Experimental Study of Gas Migration Prevention Through Cement Slurry Using Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose

Abstract

Gas migration during primary cementing is considered as an oil and gas industrial problem for many years. Currently, the gas migration problem is mitigated using modified cellulose based polymer (synthesized with carbonates) in cement slurry at high temperature. However, there is no widely accepted single polymer that can prevent gas migration without synthesization for high temperature cementing application. This study presents an experimental investigation for prevention of gas migration through cement column during transition state of cement slurry. A natural polymer Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) is used for the first time ever as a cement additive to achieve desire prevention, which is stable at high temperature. The gas migration through cement slurry was determined using Cement Hydration Analyzer (CHA). HPMC was found to develop an impermeable barrier for prevention of gas migration. The experimental results showed that HPMC based cement slurry was gas tight as pore pressure remains low as 16 psi with constant gas injection of 150 psi for continues 08 hours. Further, API properties of cement slurries were determined using 0.20 to 0.50 gallon per sack of HPMC. The test results showed 04 to 06 hours thickening time, less than 30 minutes transition time, low fluid loss and high compressive strength at 190 °F. It is concluded that HPMC prevents the gas migration and significantly improves the API properties of cement slurry. In field applications, the presented HPMC polymer can simplify the design of cement slurry and prevent gas migration through cement slurry at high temperature.

Application of a Synthetic Polymer Nanocomposite Latex in a Wellbore Cement Slurry for Gas Blockage Functions

“…Abbas et al introduced the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose polymer as an effective additive to reduce gas migration. 40 McDaniel et al tested slurry samples with gypsum accelerator agents at different concentrations to reduce the thickening time and thinning of the transient time window to minimize gas migration in Marcellous shale play. 41 Velayati et al used gas migration control and gelatin strength industrial additives to shorten slurry thickening time and found a considerable reduction in the gas migration rate using the fluid migration analyzer apparatus.…”

“…Some research has focused on improving cement properties to control gas migration from annular cement. Abbas et al introduced the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose polymer as an effective additive to reduce gas migration . McDaniel et al tested slurry samples with gypsum accelerator agents at different concentrations to reduce the thickening time and thinning of the transient time window to minimize gas migration in Marcellous shale play .…”

Reduction of fluid migration in well cement slurry using nanoparticles

“…Wilkins and Free demonstrated valuable techniques for gas migration prediction on oil and gas wells [20]. Abbas et al generally pointed out that annular gas migration after placement of cement, has been identified as one of most considerable subjects in the oil and gas industry for many years [26]. Although King and King illustrated that annular gas migration issues were initially recognized in the mid-1960 during cementing operations of gas wells [27].…”