Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Materials Today: Proceedings

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr

Recron fiber reinforced ultra light weight Cenosphere cement for

unconsolidated formations with low fracture gradient
Gaurav Richhariya a,⇑, Dau Tapas Dora a, Aman Kumar a, Aman Rastogi a, Sadhvi Pharasi a, Yash Goyal a,
Mayur Rai a
a
DIT University, Mussorie Diversion Road, Dehradun 248009, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The cement slurry often induces fractures in the formation owing to its higher hydrostatic head. In the
Received 29 September 2020 present work, an ultra-lightweight cement slurry was synthesized using Cenosphere (Industrial
Received in revised form 18 March 2021 Waste). Further, the Recron fibers were added to improve the flexural strength & compressive strength
Accepted 6 May 2021
of the cement slurry. The dispersion of Recron fibers and Cenospheres was studied using a Scanning
Available online xxxx
Electron Microscope. Further the wettability of the cement slurry was observed using contact angle mea-
surement. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy & X-ray Diffraction was carried to identify the
Keywords:
various functional groups and phases in the Recron-Cenosphere Cement slurry. The cement slurry with
Ultra-lightweight cement
Cenosphere
30% Cenosphere and 0.5% Recron Fiber develops a compressive & flexural strength of 3210& 209 Psi with
Low fracture gradient an excellent pump ability.
Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-
ence on Advances in Design, Materials and Manufacturing.

1. Introduction studied widely. However, the porosity induced in the cement

Cementing is an integral part of oil & Gas well drilling opera-
tions. The class G cement (API) is mixed with water and other addi-
tives (according to API RP 10B-4) and pumped downhole around a
steel pipe (casing) [1]. The cement slurry around the casing sets to
form a cement sheath. The cement sheath serves several functions
such as zonal isolation, corrosion control of casing, prevent con-
tamination of aquifers and withstand compressive load exerted
owing to downhole stresses [2]. During the drilling operations, a
hydrostatic head of the cement column may instigate fracture in
weak and unconsolidated formations [3]. Therefore lightweight
cement slurries were introduced to reduce the fracture gradient
[4]. Water extended cement slurries, foam cement, and lightweight
additives instigate reduction of hydrostatic head. The water
extended cement slurries rely on reduction of cement slurry den-
sity through increases in water content [5]. However, such cement
slurries posses poor compressive strength [4]. The introduction of
nitrogen in the cement slurry resulted in cement slurry of low den-
sity. The dispersion of surfactants in the cement slurries has been
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: gauravrichhariya@gmail.com, gaurav.richhariya@dituniver-
sity.edu.in (G. Richhariya).
slurry owing to surfactant inclusion, reduces the compressive
strength making the cement sheath prone to damage [6–8]. The
lightweight cement slurry often shrinks after setting owing to
lightweight additives and porosity, inducing cracks [9]. Further,
different lightweight additives have been used over the years to
produce lightweight cement composites such as pumice, shells of
palm oil, strong foaming agent, volcanic ash expanded shale, and
perlite [10–15].
However, the poor mechanical properties, strength, and brittle
nature limited their application in lightweight cementitious
materials.
The cenospheres (CE) are lighter ash particles produced owing
to the combustion of coal in thermal power plants. The CE are hol-
low spheres with extremely low density(<0.8 g/cm3), low thermal
conductivity, glassy surface and posses particle size ranges in 1–
600 mm [23] [16]. Over the years, the release of CE and the hazards
associated with environment and health have gone multifold.
However, when mixed with cement, CE demonstrate excellent
compressive strength and shrinkage resistance [24][17,18]. The
addition of Nano Silica (NS) further improves the compressive, ten-
sile, and flexural strength [19,20]. The brittle nature of cenosphere
cement makes the cement sheath fragile against the impact &
shock load.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.05.129
2214-7853/Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Advances in Design, Materials and Manufacturing.

Please cite this article as: G. Richhariya, Dau Tapas Dora, A. Kumar et al., Recron fiber reinforced ultra light weight Cenosphere cement for unconsolidated
formations with low fracture gradient, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.05.129
G. Richhariya, Dau Tapas Dora, A. Kumar et al.
The fiber addition leads to a bridging effect and an improved
bond between the cement and fibers. A wide variety of steel, poly-
mer, and composite fibers have been used to improve the durabil-
ity of the cement. Steel fibers improve bond strength and pull out
resistance. However the poor flexibility and corrosive fluids in oil &
gas well limit it’s an application in oil well cementing. The
Polypropylene(Recron) fibers display improved reduced shrinkage,
impact resistance& toughness [21].
At present, there has been very limited research for inhibiting
crack generation in ultra-lightweight cement owing to poor
mechanical strength [22]. Therefore considering the fascinating
characteristics of CE, NS, and Recron Fibers (RF), the present study
is based on providing a sustainable solution to the cement shrink-
age and further crack generation through the application of CE, NS,
and RF.
2. Material & methods
2.1. Material
Class G (High Sulfate Resistance) oil well cement was procured
from Digvijay Cement Pvt. Ltd., India. Cenosphere (CIL-30) was
brought from Cenosphere India limited (CIL). RF was brought from
Ganesh Fibers (Dharavi). NS was provided by IDT/ONGC Dehradun.
Cement slurries were prepared according to API RP 10B-4 [22]. The
cement & other additives were mixed in the proportion as men-
tioned in Table 1 with RF% from 0.5 to 1.
2.2. Methods
The different lightweight additives such as pumice, foam
cement, volcanic ash, and CE cement slurries were tested for com-
pressive strength using (AIM 320-AN CTM, Aimil Ltd., New Delhi,
India). Cubes(200 X 20 X 200 ) were fabricated and tested under differ-
ent curing conditions. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrom-
etry was executed using (NICOLET iS50) to detect the various
functional group corresponding to transmittance band the cement.
Further X-Ray Diffraction(XRD) of CE, Cement, and RF were exe-
cuted using (X’PERT PRO) for the identification of crystalline and
amorphous phases. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used
to observed distribution and morphology of CE & RF using (FEI
Quanta 200) Further, the contact angle of the cement specimens
was measured to assess the wetting characteristics of the cement
cube. The specimens with flat surface were placed on the
Goniometer(90 Pro series, Rame–Hart) A drop of distilled water
was dropped on the surface of the specimen and the angle between
the tangent at liquid–solid interface was measured. To determine
the thickening time and pumpabilty of cement slurry, consistency
test, and rheological studies were conducted using chandler Con-
sistometer 7222 and Anton Paar Rheometer (MCR-72). Further,
the flexural strength of the cement sheath, specimens (0.500
Table 1
Cement slurry composition.
Sl. No. Cement (g) Water (ml) CE (g)
1 500 250(50%) 50(10%)
2 500 250(50%) 100(20%)
3 500 250(50%) 150(30%)
4 500 250(50%) 200(40%)
5 500 250(50%) 50(10%)
6 500 250(50%) 100(20%)
7 500 250(50%) 150(30%)
8 500 250(50%) 200(40%)
9 500 250(50%) 0 10(2%)
2
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
X0.12500 X400 ) was tested based on the three-point loading method
(ASTM-D790).
3. Result
3.1. Compressive strength
The cement slurries synthesized from different lightweight
additives were tested for compressive strength under atmospheric
curing conditions as shown in Fig. 1(a). The 20% of CE cement
demonstrates a compressive strength of 2551 Psi after 24 h. Fur-
ther, to improve the mechanical properties of cement slurry vary-
ing doses of CE were tested with 0.5% & 1% RF for compressive
strength for 24 h.
0.5% RF/ CE demonstrates higher compressive strength than 1%
RF/ CE, the result of compressive strength are shown in Fig. 1(b).
The compressive strength of cement slurry increases with increase
in concentration up to 30% (3210 Psi). However, further increases
in CE up to 40% concentration leads to a reduction in compressive
strength 3101Psi due to reduction in cement volume.
3.2. Flexural strength
The flexural strength increases with increases in the concentra-
tion of RF along with CE from 0.5% to1% up to 24 h and attain s a
peak flexural strength of 145 Psi as shown in Fig. 2 (a). Further addi-
tion of RF (1%) improves the flexural strength up to 209 Psi owing to
the high modulus of elasticity of RF with a slight reduction in com-
pressive strength Fig. 2(b). Therefore, the cement slurries were 30%
CE was tested further for Thickening Time, and Rheology.
3.3. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR & X.R.D Analysis
The sharp peak of 3075.9 cm-1and 2954.91 cm1 was observed
owing to the stretching bands of C–H in RF Fig. 3(a). A band at
around 658.08 cm1 was assigned to alumina silicate ring. Further,
the peak at 998.18 cm1 and 1052.94 cm1 suggest the presence of
the Si-O band in C-S-H. Further, a band at 1411.15 was observed
owing to the carbonate of cement
XRD studies illustrate the crystalline phase/orientation (of the
polymer chains) is influenced due to the addition of CE in the
cement Fig. 3(b). Studies demonstrate that crystallinity marginally
decreases owing to RF content. Further, The XRD represents
increases crystallization of the product of hydration owing to the
addition of CE. The interaction between the CE and hydration prod-
ucts caused a decrease of portlandite formation.
3.4. SEM Analysis
The morphology of cement sheath was observed to assess the
distribution of RF and CE particles (30–100)mm with a smooth reg-
ular spherical surface could be seen in Fig. 4(a).
NS(g) RF(g) Specific Gravity
10(2%) 2.5(0.5%) 1.24
10(2%) 2.5(0.5%) 1.08
10(2%) 2.5(0.5%) 0.99
10(2%) 2.5(0.5%) 0.89
10(2%) 5(1%) 1.58
10(2%) 5(1%) 1.32
10(2%) 5(1%) 1.22
10(2%) 5(1%) 1.15
0 2.98
G. Richhariya, Dau Tapas Dora, A. Kumar et al. Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 1. (a) Compressive strength of lightweight additives (b) compressive strength of varying dose of Cenosphere & 0.5 %Recron fibers.

Fig. 2. (a) Flexural strength with0.5% Recron (b) Flexural strength with 1% Recron.

Fig. 3. (a) FTIR Analysis of Cement & Additives (b) XRD Analysis of Cement & Additives.

Upon mixing with RF and other additives. A uniform distribu-
tion of CE particles and RF could be seen in Fig. 4(b) of the cement
matrix. The embedded RF improves the flexural strength of the
cement sheath whereas CE instigates strength & lightweight to
the cement sheath.
3.5. Contact angle
The contact angle measurement was measured to determine
the wetting characteristics of the cement sheath upon contact with
water. The cement sheath consisting of 30% CE posses an average

3
G. Richhariya, Dau Tapas Dora, A. Kumar et al.
Fig. 4. (a) Cenospheres, (b) Cenosphere embedded in cement and Recron Fibers.
Fig. 5. (a) Contact angle of 30% Cenosphere (b) contact angle of 30% Cenosphere & 0.5% Recron.
contact angle of 108.3° which suggests the hydrophobic character
of the surface owing to the presence of CE Fig. 5(a).
Further incorporation of 0.5% RF with 30% CE reduces the con-
tact angle to 78.6° Fig. 5(b). The reduced contact angle at RF –CE
interface could be due to the migration of water along with the
RF. The rheological studies suggest better pumpability than the
neat cement slurry.
3.6. Cement slurry consistency
The cement slurry consistency was tested to determine the
pumpability of the cement slurry. The cement slurry with 30% CE
and 0.5% RF were tested for consistency under a curing condition
of 2500Psi and 70 °C. The cement slurry attained a consistency of
30Bc after 90 min of Fig. 6.
After 90 min cement begins to gain plasticity at a rapid rate
which complements its application in the prevention of loss con-
trol. At 120 Minutes cement slurry attains a consistency of 70Bc.
Fig. 6. Consistency of cement slurry.
4
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3.7. Rheology of cement slurry
The rheology was determined to assess the pumpability of
cement slurry through the drill string and the casing. The cement
slurry was subjected to different shear rates from 40 to 240 s1
at room temperature. The shear stress increases with an increase
in neat cement slurry (75–500) Pa as well as in CE cement slurry
(23–290) Pa Fig. 7(a). However, due to the ball-bearing effect of
CE, the shear stress increases at a slower rate than the neat cement.
The increase in shear stress is owing to the gain in the plasticity of
both the cement slurries as a result of hydration.
Fig. 7(b) illustrates the initial high viscosity (1010 MPa-s) of
neat cement slurry owing to the thixotropic behavior of the
cement. Moreover, the viscosity of the cement slurry decreases
up to (253 MPa-s) owing to the gelation break. Whereas the 30%
CE cement slurry demonstrates low initial viscosity (590 MPa-s)
which gets reduced to the (165Mpa-s) owing to the swift displace-
ment of cenospheres.
4. Conclusion
The cement slurry with 30% CE and 0.5% RF demonstrates an
improved compressive and flexural strength3210 Psi & 209Psi
respectively. The SEM morphologies illustrate the uniform distri-
bution of CE & RF in cement. Further Cement slurry consistency
of 30Bc was observed after 110 min suggest it’s pumpability up
to 2 h. Hence, the cement slurry is more suitable for shallow depth
applications. Further, the contact angle measurement suggests the
water phobic character of CE which gets reduced due to the addi-
tion of RF. Thus the cement slurry fabricated could be a feasible
solution to the formation with little fracture gradient.
G. Richhariya, Dau Tapas Dora, A. Kumar et al.
Fig. 7. (a) Variation of shear stress with shear rate (b) Variation of viscosity with shear rate.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Gaurav Richhariya: Conceptualization, Methodology. : . Dau
Tapas Dora: Writing - review & editing. Aman Kumar: Data cura-
tion. Aman Rastogi: Data curation. Sadhvi Pharasi: Investigation.
Yash Goyal: Investigation. Mayur Rai: Investigation.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgements
We are very kind of DIT University for providing us the research
facility. We are thankful to IDT/ONGC for providing us the cement
additives.
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