Cement Conundrum: Valuable Lessons Learned for Sustaining Production

Abstract

Addressing wellbore integrity through cement evaluation has been an evergreen topic which frequently catches major operators by surprise due to premature water or gas breakthrough causing low production attainability from the wells. Managing idle well strings arising from integrity issues is also a challenge throughout the production period. The remedial solutions to these issues do not come conveniently and require high cost during late life well intervention which often erodes the well economic limit. A critical element of wellbore barrier which is cement integrity evaluation is proposed to be uplifted and given a new perspective to define success criteria for producer wells to achieve certain reserves addition and production recovery. This paper will highlight integrated factors affecting cement bond quality, impact to well production, potential remedies for poor cement bond observed leveraging on the enhanced workflow and new technology and way forward to proactively prevent the unwanted circumstances in the first opportunity taken. A set of recommendations and prioritization criteria for future cement improvement will be also highlighted. Several case specific wells logged with variable cement bond evaluation tools are re-assessed and deep-dived to trace the root causes for unsatisfactory cement bond quality observed which include reservoir characteristics, understanding anomalies during drilling and cementing operation, identifying cement recipe used, log processing parameters applied and observing best practices during cementing operation to improve the quality. New and emerging cement evaluation technology inclusive of radioactive-based logging to meet specific well objectives will be also briefly discussed in terms of differences and technical deliverables. Looking at each spectrum, results show that there are several interdependent factors contributing to poor cement bond quality observed. Accurate understanding of formation behavior, designing fit-for-purpose cement recipe and adequate planning for cementing operation on well-by-well basis are among the top- notch approaches to be applied for an acceptable cement bond quality and placement. Statistics show that 27% to 64% of production attainability is achieved by wells with good cement quality within the first 3 months of production and this increases to 85% to 98% up until 7 months of production period, while only 12% production attainability achieved for those wells with adverse cement quality issue. In another well, water cut as high as 47% since the first day of production is observed which keeps increasing up to 40% thereafter. In a nutshell, cement evaluation exercise shall not be treated as vacuum, instead it requires an integrated foundation and close collaboration to materialize the desired outcomes. Arresting the issue with the right approach in the first place will be the enabler for optimum well performance and productivity to exceed the recovery target.