Cement Evaluation Project March 8, 2007

Cement Job Evaluation

CBL Basic Principles

Objectives of Primary Cementing

Zone Hydraulic Isolation
Cement
Gas Zone Prevents
•Mixing of unwanted fluids
Oil Zone
•Fluids scaping to surface
•Invading fluids [crossflow]
Shale Zone
•Casing Corrosion
•Casing Collapse

Water Zone

Casing

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Cement Evaluation Project March 8, 2007

Cement Quality Problems

No Zone Hydraulic Isolation
Cement
Prevents
•Mixing of unwanted fluids
Oil Zone
•Fluids scaping to surface
•Invading fluids [crossflow]
•Casing Corrosion
•Casing Collapse

Water Zone

Casing

Environment Description
Fluid filled Casing
Top of Cement
Micro-Annulus

b
Poor Cement to Formation Bond

Formations

Two stages Cement job

Less than perfect cement job.

Double Casing

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Cement Evaluation Tools

• Sonic
F CBL - Cement Bond Log
F CBT - Cement Bond Tool
F SCMT - Slim Cement Map Tool

• Ultrasonic
F CET - Cement Evaluation Tool
F USIT - Ultrasonic Imager Tool

CBL-VDL Log Applications

Client Needs
To Evaluate Cement Job
Cement
•Check Integrity of Cement
•To Verify Zone Isolation
Oil Zone •To Determine Cement Strength
•Is there any Channel ?
•Is it necessary to Repair ?
•Will be possible to Repair?
[ by performing a SQUEEZE ]
Water Zone
•Where is the Top of the Cement
?
Casing

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Sonic fundamentals
• The transmitter sends an omnidirectional
pulse
T
• The compression waves travel through
casing and are first to reach the 3-ft
receiver. 3’
R

• Part of the wave front, refracted straight 5’

down the casing, is used to determine

R

Amplitude and Transit time.

Basic Sonic Principle

Basic Tool Principle

– A Transmitter fires an acoustic signal in all

directions
– Surrounding Media Resonates
– Receivers record resulting sound
– Sound wave is Analyzed

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Cement Evaluation Project March 8, 2007

Basic CBL Principle

Similar to a
Ringing Bell
When Fluid is behind Casing,
No
No pipe is free to vibrate [ loud
Cement
Cement
sound ]

When the casing is bonded

to hard cement, casing
Good
Good vibrations are attenuated
Bond
Bond proportionally to bonded
surface

CBL Measurement Principle

Tx
Basic Tool Configuration
• 1 Transmitter – 2 Receivers
3 ft F 3 ft Receiver for CBL Measurement
F 5 ft Receiver for VDL Analysis
R3
5 ft • TOOL MUST BE CENTRALIZED

R5 CBL: CEMENT BOND LOG

VDL: VARIABLE DENSITY LOG

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CBL-VDL Measurement Principle

Acoustic Signal
Amplitude

T0 Time
µs
|--- Resulting Sound--|

- T0 : Firing Pulse
- Resulting Sound: as recorded at the Receivers

CBL Measurement Principle

CBL Definition
Tx • Amplitude of First Arrival in mV

• Measured at 3 ft Receiver
3 ft
• It is a function of the Casing-Cement Bond
R3

R5

Transit Time Definition

• Time elapsed from T0 to First Arrival

• T T is used as Log Quality Control Indicator

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CBL Qualitative Meaning

No
No
Good
Good
Cement
Cement
Bond
Bond

HIGH CBL signal strength => pipe is free to vibrate [ no cement ]

LOW CBL signal strength => atennuated energy [ cement is present]

The VDL Signal

VDL: VARIABLE DENSITY LOG
Tx • 5 ft Receiver for VDL Analysis
• Allows easy differentiation between
casing and formation arrivals
R3
5 ft

R5

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VDL Algorythm Principle

• Recorded Waveform at one depth

• Waveform is cut for only Positive Peaks

• Peaks are compared to a Grey Scale

• Peaks are shaded and presented from

Top View

• Final Picture Vs Depth is obtained

Propagation of the Acoustic Energy

distance
Velocity =
time

Slowness
1 time
Slowness = ∆t = =
velocity distance

Time required for sound to travel 1 foot

∆T Casing = 57 µsec/ft
∆T Cement = 75 µsec/ft
∆T Formation ˜ 100 µsec/ft
∆T Fluid ˜ 189 µsec/ft

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Propagation of the Acoustic Energy cont’d

Acoustic impedance (Z) defined as:

Z=ρ.v
Z1

Z2 ρ: density of material
Water
V: velocity of sound on that material
Steel

Cement
The amount of sound transmitted between two
different materials depends on their acoustic
Sound
impedance difference

1. If Z1/Z2 is high ==> low transmittance

1. If Z1/Z2 is low ==> high transmittance

Waveform Time Analysis

2”
∆T Casing = 57 µsec/ft
CASING ARRIVALS
∆T Cement = 75 µsec/ft
TRAVEL TIME ∆T Formation ˜ 100 µsec/ft
∆T Fluid ˜ 189 µsec/ft
TTC = FLUID + CASING + FLUID

3 in x 189 µs/ft 3 in x 189 µs/ft

= + 3 ft x 57 µs/ft +
12 in/ft 12 in/ft

= 265.5 µs

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Waveform Time Analysis

2”
∆T Casing = 57 µsec/ft
FORMATION ARRIVALS
∆T Cement = 75 µsec/ft
TRAVEL TIME ∆T Formation ˜ 100 µsec/ft
∆T Fluid ˜ 189 µsec/ft
TTF = FLUID + CEMENT + FORMATION + CEMENT + FLUID

3 in x 189 µs/ft + 2 in x 75 µs/ft

= 2x + 3 ft x 100 µs/ft
12 in/ft
= 419.5 µs

Waveform Time Analysis

2”
∆T Casing = 57 µsec/ft
FLUID ARRIVALS
∆T Cement = 75 µsec/ft
TRAVEL TIME ∆T Formation ˜ 100 µsec/ft
∆T Fluid ˜ 189 µsec/ft
TTf = FLUID

= 3 ft x 189 µs/ft

= 567.0 µs

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CBL-VDL Standard Outputs Presentation

•Transit Time TT in micro-seconds [µs]
•CBL Amplitude in millivolts [mV ]
•VDL Variable Density Log [waveform visual representation]

400 TT 200 0 CBL 100 200 VDL 1200

[µs] [mV] [µs]

CCL

GR

Sonic fundamentals - VDL

• Variable Density Log is the full Transmitter
firing
Casing Formation Mud

wave display of the 5-ft receiver.

• Displayed as light and dark
Amplitude (mv)

stripes. time usec

• Contrast depends on positive or

negative amplitude.
• To allow easy differentiation
between casing and formation
signal.

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Sonic fundamentals - VDL

• Unless casing is fully eccentered the presence of formation
arrivals is:
F A qualitative indicator of the presence of a solid material behind
the casing
F By no means a quantitative indicator of its presence

Example of a good CBL

• Check quality
F Look at TT curve
• Check CBL curve
F Relatively low amplitude

• Verify VDL
F No casing arrivals
F Formation arrivals

Example of a SALTBOND slurry 7-in. liner

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Example of a “bad” CBL

• Check quality
F Look at TT curve
• Check CBL curve
F Relatively high amplitude
• Verify VDL
F Casing arrivals
F Weak formation arrivals
• Isolation???

Example from a 9 5/8-in. casing

Basic CBL Amplitude Interpretation

• Basic interpretation:
F Low measured amplitude: good cement
F High measured amplitude: no cement
• Drawback: too simplistic (examples of 100% bond amplitudes)
Casing/Cement 3 MRayl 6 MRayl
5 ½ in. 17 lb/ft 6.1 mV 1.0 mV
9 5/8 in. 47 lb/ft 12.2 mV 3.3 mV
Logging fluid: 9.0 lb/gal water base mud

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Refined CBL Amplitude Interpretation

• Determine the bond index from:
log[ EMeasured ]−log[E Freepipe ]
BI =
log[ E100 % ]−log[EFreepipe ]
F The relative (not the absolute) amplitude value is the key

• Interpretation:
F In absence of any artefact the bond index is linearly related to the
percentage of the casing surface bonded with the cement
F Backed up by experiments with artificial channels filling part of the
annulus

Refined CBL Interpretation (cont’d)

• Rule of thumb:
F BI > 80% across a minimum length means hydraulic isolation
F But a bond index of 80% means that 80% of the casing surface
is bonded with cement
ä If this is due to a channel this is quite a large channel (20% or 72
degrees!)
ä But in absence of ultrasonic tool response this is considered as
satisfactory!
F What if BI < 80%?

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How to determine the bond index?

• What is needed?
F The free pipe and measured amplitudes: Efreepipe and Emeasured

F The expected amplitude for 100% bond: E100%

• Free pipe amplitude:

F Depends on casing size and logging fluid

F Can be measured (free pipe section) or can be derived from data

bank/model
ä Wireline data
ä CBL Adviser* module of CemCADE*

*Mark of Schlumberger

CBL chart

5.5 MRayl
2 mV
100% bond
CBL / VDL

3.5 MRayl
12 mV
100% bond

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Cement Evaluation Project March 8, 2007

CBL attenuation and compressive strength

• Using the conventional chart with compressive strength
scale makes no sense:
F Different charts have to be used for different cement systems
e.g. foamed cement vs. neat cement
F CBL attenuation is related to acoustic impedance and not
compressive strength
F In the lab compressive strength is quite often indirectly derived
from compressional wave velocity measurement - UCA - using
empirical laws which depends on cement density!

Acoustic Impedance
Materials
8
• Acoustic tools respond
to acoustic impedance
Neat

(acoustic hardness) Z Z
6
Setting Cement
MRayl
• Z = density x acoustic slurry

velocity 4
Light
• Z is expressed in Heavy
mud

MRayl (106 kg.m-2.s-1) 2

Water
Liquid

Oil

0 Gas

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CBL interpretation problems

• In many cases CBL amplitude is much higher than
expected even though cement is known to be present
F Design and execution of cement job are known to be OK

F VDL showing formation arrivals

F Attempt to squeeze failed

CBL amplitude is affected by many factors

other than channelling

Stretching
E1 Free Pipe Signal
Good Bond Signal
T0 Threshold

TT TT’

∆T
In cases of Good Cement
E1 decreases and TT is detected on a non linear portion of E1

∆T STRETCHING is the TT increase from its value in free pipe

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TT Cycle Skipping
E1 E3

T0 Threshold

TT TT’

In cases of very Good Cement E2

E1 could not reach Detection Threshold Level

T T skips to 3rd Peak [E3 ]........this is known as CYCLE SKIPPING

CBL Qualitative Interpretation

CONDITION TRANSIT TIME CBL AMPLITUDE VDL

Free Pipe NORMAL HIGH Casing Arrivals

Usually No Formation Arrivals
Good Bond to Casing & Formation HIGH / NOISY LOW No Casing Arrivals
Formation Arrivals
Good Bond to Casing HIGH LOW No Casing Arrivals
Not to Formation CAN BE NOISY No Formation Arrivals
Poor Bond to Casing NORMAL MEDIUM Strong Casing Arrivals
No Formation Arrivals
Microannulus NORMAL MEDIUM Formation Arrivals
Casing Arrivals
Channeling NORMAL MEDIUM Formation Arrivals
Casing Arrivals
Fast Formations LOW HIGH Formation Arrivals
No Casing Arrivals

Eccentered Tool LOW LOW DEPENDS

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Free Pipe Amplitude

5 • If no Casing-Cement bond, amplitude
is not attenuated

• This is called

3 FREE PIPE AMPLITUDE

2
CBL: Free Pipe

CBL AMPLITUDE VS. CASING SIZE

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FREE PIPE CHECK

CBL

100
Interpretation

100

Perfect
Chevron Patterns
Depth Match

Chevron Patterns

TT and CBL Amplitude

as espected according to Casing Size

Cement to Casing Bond

5
• If casing is well bonded,
soundwave will be attenuated
• The received CBL amplitude
will be low
3

2
CBL: Free Pipe

CBL: Good Bond

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GOOD BOND TO CASING & FORMATION

CBL

Interpretation

Formation Arrivals

Transit Time Low

with some <----------------------------------------CBL Amplitude

X
Stretching
No

Casing Arrivals

Irregular Bond
5
• The more “free” pipe or
“contaminated” cement in an
interval, the poorer the bond
• If cement job is not perfect, the
3 amplitude decreases less

CBL: Poor Bond

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POOR BOND TO CASING

CBL

Interpretation

Stable
Medium
Transit Time
<------------------------------CBL Amplitude
X

Strong

Casing Arrivals

GOOD BOND CASING NOT TO FORMATION

CBL

Interpretation

No

Formation Arrivals
Transit Time
Low
X

with some
<----------------------------------------CBL Amplitude
Cycle Skipping
No

Casing Arrivals
X

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Micro Annulus
• Gap between Casing and Cement
5
Caused by contraction of casing after
cement sets if Casing Fluid is changed

• E1 amplitude resembles a poorer bond

3 than actual

• Only a pressure pass can be done to

2
eliminate the micro annulus

CBL: Poor Bond

T

Tool Eccentering
Causes for Eccentralization
5 • Improper Equipment selection

[ Centralizers ] for Casing Size

• Missing or Broken Centralizer(s)

3 • Weak Centralizers in deviated wells

• Tool Damaged and/or bent

2 • Damaged Casing
Consequences
• Unbalanced sound paths
T
• Resulting waveform is meaningless

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Cement Bond Log

CBL Quality Control

• Is the tool normalized?
• Are the CBL gate parameters set properly?
• Is the measured Transit Time as expected?
• Is the free pipe measured CBL value as expected?
• Is the tool properly centered?
• How does the lowest measured amplitude of the log
compare to the predicted amplitude of the CBL?
• Does the tool response repeat itself (Repeat section)?

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