Improved Zonal Isolation Achieved with Novel Scrubbing Spacer Deployed in Saudi Arabia

Day 4 Thu, October 29, 2020

Qasmi

2020

Exploration wells tend to produce challenging cement placement conditions with varying design elements to achieve the isolation requirements such as avoiding lost circulation and exhibiting high mud removal efficiencies. To satisfy both of these design elements, development of a cementing fluid (spacer) has paired multiple technologies helping overcome these requirements. The cementing fluid combines a lost circulation spacer, shown to be a cement placement aid, and a scrubbing or scouring additive, demonstrating support for high mud removal efficiencies. Thorough function-based assurance testing helped mitigate the identified deployment risks, due to their plugging natures, in combining these technologies. The paper will document applications where the cementing fluid helped achieve the isolation requirements when faced with wellbore instability during placement as well as the associated mud removal challenges from these limitations. The use of the cementing fluid may help others achieve success when faced with similar challenges.

Stranger Things: Pairing Cementing Fluid Technologies to Overcome Challenging Isolation Requirements

Day 4 Thu, October 29, 2020

Qasmi

2020

Overcoming Lost Circulation Risks in Low Fracture Gradient Formations with a New Tailored Spacer System

Hugentobler¹,

Day 1 Tue, September 21, 2021

Sasso³

et al. 2021

In certain regions of oil and gas operations, lost circulation is a common occurrence, especially when a majority of the openhole exposed during primary cementing is carbonate-based formations. This can lead to lost circulation risks in most applications. To overcome lost circulation risks during primary cementing, a new tailored spacer system shows to improve the cement placement success. The manuscript discusses the quality assurance and performance testing with field cases demonstrating the value contributions of the spacer for achieving zonal isolation requirements as well as the top of cement objectives. The work efforts presented shows a spacer meeting and sometimes showing incremental wellbore strengthening in comparison to the published literature for existing available spacers used to overcome similar lost circulation risks.

Stranger Things 2: Unconventional Deployment Method of High Performance Lightweight Cement Enables Success in Complex Wells

Day 2 Wed, September 22, 2021

Qasmi

Gbemiga

2021

There are advantages to using high performance lightweight cement when encountering low bottomhole pressures. The most notable are maintaining wellbore stability during cement placement and the isolation of potential flow zones to achieve the wellbore construction objectives. Several complex wells sought these advantages for similar situations. A review of the deployment process for using high performance lightweight cement conventionally, including the quality assurance measures, initially deemed it as not a viable option. As the complex wells needed a technical solution, an unconventional deployment method for high performance lightweight cement enabled its use while simplifying and improving quality assurance; allowing achievement of the isolation requirements.