Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SPE 55650 Acoustic Method For Determining The Static Gel Strength of Slurries
SPE 55650 Acoustic Method For Determining The Static Gel Strength of Slurries
SPE 55650
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1999 SPE Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting held in Gillette, Wyoming, 15–
18 May 1999.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of information contained in an
abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as 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 position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at 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 for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers
is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be
copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous 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.
Abstract
1.- The static gel strength development determines the shut down safety factor
on the job. If the cement slurry is stopped prior to placement, then the static gel
strength allows the calculation of the pressure required to restart circulation.
2.- The static gel strength affects the hydrostatic pressure distribution and the
flow of gas or water into the cement filled annulus, known as fluid or gas migration.
This paper describes the discovery that as some slurries develop static gel
strength, the attenuation of a high frequency acoustic signal transmitted through
the slurry decreases. This change in amplitude correlates with the actual static gel
strength of the slurry.
An acoustic method and system for determining the static gel strength of a cement
slurry sample has been developed that provides nearly continuous, accurate, non-
mechanical measurements of the static gel strength of cement slurry samples. The
measurements are made at wellbore temperatures and pressures up to 400ºF,
20000 psig.
Introduction
Well cement slurries are complex substances that must be tested and
characterized prior to use in a well cementing operation. The reasons are
numerous and often determine the success or failure of the cement job. Test
methods and instruments have been developed over the last 50 years to measure
cementing characteristics such as thickening time, compressive strength, fluid loss,
settling, rheology and many others. Almost all of these methods involve mechanical
measurements under HP/HT conditions to simulate well conditions.
More recently, non-destructive test (NDT) methods have been developed for use in
measuring the compressive strength (Ref. 8) and static gel strength of well cement.
These instruments provide nearly continuous measurements as the properties and
testing conditions change.
The Ultrasonic Cement Analyzer (UCA) was developed for measurement of the
compressive strength of a slurry using acoustic velocity measurement and, through
the use of proprietary algorithms, the velocity is related to compressive strength.
(Ref. 2)
Recently, the Static Gel Strength Analyzer (SGSA) was developed for the
measurement of the static yield point, also known as the "static gel strength” of a
slurry. Similar in nature to the UCA in some respects, acoustics, digital signal
analysis and proprietary algorithms are used to perform the measurements.
As cement changes from a slurry to a solid, the matrix develops a structure that
behaves neither as a liquid or a solid. This process occurs before any measurable
compressive strength has developed. This gelation characteristic must be
understood and measured since it determines the gas or liquid in-flow potential and
it may cause lower formations to be subjected to high pressures if the job is halted
and restarted.
As a cement slurry develops static gel strength, it may become self supporting in
the annulus. In some respects, during the gel phase, cement may be considered
as a material with similarities to a polymer. This is true since the cement matrix
exhibits non-newtonian rheological behavior and exhibits a yield point, also known
as static gel strength (SGS). Commonly expressed in units of shear stress
(lbf/100ft2), the term may be considered as the shear stress that exists at the wall
boundaries at the onset of movement of a column of cement in an annulus due to
the presence of a head pressure.
Previous investigators (Ref. 1,3,4) studied static gel strength and developed
laboratory models and methods for measurement of SGS. The following equation
may be used to predict the pressure required to overcome the effects of SGS in a
column of cement:
P = (4LSgs)/D Equation 1
where,
P = pressure to overcome SGS, psig
Sgs = static gel strength, lbf/100ft2
L = length of column, ft
D = diameter, inches (hole diameter – pipe diameter)
One model for use in studying SGS involved measuring the differential pressure
across a cement column as the cement is moved at an infinitesimal rate within a
known internal diameter and length tube (Ref. 1). A constant pressure is applied at
the head of the column and a motorized screw pump is used to withdraw volume
from the bottom of the column at a rate ranging from 0.020 – 5.0 ml/min. The
column is maintained at a known temperature using a constant temperature bath.
The differential pressure is measured and used to calculate the development of
SGS.
Another approach involves API slurry cup geometry used in adapted HP/HT
cement consistometers to measure the static gel strength of the slurry (Ref. 7). The
paddle is rotated at a rate of 0.5 - 2.0 degrees/minute using a stepper motor drive
and the torque on the paddle due to the gel structure is measured. The assumption
that the rotating paddle induces plug flow of the slurry within the cup justified a
calculation of the SGS using the swept area and length of the paddle. The
rotational rate of the paddle is adjusted to be slightly less than the rate of
development of the SGS. However, this approach to measuring SGS lacks
sensitivity and resolution due to friction in the magnetic drive system and the
continuous shearing of the sample may bias the measurement of SGS.
Clearly, there was a need for a laboratory instrument that is capable of making
measurements of the cement static gel strength prior to the development of
compressive strength.
Instrument Development
Early in the project, most of the effort was directed towards developing
mathematical relationships between the signal attenuation and the SGS of the
sample. To determine these equations, the slurries listed in Table 1 were tested
using the apparatus in Figure 1. Simultaneously, each sample was placed in a
modified acoustic vessel and the signal attenuation characteristics were measured
as a function of time. A variety of slurry designs were chosen to represent the
spectrum of designs that are in common use, as shown in Table 1.
The tube apparatus shown in Figure 1 was not used for every comparison. A
shearometer, consisting of a known diameter tube upon which a varying mass is
placed to induce motion in the sample, was used for some of the data values.
Additionally, the effects of temperature (T) and pressure (P) on the new method
were studied. The objective was to establish that the methods used to measure the
cement characteristics were independent from the effects of T & P. As a result of
the studies, as summarized in Figure 4, the effects of temperature on the cement
measurements were judged to be negligible. Additional studies indicated that the
effect of pressure on the measurement was greatly reduced when the sample was
pressurized to a minimum pressure of 500 psig to eliminate the effects of entrained
air.
An acoustic pressure vessel similar to that used in the UCA was chosen for use in
the new instrument (Ref. 6). Changes were made to the end plugs in the vessel to
improve the acoustic coupling between the piezo transducers and the sample.
Although the vessel is similar in design to that used in the UCA, the captured signal
analysis is much more complex. The UCA design measures the acoustic velocity,
whereas, the SGSA measures the signal content. Consequently, the SGSA
incorporates an embedded system that performs digital processing of the signal to
determine the signal attenuation. This process involves high speed sampling of the
signal, FFT analysis, and calculation of intermediate signal attenuation values.
Once this process is complete, each attenuation value is transmitted to the host
computer. When the data set is complete, post-analysis of the data calculates the
SGS values as a function of time. Refer to the system block diagram and sample
report in Figures 5 and 8.
Due to the nature and content of the stored data, the acoustic velocity (transit time)
is also determined. Using the proprietary UCA algorithms developed by Rao et al
(Ref. 2), the compressive strength of the sample is calculated after the SGS
development is complete. Consequently, the new instrument provides SGS data
and compressive strength as a function of time (Figure 8).
Intuitively, one could suggest that the Static Gel Strength Analyzer (SGSA) is a
viscometer that uses acoustic signal analysis as a basis for the SGS
measurement. This is not the case. A viscometer measures the shear stress
corresponding to a known fluid shear rate. From this data, the viscosity of the
sample is determined. One of the advantages of an acoustic measurement is that
the sample is not sheared, thereby providing a fluid property measurement at zero
shear rate. Research of existing literature discovered comparable techniques for
fluid property measurement used in the polymer industry. There are precedents
where acoustic signal analysis provides measurements of the gelation
characteristics of epoxy samples and curing agents. Interestingly, based on the
data presented in Ref. 5, the signal waveforms are similar to those found with a
cement slurry analysis.
Additional study of the process suggests that the change in the transmitted signal
energy occurs due to the chemical reactions in the slurry. For example, as the
amount of the unreacted water decreases during hydration, the transmitted
signal energy increases. From this observation, it is expected that a continuous
measurement of the unreacted water within a slurry will be achieved.
Once the gelation phase of the cement is complete and presumably, most of the
water has been absorbed by the reaction, the signal attenuation characteristics are
no longer of interest with respect to SGS measurements. In fact, the acoustic
velocity begins to change rapidly as the sample develops compressive strength.
Intuitively, one would expect this to be true since a substance that exhibits
compressive strength is no longer a gel. Note from Figures 8 and 9 that the initial
development of compressive strength coincides with the peak value of the SGS.
As evidenced by each UCA test, there are changes to the acoustic velocity, or
transit time, during the initial phases of the cement reaction prior to the onset of
compressive strength. Based on additional observation of the data, one finds that
monitoring the signal attenuation provides a much higher resolution measurement
of the gelation characteristics. Refer to Figure 3 as well as Figures 9 as examples
of this observation.
Analytical Results
Once the technique of correlating signal attenuation to static gel strength was
established, many cement samples (Table 1) were evaluated to test and optimize
the correlation(s). A typical example of these numerous data sets is provided in
Figure 9. In all cases, the results were compared with data obtained from the tube
rheometer apparatus and shearometer with good results.
An example of the fit between measured SGS and the correlated result is found in
Figure 6. The comparison results for most slurries were similar and allows one
correlation to be used for most slurry compositions. Ongoing efforts to enhance
and extend the applicable range of the correlation are underway.
The data presented in Figure 10 represents part of the design verification testing of
the completed instrument. Five slurries where chosen for testing in the production
model of the instrument and for comparison with earlier results.
Additional data is presented in Figure 11 that indicates the effect of worn mixer
blades on the development of static gel strength. Although not the subject of this
paper, this data illustrates the type of information that may be obtained using the
SGSA instrument.
Conclusions
1. The characteristic of a cement slurry to develop a gel structure as a function of
time prior to setting has been studied and modeled extensively. The term static gel
strength (SGS) is used to quantify this characteristic behavior.
2. SGS is one of several variables that are being evaluated in attempts to model
gas or liquid migration after well cementing operations.
3. Existing methods to measure SGS as a function of time involve large-scale
laboratory models or the use of rotating paddle type instruments.
4. Ultrasonic measurements may be used to measure SGS using correlations that
relate signal attenuation to SGS.
5. A new laboratory instrument has been developed that provides SGS
measurement as a function of time under HP/HT conditions (Figures 7, 8).
Nomenclature
P Pressure, psig
Sgs Static gel strength, lbf/100ft2
L Length of column, ft
D Diameter, inches (hole diameter – pipe diameter)
NDT Non-Destructive Testing
SGS Static Gel Strength
HP/HT High pressure, high temperature
UCA Ultrasonic Cement Analyzer
Acknowledgements
References
1. Sabins, F.L., Sutton, D.L., “The Relationship of Thickening Time, Gel Strength,
and Compressive Strength of Oilwell Cements”, SPE Paper 11205, 1986
2. Rao, P.R., Sutton, D.L., Childs, J.D., Cunningham, W.C., “An Automatic Device
of Nondestructive Testing of Oilwell Cements at Elevated Temperatures and
Pressures”, SPE Paper 9283, 1982
3. Bannister, C.E., Shuster, G.E., Wooldridge, L.A., Jones, M.J., Birch, A.G.,
“Critical Design Parameters To Prevent Gas Invasion During Cementing”, SPE
Paper 11982
4. Bannister, C.E., “Rheological Evaluation of Cement Slurries: Methods and
Models, SPE Paper 9284
5. Matsukawa, M., Nagai, I., “Ultrasonic Characterization of a Polymerizing Epoxy
Resin with Imbalanced Stoichiometry”, Journal Acoustical Society of America, April
1996
6. Rao, P., Moon, J.J., “High Pressure-High Temperature Autoclave System for
Testing Fluid Samples Ultrasonically”, U.S. Patent #4,567,765, 1986
7. Moon, J.J., Surjaatmadja, J.B., Ehlert, M.C., “Consistency and Static Gel
Strength Measuring Device and Method”, U.S. Patent #4,622,846, 1986
8. Jamth, J., Justnes, H., Nodland, N.E., Skalle, P., Sveen, J., “Testing System to
Evaluate the Resistance of Cement Slurries to Gas Migration During Hydration”,
CADE/CAODC Spring Drilling Conference, 1995
Metric Conversion Factors
Table 1
Cement Compositions
Slurry Slurry Composition Density, Temperature, ºF
Number lbm/gal
1 H, neat 16.5 85
2 H, 1% CaCl 16.5 85
3 H, 8% Bentonite, 2% CaCl 12.5 85
4 H, 8% Bentonite, 2% CaCl 13.5 85
5 H, 6% Bentonite, 2% CaCl 14.5 85
6 H, 35% sand, 0.5% Halad-344 17.0 120
Figure 9
7 H, 15% NaCl 16.4 120
8 H, 35% Sand, 18% Hematite, 0.5% Halad 344, 18.5 230
0.5% HR-12
9 H, 0.1% HR-5 16.5 120
10 H, 35% Sand, 0.5% CFR-3, 1% Halad 22A 17.0 120
11 H, 2gps Latex, 0.2gps S-434B, 0.1% CFR-3 16.5 150
12 H, 35% Sand, 0.5% CFR-3 17.0 120
Comparison Varies, See notes on plot Varies Varies
Study
SPE
Society of Petroleum Engineers
SPE 55560
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1999 SPE Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting held in Gillette, Wyoming, 15–
18 May 1999.
Este papel fue seleccionado para la presentación por una revisión de siguiente del comité de programa de SPE de la
información contenida en un extracto sometido por los autores. El contenido del papel, según lo presentado, no ha sido
repasado por la sociedad de los ingenieros del petróleo y está conforme a la corrección de los autores. El material, según lo
presentado, no refleja necesariamente ninguna posición de la sociedad de los ingenieros del petróleo, de sus oficiales, o de
los miembros. Los papeles presentados en las reuniones de SPE están conforme a la revisión de la publicación de los
comités redaccionales de la sociedad de los ingenieros del petróleo. La reproducción, la distribución, o el almacenaje
electrónico de cualquier parte de este papel para los propósitos comerciales sin el consentimiento escrito de la sociedad de
los ingenieros del petróleo se prohíben. El permiso de reproducirse en la impresión se restringe a un extracto de no más
que 300 palabras; las ilustraciones no pueden ser copiadas. El extracto debe contener el reconocimiento visible de donde y
por quién el papel fue presentado. Escribir a bibliotecario, SPE, Caja 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, los EE.UU., fax
01-972-952-9435 del P.O.
Extracto
Reacciones químicas complejas están ocurriendo dentro de una matriz del
cemento mientras que se convierte en un sólido. Durante la fase inicial de la
hidratación del cemento, el cemento exhibe características de polímero que
exhiben un punto de producción del esquileo que se ha descrito como “fuerza
estática del gel” (SGS). Debido a este comportamiento, la mezcla de cemento
desarrolla SGS después de que haya sido bombeado al fondo del hoyo. El
comienzo del desarrollo de la fuerza de gel señala el punto en el cual la lechada
de cemento comienza a cambiar de un fluido hidráulico verdadero que transmita la
presión hidrostática completa a un material sólido que tenga fuerza compresiva
medible. La fuerza del gel del cemento es importante por dos razones:
Introducción
Las lechadas de cemento para pozo son sustancias complejas que se deben
probar y caracterizar antes del uso en una operación de cementación de pozo. Las
razones son numerosas y determinan a menudo el éxito o la falla del trabajo de
cementación. Los métodos y los instrumentos de la prueba se han desarrollado
durante los últimos 50 años para medir las características del cemento tales como
tiempo de espesamiento, fuerza compresiva, pérdida de fluido, sedimentación,
reología y muchos otros. Casi todos estos métodos implican medidas mecánicas
bajo condiciones de HP/HT para simular condiciones de pozo.
Mientras que una lechada de cemento desarrolla fuerza estática de gel, puede
llegar a ser autosuficiente en el anular. En algunos respectos, durante la fase de
gel, el cemento se puede considerar como un material con semejanzas a un
polímero. Esto es verdad puesto que la matriz del cemento exhibe comportamiento
reologico no newtoniano y exhibe un punto de producción, también conocido como
fuerza estática de gel (SGS). Expresado comúnmente en unidades de la tensión
de esquileo (lbf/100ft2), el término se puede considerar como la tensión de
esquileo que existe en los límites de la pared en el inicio del movimiento de una
columna de cemento en un anular debido a la presencia de una presión principal.
P = (4LSgs)/D Ecuación 1
donde,
P = presión de superar SGS, Psig
Sgs = fuerza estática de gel, lbf/100ft2
L = longitud de la columna, pie
D = diámetro, pulgadas (diámetro del hoyo - diámetro de la tubería)
Temprano en el proyecto, la mayor parte del esfuerzo fue dirigido hacia desarrollar
relaciones matemáticas entre la atenuación de la señal y el SGS de la muestra.
Para determinar estas ecuaciones, las lechadas enumeradas en la Tabla 1 fueron
probadas usando el aparato en la Figura 1. Simultáneamente, cada muestra fue
colocada en un recipiente acústico modificado y las características de la
atenuación de la señal fueron medidas en función de tiempo. Una variedad de
diseños de lechada fue elegida para representar el espectro de los diseños que
están en uso común, según las indicaciones en Tabla 1.
Un recipiente de presión acústico similar a ése usado en el UCA fue elegido para
el uso en el instrumento nuevo (Ref. 6). Los cambios fueron realizados a la tapa
extremo del recipiente para mejorar el acoplador acústico entre los transductores
de la pieza y la muestra.
Intuitivo, uno podría sugerir que el analizador estático de la fuerza de gel (SGSA)
sea un viscosímetro que utiliza análisis de la señal acústica como base para la
medida de SGS. Éste no es el caso. Un viscosímetro mide la tensión de esquileo
que corresponde a un shear rate del fluido. De estos datos, la viscosidad de la
muestra se determina. Una de las ventajas de una medida acústica es que la
muestra no está esquilada, de tal modo proporcionando una medida flúida de la
característica en la tarifa cero del esquileo. La investigación de la literatura
existente descubrió las técnicas comparables para la medida flúida de la
característica usada en la industria del polímero. Hay los precedentes donde el
análisis acústico de la señal proporciona las medidas de las características de la
congelación de las muestras de epoxy y de los agentes que curan. Interesante,
basado en los datos presentados en Ref. 5, las formas de onda de la señal son
similares a ésos encontrados con un análisis de lechada de cemento.
Analisis de Resultados
Conclusiones
1. La característica de una mezcla del cemento para desarrollar una estructura del
gel en función de tiempo antes del ajuste se ha estudiado y se ha modelado
extensivamente. El gel de los parásitos atmosféricos del término la fuerza (SGS)
se utiliza para cuantificar este comportamiento característico.
2. SGS es una de varias variables que se estén evaluando en tentativas de
modelar la migración del gas o del líquido después de operaciones de
cementación del pozo.
3. Los métodos existentes a la medida SGS en función del tiempo implican
modelos en grande del laboratorio o el uso de rotar el tipo instrumentos de la
paleta.
4. Las medidas ultrasónicas se pueden utilizar para medir SGS usando las
correlaciones que relacionan la atenuación de la señal con SGS.
5. Se ha desarrollado un instrumento nuevo del laboratorio que proporciona la
medida de SGS en función de tiempo bajo condiciones de HP/HT (cuadros 7, 8).
Nomenclatura
P Presión, Puig
Sgs Fuerza estática del gel, lbf/100ft2
L Longitud de la columna, pie
D Diámetro, pulgadas (diámetro del agujero - diámetro de la pipa)
NDT Prueba no destructiva
SGS Fuerza estática del gel
HP/HT Alta presión, alta temperatura
UCA Analizador ultrasónico del cemento
Reconocimientos
Referencias
1. Sabins, F.L., Sutton, D.L., “The Relationship of Thickening Time, Gel Strength,
and Compressive Strength of Oilwell Cements”, SPE Paper 11205, 1986
2. Rao, P.R., Sutton, D.L., Childs, J.D., Cunningham, W.C., “An Automatic Device
of Nondestructive Testing of Oilwell Cements at Elevated Temperatures and
Pressures”, SPE Paper 9283, 1982
3. Bannister, C.E., Shuster, G.E., Wooldridge, L.A., Jones, M.J., Birch, A.G.,
“Critical Design Parameters To Prevent Gas Invasion During Cementing”, SPE
Paper 11982
4. Bannister, C.E., “Rheological Evaluation of Cement Slurries: Methods and
Models, SPE Paper 9284
5. Matsukawa, M., Nagai, I., “Ultrasonic Characterization of a Polymerizing Epoxy
Resin with Imbalanced Stoichiometry”, Journal Acoustical Society of America, April
1996
6. Rao, P., Moon, J.J., “High Pressure-High Temperature Autoclave System for
Testing Fluid Samples Ultrasonically”, U.S. Patent #4,567,765, 1986
7. Moon, J.J., Surjaatmadja, J.B., Ehlert, M.C., “Consistency and Static Gel
Strength Measuring Device and Method”, U.S. Patent #4,622,846, 1986
8. Jamth, J., Justnes, H., Nodland, N.E., Skalle, P., Sveen, J., “Testing System to
Evaluate the Resistance of Cement Slurries to Gas Migration During Hydration”,
CADE/CAODC Spring Drilling Conference, 1995