SPE 9287
SPE
FIELD EVALUATION OF METHOD TO CONTROL GAS
FLOW FOLLOWING CEMENTING
by Larry T. Watters and Fred L. Sabins,
Halliburton Services
©Copyright 1980, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc.
This paper was presented at the 55th Annual Fall Technical Conference and Exhibition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, held in Dallas, Texas, September 21-24 1980.
The material IS subject to correction by the author. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Write: 6200 N. Central Expwy., Dallas, Texas 75206.
Gas flow fol lowing cementing has hindered the
completion of wei Is for a number of years. Research
of this problem has indicated many solutions which
have been either partially successful or unsuccessful
in control I ing gas flow fol lowing actual cementing
operations.
A theory describing the cause of this problem
and a novel solution to the problem were presented
in SPE 8257; 1 This paper summarized the results
obtained during a fifteen-month field appl ication
of the control method. Results of 250 cement jobs
performed world-wide are summarized and specific
examples are discussed in detal I.
INTRODUCTION
The problem of gas flow fol lowing cementing has
plagued al I operators who dri I I through high-pressure
gas zones. This problem has been the subject of a
great deal of research, and many theories concerning
the cause of annular gas flow and methods to combat
the problem have been devel .1 , 2,3,4,5 These
annular gas control methods included appl ication
of back pressure to the annulus, control of fluid
loss from the cement slurry, and increasing the
weight of the cement slurry mixing water. None of
these previously developed control methods have been
totally successful in a wide range of appl ications.
A unique theory describing the cause of annular
flow was developed and resented in SPE 8257.
ical Iy, this theory that a cement slurry
passes through a transition state of finite length
(an estimated thirty minutes to four hours)6 between
·the fluid state and the sol td state. Whi Ie in this
state of physical transftion the cement, neither a
fluid nor a solid, wi I I not transmit ic
Thus, cement hydrostatic pressure control-
ing a formation gas is trapped across the formation.
Volume decreases occurring during this transition
state due to chemical reaction and fluid loss cause
Society of Petroleun E.ngineer-s of AIME
rapid decreases in the trapped pressure. If the
pressure in the cement column fal Is below the pore
of the zone whi Ie the cement is sti I I
can percolate through the
A method for preventing annular gas flow based
on the above theory was also presented in SPE 8257.
This method controls gas flow through the unset
cement by increasing the compressibi I ity of the
cement slurry. Increasing the cement compressibi I ity
al lows cement in the transition phase to the
volume decreases without suffering the disasterous
trapped pressure decreases.
The cement compressibi I ity is increased by in-
troducing a gaseous phase into a conventional cement
slurry in the form of small, finely dispersed bubbles.
The Introduction of gas into the cement is accomp-l
I ished by addition of a gas-generating material which
the gas insitu.
Field appl ication of the method outl ined above
has i nd i cated that the method is successfu lin con-
trol I ing gas flow through unset cement. Field re-
sults over a fifteen-month period show 85.2% success
ratio for 250 appl ications.
Field appl ication of the new compressible cement
system requires a great deal more engineering design
than conventional cement. The amount of re-
quired to increase the cement compressibi ity suf-
ficiently to prevent gas flow is calculated based
on wei I conditions and slurry parameters. The cement
compressibi I ity increase necessary to prevent gas
flow is determined from the difference in pressure
between the initial hydrostatic pressure and the
pore pressure of the formation gas.
The slurry volume and slurry yield, relating to
volume reduction due to chemical hydration, and
cement fluid loss control are also considered in
the compressibi! ity increase calculation, as wei I as
2 Field Evaluation of Method to Control Gas Flow Followin
hole and pipe configuration, depth of gas zone of in-
terest, total permeable formation adjacent to the
cement, degree of deviation, and temperature. A
I ist of al I pertinent parameters required for the
job design is presented in Table 1.
the gas concentration determination
, thickening time, compressive
and fluid loss of the cement are
ign , ince the cement
develop sol id character
as wei I as control gas flow. Normal oi I wei I cement
additives were used to control the parameters. Use
of the compressible cement does not el iminate the
need for using enhanced displacement techniques
(central ization, pipe movement, mud conditioning,
spacers, etc.) to minimize channeling and create a
uniform cement sheath.
FIELD RESULTS
A summary of al I compressible cement jobs per-
formed during a fifteen-month field trial is present-
ed in Table 2. The results, grouped both by geo~
Braphy and job type, indicate that the method has
been appl ied in many areas of the United States (both
on and offshore) as wei I as internationally. All
four major types of cementing jobs have been performed
with the compressible cement.
The criteria for evaluating each compressible
cement job were:
I. Successful placement of the cement
2. Control of gas
3. Set of the cement within reasonable time
The gas zone was considered control led if no ga~
pressure was detected at the wei I head or if no
interzonal communication was detected by noise log.
Although Table 2 illustrates the wide variety
of appl ication of the compressible cement system f
al I wei Is were simi lar in that they exhibited the
potential for gas flow fol lowing cement placement.
If the design proGeudre indicated that gas flow
could be control led with co~ventional cement, the
compressible cement system was not used.
The compressible cement system has been successful and lowered its density. Wei Is in this area are
in control I ing flow at depths ranging from 152 m
to 6400 m (500 to 20,000 ft) and at circulating
temperatures ranging from 25°C (77°F) to 175°C (347°F). intermediate casings or I iners to correct annular gas
The of appl ications which were successful flow. The wei I parameters were:
has 87. for casing jobs (138 total jobs), 87.3%
for I iner jobs (71 total jobs), 60% for squeeze jobs
(25 total jobs), and 93.8% for plug jobs (16 total
jobs). The seemingly low success ratio of the
compressible cement in squeeze appl ications is good in
view of the many problems associated with cem-
enting. Design and placement problems as
cement volume estimation, cement technique,
proper placement of the cement interval
make this remedial operation ifficult, and
presence of formation gas pressure the cements were:
problem. The cumulative success ratio .2% for
250 total
CASE HISTORIES
The fol lowing case histories illustrate succes-
SPE 9287
sful appl ication of the compressible cement system to
control gas in al I major types of jobs. (AI I additive
concentrations are based on cement weight. AI I lab-
oratory cement tests were according to
standard API procedures. 7 )
Example I: Casing Cement Job
This relatively shal low wei I was being air-dril led
in an area of East Texas where high pressure gas is
encountered. At a depth of 1286 m (4218 ft), the
blewie I ine flare ignited, and the wei I blew out.
Three days later the wei I was kil led with 1498 kg/m 3
( 12.5 I b/ga I) dr i I ling flu i d. The we I I
were:
Depth - 1333.5 m (4375 ft)
Hole Size - 200 mm (7-7/8 in)
Casing Size - 114 mm (4-1/2 in)
Top of Cement - 1029 m (3375 ft)
Mud Density - 1.5 kg/m 3 (12.5 Ib/gal)
BHCT - 41°C (105°F)
The compressible cement was used to cement the
interval from total depth to 1029 m (3375 ft). The
slurry composition and laboratory data for the cement
were:
50:50 (vol %) API Class C Cement:Flyash + 2.0%
bentonite + 0.75% dispersant + 0.6% low fluid
loss additive + 2.0% CaCI2 + 18% salt based on
slurry mixing water + gas-generating additive.
Mixing water requirement - 24.6 I iter/sk (6.5
gal/sk)
Slurry yield - .0396 m3/sk (1.40 ft 3 /sk)
Slurry density - 1690 kg/m 3 (14.1 Ib/qal)
API Fluid loss at 41°C (105°F) - 200 cc/30 mins
API Thickening time at 41°C (105°F) - 3hrs 10 mins
The cement was successfully placed, and no gas flow
was detected, The accoustic bond log indicated
excel lent bond throughout the cemented interval.
Example 2: Liner Cement Job
This Houston area operator encountered a hi
pressure gas formation whi Ie dri I 1ing below 194 mm
(7-5/8 in) intermediate casinq set at 2375 m (7793
ft). Gas from this formation-cut the dri I I ing fluid
usually plagued with high-pressure gas problems, and
remedial block squeeze jobs are often required on
Depth - 3456 m (I 1,337 ft)
Top of Liner - 2375 m (7793 ft)
Hole Size - 178 mm (7 in)
Pipe Size - 127 mm (5 in)
BHCT ~ 99°C (210°F)
The compressible cement system below was run
as a tal I cement on this I iner. The slurry composi-
tions and laboratory data for the lead and tai I
Lead:API Class H Cement + 35% Sil ica Flour + 0.8%
low fluid loss additive + 0.5% di +
0.2% retarder.
SPE 9287 Larry Watters and Fred Sabins
Tai I :API Class H Cement + 35% Sil ica Sand (60-170
mesh) + 0.8% low fluid loss additive + 1.5%
di + 0.6% high temperature retarder
+ gas-generating additive.
Lead Tai I
Mixing water requirement T9.7 20.4( I iter/sk)
5.2 5.4(gal/sk)
Slurry Yield .0391 .0396(m 3 /sk)
1.38 I .40( ft 3/sk)
Slurry density 1980 1960(kg/m3 )
16.5 16.4(lb/gal)
API Thickening time at 99 C (210 F) - 2:31
API Fluid loss at 93°C (200°F) - 65 cc/30 mins
The cement was placed without difficulty. Pressure
tests and bond logs run after the job indicated an
excel lent job, and no gas flow was detected.
Example 3: Liner Cement Job
Gas leakage from I iner tops occurs commonly on
ori I I ing I iners in this West Texas area. The
I iners are set to cover several high-pressure, low-
del iverabil Ity formations prior to dril ling
down to commerc al zones. The example wei I was
being dril led with a "10 foot flare" from the gas
separator with a 1450 kg/m 3 (12.1 Ib/gal) dri II ing
fluid. The wei I parameters were:
Depth - 3719 m (12,200 ft)
Liner top - 2808 m (9,21 1ft)
Hole size - 216 mm (8-1/2 in)
Liner size - 194 mm (7-5/8 in)
Last casing size 244.5 mm (9-5/8 in)
Last casing depth - 2966 m (9730 ft)
BHCT - 88°C (190°F)
Gas zones - 3292 m (10,800 tt)
3597 m (I 1,800 ft)
The compressible cement system I isted was used
to cement the 914 m (3000 ft) I iner. The slurry
composition and laboratory data for the cement were:
API Class H Cement + 0.6% low fluid loss addi~
tive + 0.2% retarder + 0.4% dispersant + 5%
KCI (based on weight of mix water) + ga5-
generating additive.
Mixing water requirement - 19.7 I iter/sk
(5.2 gal/sk)
Slurry yield - .034 m3/sk (1.20 tt 3/sk)
Slurry density - 1880 kg/m 3 (15.7 Ib/gal)
API Thickening time at 88°C (190°F) - 3 hrs
35 mins
The cement was succesful Iy placed and no leak-
age from the I iner top was apparent when top of
the liner was dril led out. The operator reduced the
dri I I fng fluid density to 1162 kg/m3 (9.7 Ib/gal)
to continue dril I ing with no gas problems.
Example 4: Plug to Abandon in Open Hole
Wei Is dri I led in this gas field in Southern
Alberta, Can~da, experience severe gas I through
abandonment plugs. Gas~leakage to surface is often
detected three or four days after the plug is set.
This particular wei I had a hi gas zone
3
at 238 meters (780 ftL The well parameters were:
Depth - 1038 m (3406 ft)
Hole size - 200 mm (7-7/8 in)
Last Casing size - 219 mm (8-5/8 in)
Last casing depth - 189 m (620 ft)
Mud density - 1260 kg/m3 (10.5 Ib/gal)
BHCT 25°(: (77°F)
Depth of gas zone - 238 m (780 ft)
Plug interval - 300 m to 150 m (984 ft to 492 ft)
The compressible cement system outl ined below
was used to set an abandonment plug from 300 m to i50
m in the open hole. The cementing composition de-
signed for this appl ication was:
API Class G Cement + 0.5% dispersant + gas
~~ln~"~Ting additive.
Mixing water requirement - 44%
Slurry yield .0324 m3/sk (1.145 ft 3/sk)
Slurry density - 1896 kg/m 3 (15.8 Ib/gal)
API Fluid loss at 25°C (77°F) - 456 cc/30 mins
API Thickening time at 25°C (77°F) - 2:30
The wei I was opened after 12 hours and no gas
flow was detected. This technique has been used on
many lug on abandoned wei Is with similar
results.
Example 5: Cement Job
While dri I I ing at a depth of 2661 m (8730 ft)
this wei I in Alberta kicked. The wei I was control led
by mud densification, but a lost circulation problem
developed. An intermediate casing was set and cemented
to a height of 2010 m (6595 ft). After the cement was
placed, the wei I started to flow gas. A noise I
revealed the source of the gas to be a zone at 51 m
(1680 ft). This zone was unsuccessfully squeezed
twice prior to using the compressible cement system.
The wei I were:
Depth - 2661 m (8730 ft)
Intermediate casing size 177.8 mm (7 in)
Intermediate casing depth - 2661 m (8730 ft)
of cement - 2010 m (6595 ft)
casing depth 461 m (1512 ft)
Mud density - 1550 kg/m 3 (12.9 Ibs/gal)
Gas zone ~ 512 m (1680 ft)
BHCT - 32~C (gO°F)
The fol lowing compressible cement system was
placed adjacent to the formation:
API Class G Cement + 1.0% dispersant + gas
generating addi~ive.
Mixing water requireme3t - 44% 3
Slurry yield - 0.324 m /sk (1.145 ft /sk)
Slurry density P
3
1894 kg/m (15.8 Ibs/gal)
API Fluid loss - 130 cc/30 min
API Thickening time - 32°C' (gOOF) 2 hrs
The cement was in two fifteen-minute
Care was taken to leave fluid cement across the
formation. The wei I was re-entered twenty-four hours
later and no gas leakage was detected.
4 Fie I d Eva I uat i on of Method to Contro I Gas F Iow Fo II ow ;ng Cement i ng SPE 9287

Example 6: Squeeze Cement Job cement. The overal I success ratio for compres-
sible cement Jobs is 85.2%.
The first to cement an intermediate
casing in Western ahoma fai led due to cement 2. The compressible cement system controls gas
channel ing. A cement bond log indicated no cement flow in primary cementing appl ications (casing
bond to pipe. A gas zone at approximately 4267 m or I iner), squeeze cementing, and plug cementing
(14,000 ft) was producing gas between the inter-
mediate and surface casings. The wei I
were: 3. Failures of the ible cement system to
control annular be caused by in-
Casing size - 194 mm (7-5/8 in) sufficient gas content, poor placement tech-
Casi depth - 4267 m (14,000 ft) nique, or isolated gelation problems.
Mud ity 1840 kg/m 3 (15.4 Ib/gal)
BHCT - 89°C (192°F) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A squeeze job to repair the severe channel The authors wish to express their thanks to the
and seal off the gas producing formation was per- management of Halliburton Services for permission to
formed with the compressible cement consi- this paper. The authors also express appre-
sting of: ci ion to the operators who chose to run the initial
jobs and to the Hal I iburton Field personnel who de-
API Class H Cement + 35% Si I ica Sand + 0.75% signed the compressible cementing compositions and
dispersant + 0.8% fluid loss additive + 0.4% reported the field test results.
retarder + gas ing additive.

Mixing water requirement - 20.4 I iter/sk

(5.4 gal/sk)
Slurry yield - .0396 m3/sk (1.4 ft 3/sk) I. Tinsley, J. M.; Miller, E.; Sabins, F. L.; and
Slurry density - 1960 kg/m 3 (16.4 I I) Sutton, D. L.; "Study of Factors Causing An-
API Thickening time - 2:34 nular Gas Flow Followi Primary Cementing",
Paper SPE 8257 at the 54th Annual
As a result, the gas flow was completely el- Fal I Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, September 23-
iminated, and the bond log was greatly improved. 26, 1979.

2. Carter, L. G. and Slagle, K. A., "A Study of

A compressible cement job is I isted in Table 2
as a fai lure if the cement could not be placed
propertly or if flow was detected after the
cement was pi The compressible cement
are not exempt from occasional problems associated 3.
with conventional cement jobs. Job fai lures have
occurred due to permeature set of the cement due to
cemert contamination or dri I I ing fluid imcompatibi 1-
ity. Inval id estimations of wei I parameters have 4.
a I so resu Ited in severa I I acement fa i lures. Iso-
1ated cases of cement gel ion due to minor cement
constituents or to cement manufacture difficulties
have been observed. This cement gelation i some-
times aggravated by the gas generating additive.
5.
Gas flow fol lowing compressible cement jobs
has been attributed to either an insufficient
amount of gas in the system or to poor dril ling
fluid displacement. Improper estimations of gas
reservoir pressure or cement fluid loss have
attributed to underestimating the amount of 6.
needed in the An excessive volume
cement above a iner which leaked fol lowing
compressible cement app ication has been consid-
ered as an indicator of cement channel ing which
al lowed gas to percolate through undisplaced mud
to the top of the liner. 7.
Thus, the majority of the fai lures have been
attributed to either pre-mature set of the cement,
dri I I ing fluid incompatibi I ity, cement gelation,
poor displacement, or erroneous wei I data. 8.
CONCLUSIONS
I. 0~mnlroc'cible cement system has been very
in controlling gas flow through
Completion Practices to Minimize Gas Communi
cation", Paper SPE 3164, presented at Central
Plains Regional Meeting, Amari 110, Texas, (Nov-
ember 16-17, 1970).
Cook, Clyde and Cunningham, W. C., "Filtrate
Control - A Successful Cementi Prac-
tices", (August, 1977) 951
Levine, D. C. and Thomas, E. W. (Gene), "An-
nular Gas Flow After Cementing, A Look at
Practical Solutions", Paper SPE 8255 pre-
sented at 54th Annual Fal I Meeting, Las Vegas,
Nevada, (September 23-26, 1979).
Webster, Wi I I iam and Eikerts, John, "Flow
After Cementing - A Field and Lab-
oratory Model", Paper SPE , presented
at 54th Annual Fal I Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada,
(September 23-26, 1979).
Tinsley, J. M.; Sabins, F. L.; and Sutton, D. L.
"Transition Time of Cement Slurries Between the
Flu j d and Set State", Paper SPE 9285 presented
at the 55th Annual Fal I Meeting, Dal las, Texas,
21-24, 1980.
API RP lOB, "API Recommended Practice for
Testing Oil-Wei I Cements and Cement Additives",
issued by American Petroleum Institute, Copy-
right 1979.
lak, R., and Beecroft, W., "A Study of An-
nular Gas Flow Following Primary Cementingll,
Paper No. 80-31-17 at the 31st An-
nual Technical ng of the Petroleum Society
of CIM in Calgary, (May 25 - 28,1980).
Wei I and Cement Parameters Required to
Design a Compressible Cement Job

We I I Pa rameters

a. Hole Size

b. Pipe Size

c. Depth

d. Cemented Interval

e. Size and depth of last casing

f. Depth of gas zone with highest form-

ation pressure gradient

g. Formation pressure of that zone

h. Dri II ing fluid density

i. Open hole permeabil ity

J. Composition

k. Water requirement

I. Density

m. Yield

n. Thickening Time

o. Fluid Loss

p. Rheology

q. Compressive Strength
 TABLE 2

Summary of Jobs
Number of Jobs*

Area Casing Li ner Sgueeze ~ Total

South Texas
onshore 42 (38) 8 ( 6) 0 0 50 (44) 88.0
offshore II ( I I ) 0 10 (4) 0 21 ( 15) 71.4

Houston
onshore 4 ( 2) 7 ( 6) 2 (I) 0 13 ( 9) 69.2
offshore 19 ( 15) 2 ( 2) 0 0 21 ( 17) 80.9

West Texas ( 0) ·20 ( 17) I (I) 3 ( 2) 25 (20) 80.0

East Texas 13 ( 13) 1) 3 (0) 0 17 ( 14) 82.4

Louisiana
onshore 0 I 0) 0 0 I ( 0) 0
offshore 3 ( 3) 4 4) 0 0 7 (7) 100.0

Ok Iahoma 2 2) 18 ( 17) 3 (3) 0 23 (22) 95.9

Denver 4 3) 8 7) 0 I) 13 ( II ) 84.6

Canada 29 (28) 2 2) 6 (6) 12 ( 12) 49 (48) 97.9

Argent i na 0 0 10 ( 6)

Total 138( 121) 71 (62) 25( 15) 16 (15) 250(213) 85.7.

%Success 87.7 87.3 60.0 93.8 85.2

* Values in parenthesis indicate number of successful