Cementing Case Study

Designing the “System” For Proper Placement

• The cement job often get’s little respect
– US Land in particular
– Horizontal Shale Wells especially

• Getting a good cement job starts with placement

– First priority is designing the casing, hole sizes, mud system,
and spacer/slurry design to manage annular pressure
– “Pumping Slow” to avoid losses is not the sole solution:
• Low annular velocity increases risk of channeling
• There is a limit to how well ECD can be reduced through slow
pumping alone…

© K&M Technology Group - 2010

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 Wellbore Diagram
Conductor @ 80'

1,000'

Surface Casing:
2,000' 10-3/4", 45.5#, J55, STC
@ 1,882'
Tuscaloosa (2,650')

3,000'
Glen Rose (3,100')

Haynesville Shale Horizontal Well

4,000'

Massive Anhydrite (4,700')

5,000' Rodessa (5,030')

• North Louisiana
• 6¾” Hole Through 7⅝” Casing
James Lime (5,520')

6,000' Sligo (5,890')

Hosston (6,300')

7,000'
• 4½” Production Casing
• 15.6 ppg OBM, 17.8 ppg Frac Gradient
TOC @ 7,600' MD

8,000'

Base Hosston (8,510')

• Job displaced with fresh water
9,000' Cotton Valley "B" (9,000')

Cotton Valley "D" (9,100') Intermediate Casing

McFerrin "A" (9,430') 7⅝", 29.7#, P110, LTC
10,000' @ 10,866'
Taylor "A" (10,300')
KOP @ 10,920' Production Csg Cement:
Build ±8 o/100' (160' Radius) 740sx (210 bbls) 15.8ppg Class H
11,000' Land 90o @ 11,660' TVD
© K&M Technology Group - 2010
Bossier (11,500') Production Casing
Haynesville (11,630') 4-1/2", 15.10#, Q125, Ultra SF

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12,000'
0 50 100 150 200
@ 16,100' MD / 11,660' TVD
 Water displacement at EOB

Casing Run Case Study (u-tube ceases to increase)

Positive u-tube builds due to water displacement

Diesel goes around curve

Negative u-tube from heavy slurry

7 bbls Diesel
40 bbls spacer
177 bbls cement 231 bbls fresh water

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 Diesel comes up curve
Diesel in Annulus Slurry in Annulus Slurry comes up curve

7 bbls Diesel
40 bbls spacer
177 bbls cement 231 bbls fresh water

© K&M Technology Group - 2010

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 Measured Pressure

Calculated Pressure

Discrepancy Starts when slurry enters annulus…

© K&M Technology Group - 2010

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 … the hole is 1” under-gauge?
What If… • Matches the data at end, but too high at beginning

… the cement is 100% thicker (6θ = 48)

•Model matches early AND late

Notice the “breakover” here…

© K&M Technology Group - 2010

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 … And this is what it was with thick cement!

This is what the ECD Felt @ TD would have

been with nominal rheology cement…

© K&M Technology Group - 2010

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 © K&M Technology Group - 2010

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