which the slurries
were being tested.
Gas Migration: For testing a slurry's
resistance to internal gas flow during setting,
a gas flow test model similar to one
described by Beirute and Cheung 6 was
utilized. An operational diagram of the
actual test cell is illustrated in Figure 3. This
gas flow model is equipped to measure the
permeability of the cement while being
subjected to pressurized gas intrusions
from the reservoir. In the subject test cell,
three distinct pressures are applied to the
cement slurry during the test.
The hydrostatic pressure that would normally
be transmitted to the top of the cement column
by the fluids above the cement (such as drilling
mud and/or cement spacers) is simulated by
mineral oil from a pressurized storage
vessel. This oil is pushed to the top of a
traveling piston, which in turn rests on top of
the slurry in the test cell. Normally, 1,000 psi is
used to simulate the hydrostatic head on the
cement slurry. The travelling piston contains
a small port in its center and is fitted with a
325/60 mesh stainless steel screen across its
face that makes contact with the cement
slurry in the test cell. On the backside of the
traveling piston, the central port is
connected to a 0.25-in. diameter stainless
steel tube, which is 10.0-in. long. This tube is
used to introduce the second of the three
pressures.
In this case, it delivers pressurized nitrogen
gas to simulate the effect of a reservoir gas
being injected into setting slurry in the annulus
of a well. The screen across the face of the
travelling piston is used to simulate a high-
pressure, high-permeability gas zone. For
testing, a constant pressure of 500 psi is used
to simulate this high-pressure interval.
The third pressure used in the test is
introduced to the cell via a port in the bottom
of the assembly. This bottom port is covered
with the same type of 325/60-mesh stainless
steel screen as the face of the travelling
piston. Once again, nitrogen gas is utilized
via this port and screen. A pressure
regulator, is utilized to hold a constant 300
psi to simulate a lower pressure, high-
permeability formation. The performance
of the regulator is similar to a check valve. If
the pressure on the test cell side of the
5
regulator is greater than 300 psi, then the
regulator allows fluids (either cement filtrate
or Nitrogen gas) to leak off. Once the test cell
is filled with cement slurry and the desired
temperature and pressure conditions
simulated, the test can be run.
The gas flow test model actually records
(automatically, via microprocessors) the
(static) fluid loss, transition time, and
permeability of the setting cement. As well
as all pressures, the volume of any cement
filtrate and/or whole gas that passes through
the cement is also recorded. Additional
pressure monitoring ports in the cell allow
for the recording of the actual pore pressure
of the cement slurry as it cures. This
particular pressure reading is critical during
the test, as a gas tight slurry will typically
show a gradual decline of the slurry pore
pressure as the slurry sets and no longer
transmits the simulated hydrostatic pressure
of the fluid above the cement
top. However, in instances where gas is
actually working through the slurry matrix,
the slurry pore pressure will typically cease
its decline over time and begin to rise again,
as high-pressure formation gas forces its way
into the setting cement slurry matrix. At the
same time, data recording will typically
indicate excess slurry filtrate being forced
from the setting slurry, and in some
instances, whole gas will be detected
flowing through the slurry and out of the test
cell.
As originally discussed by Beirute and Cheung
6
, in order for a slurry to be considered gas
tight in a test with the model, the slurry pore
pressure needs to continue to decline until
the slurry is fully set and there should be no
gas flow through the setting slurry. Figure 4
illustrates the results from the model with a
slurry that maintained low permeability
during transition and resisted flow of the high
pressure gas. Figure 5 illustrates a test
where the slurry was not able to resist gas
flow and therefore the test was deemed a
failure.
Since the original development of the model,
field results with slurries designed to pass the
gas model have shown good correlations to
results obtained from field applications.
Static Gel Strength: As previously
mentioned, currently there are not any
industry recognized standard methods for
the determination of SGS in oilfield cement
systems. However, ISO is evaluating three
6 SPE 90829
different types of laboratory test devices in
order to attempt to develop such standards.
One of the test devices being evaluated is an
ultrasonic test device (SGSA) that uses
interpretation of ultrasonic transmissions
passing through the cement slurry to
determine the developing SGS.
A second device being evaluated is a vane
device. This device is essentially a "Vane type
rheometer" that operates with an
intermittent shear. Unlike other equipment
available to measure SGS, the vane device is
limited to about 800 psi pressure.
The third device works in a very similar fashion
to an HTHP consistometer, in that the slurry is
brought up to bottomhole pressure and
temperature over time, while being
continuously sheared at a rate consistent with
slurry placement in a well. After being
conditioned under bottomhole conditions for
a time approximately equal to that required
for placement in a well, the test device then is
transitioned over into the SGS test mode. In
this mode, the SGS of the slurry is
continuously monitored over time by means of
a special paddle immersed in the slurry inside
a pressurized vessel. The resistance on the
paddle rotated at a continuous shear of
0.26°/min, is measured by a strain gauge.
For this work, all SGS determination was
preformed with a device that functions in the
same manner as the third type of tester
described above. This modified piece of
tabletop laboratory equipment functions
both as a standard HTHP consitometer, as
well as a SGS analyzer. Figure 6 shows the
entire machine. In the thickenong time mode,
it can actually function as a fully capable
HTHP consistometer. However, in SGS
testing, this mode is typically used only to
simulate the
shearing of the slurry during placement into
the annulus of a well. As described
previously, once the slurry has been
conditioned in the placement simulation mode,
the device is then switched over into the SGS
testing phase of the test. Figure 7 shows a
close-up of the control panal, which by means
of a microprocessor instrumentation column and
a thin lanyard, as shown on Figure 8, takes
over the very precise drive of the paddle
from the large motor used in the
consistometer/conditioning mode. This
instrumented column controls the rate of
rotation of the paddle. Although capable of
vaiable rotation rates, 0.26°/minute was used as
a standard for our testing, which is roughly
equal to one complete rotation in about 23
hours. It is the drag of the slurry on this very
slowly turning paddle that is used to compute
the SGS. Typically, once a slurry has obtained
an SGS of 500 lbf/100 sq ft (240 Pa), the test
is considered to be finished and is terminated.
Data Presentation:
Although the authors have observed numerous
examples of slurries that support their
findings, four designs were chosen to
demonstrate the typical misconceptions with
regards to transition time as defined
previously. These slurries are:
1. Portland Class H + GMR + DA + EA +
FWC mixed at 16.2 ppg in fresh water
2. Portland Class H + GMR + DA + LTR +
KC1 mixed at 15.7 ppg in fresh water
3. Portland Class H + GMR + DA + FLA
mixed at 16.5 ppg in fresh water
4. LSC mixed at 15.8 ppg that provides
low fluid loss properties.
Slurry 1: Represents a multi-functional slurry
designed to provide a short transition time,
control fluid or gas intrusion and exhibit a
right angle set on the HPHT consistometer. This
design is considered an ideal case scenario,
since it addresses most of the causes of gas
migration, as previously discussed. The slurry
composition is a blend of Portland cement
containing additives that provide gas
migration reduction (GMR). These materials
aid in fluid loss control, free fluid prevention,
bonding and internal slurry permeability
reduction. GMR additives can consist of a
broad range of materials such as latex,
polyvinyl polymers, silica fume blends, etc.
This design also included a cement
dispersant (DA), an expanding additive (EA)
and a free water control additive (FWC).
Basic testing criteria for this slurry used a
bottomhole circulating temperature (BHCT) of
110°F (43.3°C), an initial pressure of 400 psi, a
final pressure of 2,900 psi and a ramp rate of
20 minutes. All slurry preparation and
conditioning was done according to API RP 10-
B specifications.
For Gas Flow Testing, the slurry was mixed and
ramped up to
bottomhole circulating temperature
(BHCT) on an
SPE 90829
atmospheric consistometer. Once conditioned
and stable at
temperature for 20 minutes, the slurry was
transferred into a pre-heated cell jacket (of
same temperature). As described in the
equipment section, a pressure of 1,000 psi was
used to simulate the hydrostatic head.
Pressures of 500 psi and 300 psi, respectively,
were used to simulate high and low-pressure
zones. Although these pressures can be
altered to simulate actual well conditions, it
was found that these parameters provide a
standardized test procedure under a worse
case scenario. The slurry was then kept static
at temperature and pressure for the duration
of the test, normally 24 to 48 hours. The
parameters discussed above, along with the
fluid loss, volume reduction and gas volume,
were automatically monitored and recorded
for the duration of the test. The data was
transferred to a computer where it was
plotted against time as seen in Figure 9.
The SGS of the slurry was then tested as
described in the equipment section of this
work. The slurry was ramped up to pressure
and temperature while being sheared at 150
rpm (such as it would be in an HPHT
thickening time test). After conditioning for 2
hours, (which is the time to mix, pump and
displace the slurry), the top-drive motor was
turned off and the secondary motor was
activated and attached to the strain gauge to
initiate SGS testing. A lanyard attached the
strain gauge to the paddle, which pulled it
through a rotation of 0.26 °/min. The force
required for that rotation was then monitored
through the data acquisition system and
plotted on a chart recorder. As mentioned
previously, the time from 100 lbf/100 sq ft (48
Pa) to 500 lbf/100 sq ft (240 Pa) is the measure
of transition time. Figure 10 exhibits the
results of this test.
This fmal test of the slurry was a
thickening time determination on a
conventional HTHP consistometer to record
its set profile. The same pressure and
temperature parameters were also used for
this test. The consistency of the slurry was
measured and the test stopped when it
reached 70 Bc. The results of this testing can
be seen in Figure 11.
Slurry 2: Represents a multi-functional slurry
design that exhibits a satisfactory transition
time, yet allows gas intrusion when tested on
the Gas Model. This slurry is similar to Slurry
1, with the addition of Potassium Salt (KCL)
7
and a low temperature retarder (LTR). In this
case, the GMR was not of sufficient quantity or
type to prevent gas influx.
Basic testing criteria for this slurry used a
BHCT of 138°F (58.9°C), an initial pressure
of 550 psi, a final pressure of 4,900 psi and a
ramp rate of 40 minutes. All slurry preparation
and conditioning was done according to API
RP 10-B specifications.
The Gas Model test was conducted first,
using the same procedure discussed
previously. Figure 12 shows the results of this
Gas Model test.
The SGS of the slurry was then tested as
described in the equipment section of this
paper with the temperature and pressure
ratings listed for Slurry 2. In this case, the
slurry was conditioned for 4 hours to
simulate total job time. After conditioning
the motor was switched to SGS mode, as
described for Slurry 1. The results of this
testing is shown in Figure 13.
Slurry 3: In this test, the authors investigated
the ability of a slurry that exhibits an extremely
long transition time to control annular gas
migration. This slurry consisted of a blend of
Portland cement containing a GMR, DA and
fluid loss additive (FLA). The fluid loss of
Slurry 3 was controlled to less than 50 cc's/
30 minutes. The combination of the low fluid
loss to control volume reduction and the GMR
to reduce the matrix permeability of the
slurry during hydration, has been shown to
aid in preventing gas migration.
The test criterion used for Slurry 3 was
identical to that used for Slurry 2.
The Gas Model was conditioned and run similar
to those tests previously mentioned for Slurry 1
and 2. The result of the gas model for this
slurry is shown in Figure 14.
The SGS or transition time was run using the
procedure described previously in this work.
Job time for this specific design was 3 hours
prior to starting the SGS test. The result for
this test is shown in Figure 15.
Slurry 4: The fmal slurry design was chosen to
exhibit the typical misconception that SGS
development (transition time) and a "right-
angle-set" demonstrated on the conventional
HPHT consistometer are related. In this
example the slurry used is known as a liquid
storable cement (LSC) system. Although
8 SPE 90829
initially developed for use in remote locations,
its unique properties have established a
broader market in many parts of the world.
For some specific jobs, a long transition time
is the main requirement requested by the
operator. The composition of this slurry was a
mixture of Portland cement, a combination of
silica flour (325 mesh) and sand (100 mesh),
cement plasticizer, retarder, FLA, anti settling
agent and an intensifier, for activation.
For this application the slurry was ramped to
a BHCT of 180°F (82°C) in 1 hour at an initial
pressure of 700 psi and a fmal pressure of
7700 psi. The slurry temperature was held
constant for 1 hour to simulate job time. After
this period the slurry was ramped to BHST of
222°F (105.5°C) over a 3 hour period. This is
following guidelines established by the
operator to simulate actual job conditions.
Since this is a special slurry design it is
not mixed in accordance with API
procedure. A standard laboratory procedure
has been established to provide mixing
instructions that more closely simulate field
applications. This procedure has been used
successfully, to mix and store LSC, for over 8
years. The thickening time profile is shown in
figure 16.
The transition time was conducted using the
procedure established earlier in this work. A
condition time of 2 hours was used prior to
initiating the SGS mode. The result of this test
is shown in figure 17.
Discussion
As noted in figure 9 for slurry 1, the hydration
of the slurry began to occur about 4 hours into
the gas model test. At this time the filtrate
production leveled out at approximately 40
cc's. The pore pressure of the cement slurry
continued to drop for 7 hours after the initial
pressure drop was noted. No influx of gas was
recorded during this 24-hour evaluation.
Figure 10 of slurry 1 exhibits the transition time
of this slurry design.. The SGS development
from 100 lbf/100 sq ft (48 Pa) to 500 lbf/100 sq
ft (240 Pa) was 47 minutes. Although at the
upper limits of what would normally be
considered acctable by the authors, this
design provided satisfactory SGS results. The
last figure 11 is a scanned image of the
thickening time chart for slurry 1. The slurry
exhibited a thickening time of 3:30 hours. For
the first 2 1/2 hours of the test the slurry
exhibited a consistency of 10 Bc. Once it began
to set it took approximately 15 minutes to go
from 40 Bc to 70 Bc. This set profile would be
considered a 'right angle set'.
The slurry provided a pass scenario for all
three catergories evaluated. Although, this
may be desirable it is not always practical
considering the varability and quality issue
with the numerous cements on the market. It
is important not to dismiss a specific design
that has a long transition time, if the slurry is
still capable of passing a gas flow test.
Figure 13 of slurry 2 demonstrate an excellent
transition time of 33 minutes from 100 lbf/100
sq ft (48 Pa) to 500 lbf/100 sq ft (240 Pa).
Although the transition time exhibited by
slurry 2 is considered satisfactory to prevent
fluid or gas intrusion, it can be observed in
figure 12 that the slurry exhibited gas
migration 71/2 hours into the gas flow test. It
also should be noted that the slurry design
exhibited less than 40 cc's fluid loss in the
standard fluid loss cell. In the gas model more
than 85 cc's of filtrate was produced for the
duration to the test. The last 20 cc's of
filtrate was made during the onset of
hydration, which has been observed in many
failed tests over the years. A possible
explanation for this is that the rapid volume
reduction caused by increased permeability
during initial hydration allowing gas influx
into the matrix of the slurry.
Slurry 3 is a classic case of a gas flow test
that passes (figure 14) and a transition time
that fails (figure 15).. The slurry pore
pressure drop started at approximately 41/2
hours into the test, and continued for 10
hours before stabilizing. The transition time
chart demonstrates what is considered to be a
very slow gel strength development. Basically
it took 4:19 hours to go from 100 lbf/100 sq ft
(48 Pa) to 500 lbf/100 sq ft (240 Pa).
Slurry 4 was a special case in which it was
necessary to design a slurry to provide an
extremely long transition time. This was
accomplished by use of a special LSC system.
Figure 17 shows the results of the transition
time or SGS test. It can be noted that the slurry
obtained 100 lbf/100 sq ft (48 Pa) within 30
minutes after switching to the SGS mode.
However, it took nearly 24 hours to reach 500
lbf/100 sq ft (240 Pa). This slow gel
development would not have been
anticipated under accepted ideaology, given
the right angle set exhibited in
9 SPE 90829

figure 16. The thickening time chart exhibits Standardization

a slurry that produced a consistency of less KC1- Potassium Chloride
that 8 Bc for over 40 hours and then increased lbf - Pounds Force
to 70 Bc in 10 minutes. This is considered a LSC- Liquid Storable Cement
true right angle set. Figure 16 and figure 17 LTR - Low Temperature Retarder
are a good indication that right angle sets Pa - Pascal
and short transition times do not necessarily ppg- Pounds per Gallon
correlate to each one another. psi- Pounds per Square Inch
sq. ft.- Square Feet
Conclusions SGS- Static Gel Strength
From the investigations and results discussed in SGSA - Static Gel Strength
the paper, the authors propose the following Analyzer UCA - Ultrasonic
conclusions: Cement Analyzer WOC -
Wait on Cement
1. Even though the SGS can be critical
for the prevention of shallow water
flows in deep water cementing
operations, data does not indicate that
the SGS is singularly critical for
preventing gas migration through a
hydrating cement slurry.
2. The occurrence of a "right angle set"
in a slurry during HTHP thickening
time testing does not necessarily
equate to the same slurry possessing
rapid development of SGS, or yielding a
particularly high SGS.
3. Gas migration model testing does not
support the theory that Ultra-low fluid
loss control in a cement slurry is
singularly critical for preventing
gas migration through a hydrating
cement system.
4. The slurries that were deemed to have
successfully passed the gas flow model
used in this work also exhibited low
permeability throughout slurry
transition.
Nomenclature
API- American Petroleum Institute
Bc- Beardon Units of Consistency
BHCT - Bottom Hole Circulating
Temperature
BHST - Bottom Hole Static
Temperature
oc- Degrees Centigrade
cc- Cubic Centimeter
DA- Cement Dispersant
°
F- Degrees Fahrenheit
FLA- Fluid Loss Additive
FWC - Free Water Control
GMR - Gas Migration Reducer
HPHT - High Pressure High
Temperature
ISO International Organization for
10 SPE 90829

Acknowledgement of Cement Slurries Between the

The authors would like to thank BJ Fluid and Set States", paper SPE
Services for their support and permission to 9285, presented at the 1980 SPE
publish this paper. The authors would also Annual Technical Conference and
like to thank Scott Bray and Chris Perez for Exhibition, Dallas, 2124 September,
their assistance in generating the data used 1980.
in this paper. Additional thanks are extended 9. Mueller, D. T., "Redefming the
to Doris Porter and Harold Brannon for their Static Gel Strength Requirements for
assistance in fmalizing and proofmg this Cements Employed in SWF
paper. Mitigation", paper OTC 14282,
prepared for the 2002 Offshore
References Technology Conference, Houston, 6-
1. Stewart, R. B. and Schouten, F. C., 9 May, 2002.
"Gas Invasion and Migration in
10.Sabins, F.L. and Sutton, D. L., "The
Cemented Annuli: Causes and
Relationship of Thickening Time,
Cures", paper IADC/SPE 14779,
Gel Strength, and Compressive
presented at the 1986 IADC/SPE
Drilling Conference, Dallas, 1012 Strength of Oilwell Cements", paper
February, 1986. SPE 11205, presented at the 1982
SPE Annual Technical Conference,
2. Sutton, D.L. and Ravi, K.M., "New New Orleans, 26-29 September,
Method for Determining Downhole 1982.
Properties That Affect Gas Migration
and Annular Sealing", paper SPE
19520, presented at the 1989 64 th
Annual Technical Conference,
San Antonio, 8-11 October, 1989.
3. Sabins, F. and Wiggins, M.L.,
"Parametric Study of Gas Entry
Into Cemented Wellbores",
published in the SPE Drilling and
Completion, September 1997.
4. Grant, W.H. et al, "Simplified
Slurry Design Increases Wellsite
Success", paper SPE/IADC 16135,
presented at the 1987 SPE/IADC
Drilling Conference, New Orleans,
15-18 March, 1987.
5. Pornpoch Tiraputra, et al,
'Overcoming Shallow-Gas Drilling
Difficulties in the Gulf of Thailand",
paper IADC/SPE 87179, prepared for
the 2004 IADC/SPE Drilling
Conference, Dallas, 2-4 March,
2004.
6. Beirute, R. M. and Cheung, P. R., "A
Method for Selection of Cement
Recipes To Control Fluid Invasion
After Cementing", paper SPE 19522,
published in the SPE Production
Engineering, November, 1990.
7. Mueller, D.T., "An Investigation of
The Static-State Properties of Right-
Angle-Set Cements" prepared for the
Southwestern Petroleum Short
Course, 1993.
8. Sabins, F.L., et al, "Transition Time
SPE 90829 11

Class H + FLA + Retarder @ 16.5 ppg

tested at 180°F TT — 3:45 hrs FL — 12
cc's FW - Zero
"Interrelationship Between Critical
0 5 10 15 Cement Properties and Volume
DC VOLTAGE Changes During Cement Setting",
paper SPE 20451, presented at the
1990 SPE Annual Technical
Conference, New.
Figure 2 — Gas model chart showing the Figure 1 — Right Angle Set
rapid filtrate increase during cement
hydration GAS FLOW MODEL

1000 pSI Oil

Reservoir

Flowmeter
-—
lifgh Pressure 500 psi Transducer 
0- Nitrogen
Zone
Supply w
i i a0

Cement
Pore
Pressure
sJ.r,
Control Panel
DataCement
Storage
Graphical
__-11. Display
Slurry

Multi-tasking
Screen
Transducer

300 psi
300 psi Back
Low Pressure
Nitrogen Pressure
Zone Supply
-— Direct to Excel
Spreedsheet
13 SPE 90829

1000______________________________________________________________________________________ 1,1

100— 1000 au
10.0 lloo
Osof
.
1 .----.0
`
14.0170e
I MO Filtrate ------
FiltrUte -
1.0

Temperature ----6"1---- Temperature

, I
F
,
. . .

r t:

·.•
a ' Gas. Flaw
V 'D TO
,
o
v

r
Bo
—I
ZOO
A
0 • O e

. 1 —
• ' 4— Pore Pressure . :
Water . 2
2 ..____
/
Displaced 40 1 At —
— by Filtrate
II, Pore P
-
essure
. . - - - - - - - . of
1911

.
—
SO '
20 s ,
14 SPE 90829

Figure 6 — Tabletop HTHP consistometer conversion to SGS tester.

15 SPE 90829

Figure 7 — Microprocessor instrument panel Figure 8 — Lanyard assembly used to

used for modified tabletop SGS tester converte the SGS tester to gel testing
mode

Figure 10 — SGS chart for Slurry 1 _1,1,1u111,

500 lbf/100 sq ft

100 lbf/100

Figure 9 —Gas Flow Model chart for Slurry 1

(Passed) Start SGS test
mode L
16 SPE 90829

Figure 11 — Thickening time chart of Slurry 1

Figure 12 — Failed Gas Flow Model chart for Slurry 2

SPE 90829 17

Figure 13 — SGS chart of Slurry 2

Figure 14 — Gas Flow Model chart of

18 SPE 90829

Slurry 3 (Pass)
19 SPE 90829

500 lbf/100 sq ft — Folded Chart -

approximately 90
HI III minutes of chart not
1 1 shown.

---1

1 i I1
I 1 I.

y • 100 lbf/100 sq ft --- -

11
20 SPE 90829

- _ __ Start of SGS test

mode

Figure 15 — SGS chart of Slurry 3 (Long Transition Time)

SPE 90829 21
 cI141
05:2E: a
H1 fiS:n
Right Angle Set

Folded Chart - approximately 37

hours not shown

4
 kC) C

111111111111111

III
l

sq ft

1111111111N
.Mma.

•

111111111 ••

Immo.

111111111111
·
••
MIL

Figure 16 — Thickening time chart of Slurry 4 (Right Angle Set)

approximately 19 1/2
hours not shown
Figure 16 — Thickening time chart of Slurry 4 (Right Angle Set)