SPE 151646

Waterless Cement Slurry Controls Water Production in Southern Mexico

Naturally Fractured Oil Wells
A. Sourget, SPE, A. Milne, SPE, L. Diaz, SPE, E. Lian, SPE, H. Larios, SPE, Schlumberger; P. Flores, M. Macip,
Pemex

Copyright 2012, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE International Symposium and Exhibition on Formation Damage Control held in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, 15–17 February 2012.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
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Abstract
Water control is one of the greatest challenges in Southern Mexico wells, where the reservoirs are generally fractured
carbonates. Many of the wells have early water breakthrough as a result of one or more of the following: water coning, near-
wellbore flow, high-conductivity channels, high-conductivity layer breakthrough, segregated layering, and inadequate
completions.

In cases where it is possible to shut off the producing interval and recomplete the well in a new interval, reticulated polymer
gels and/or cement slurries can control water production. However, when the water is produced in a different interval than the
oil, the success rate of reducing the water cut is less than 30%.

In these cases, waterless cement slurry squeezes have proven to be an effective solution to unwanted water production. This
method has been used to successfully reduce water cut in several fields in South Mexico with a nearly 100% success rate.

A well which was carefully evaluated as a candidate and then treated with a waterless cement slurry resulted in a reduction in
water cut from 71% to 5%, while oil production increased from 290 barrels of oil per day (BOPD) to 1054 BOPD. In
addition, the deferred production was greatly reduced using this technique—less than four days compared with several weeks
using alternative techniques.

Water cement squeezes are a cost-effective way to reduce water production in the producing intervals of naturally fractured
reservoirs. This technique has increased oil production while resulting in significant cost savings in terms of both treatment
costs and deferred production.
Introduction
Water control is used to address a wide range of different scenarios with respect to drive mechanisms and water
breakthrough, which has led to the development of many different solutions. There have been numerous attempts to classify
the principle mechanisms by which water breakthrough occurs (K.S. Chan, 1995) and minimize the difficulty of shutting off
excess water production. An example is the classification presented by J. Elphick and R. Seright (Fig. 1) which presents 10
different mechanisms or problem types ranked from simple to complex.

This classification of problem types or breakthrough mechanism can also be used as a guide to water control techniques that
are most likely to be successful for a given problem type (Fig. 2). Fluids are just one of a number of possible options.

Determining the problem type and most appropriate solution to control water production in producing wells starts with
understanding the location and movement/flow of the water within the reservoir. It is then possible to combine the
understanding of the reservoir, water breakthrough mechanism, and production constraints to select the most appropriate
solution to maximize the recovery of the reserves in place.

Proper diagnostics greatly increase the chance of effectively controlling excessive water production treatments. If the
movement of water within the reservoir and production mechanism are to be correctly identified, a multidisciplinary
approach is required (Burrafato et al., 2005; Claverie et al. 2006; Flores et al. 2008) Limited diagnostics or no diagnostics at
2 SPE 151646

all will greatly reduce the chances of finding a successful solution—and may even result in lost production. This is one
reason for the current skepticism regarding many of the existing water control techniques.

Fig. 1— Problem types for water control

Fig. 2— Possible solutions for specific problem types

However, water control must be both technically and economically viable. This requires an economic evaluation that takes
production rates of oil and water, the remaining recoverable reserves, the estimated future revenue stream, and the cost of the
proposed solution into account. If the economics are not taken into consideration, even a successful treatment may not be
economically viable, especially in mature fields. Equally, economics may be a deciding factor in selecting a possible
solution. The probability of success or partial success must also be considered when deciding whether or not implement a
possible solution or treatment.

Even when a water control solution using fluids is considered appropriate, conventional polymer gels and cement may not be
effective, especially when the economics do not justify pulling the completion and the treatment is bullheaded. This is
typically the case in old wells producing from a number of different intervals with one or more interval watered out. The
challenge is to selectively shut off the water without reducing oil production. In these conditions, conventional water-control
fluids generally have a low success rate. One solution is a fluid that is selectively activated in the presence of water.

Waterless cement slurry

Waterless cement slurries are composed of microcement and a hydroscopic accelerator in a miscible solvent. When in contact
with the formation water, the microcement begins to hydrate and sets. Meanwhile, when the slurry comes in contact with oil,
the slurry remains a liquid. This liquid, unset cement flows back after the treatment, leaving the oil producing (saturated)
intervals undamaged.
SPE 151646 3

These properties were verified in the laboratory, mixing 700 g. of microcement with 360 g. of mutual solvent, to create a
stable suspension. The fluid initially has a slightly viscoelastic behavior with a threshold of flow of about 0.8 Pa and a
plastic viscosity of 115 mPa. When a small quantity of water, such as50 ml, is added and the mixture stirred with a spatula,
the fluid significantly thickens in less than 15 seconds and the resulting gel has very strong elastic properties. The addition of
more water results in an initial thinning of the fluid, due to dilution, however, in less than 30 seconds the gel reforms.

If the mixture is placed in a closed plastic cube in a bain-Marie at 50° C, the cement begins to set in less than 6 hours. After
12 hours, the compressive strength is more than 6 mPa. However, if 50 ml of a hydrocarbon such as diesel is added to the
initial suspension of microcement, the viscosity of the suspension falls dramatically from 115 mPas to 45 mPa.

The use of a miscible solvent to suspend the microcement ensures that the formation water can mix freely with the suspended
cement particles. Whereas, if diesel is used to suspend the cement particles, the diesel will create a hydrophobic fluid that
tends to repel and displace formation water away from the cement particles. Hence, although the fluid will initially thicken
when in contact with water, the gel strength development is slow and thickening time is greatly delayed due to limited
hydration of the oil-wet cement particles

The selective properties of the fluid system can be demonstrated in the laboratory. The required equipment: a suction pump, a
sand filter, and flasks with water, crude, and the waterless cement slurry (Fig. 3). The sand filter is placed on top of the flask
and filled with sand to simulate a permeable media. A plastic separator, half the height of the sand filter is positioned in the
middle of the sand filter. The separator creates two separate reservoirs for the fluids, which only come into contact with each
other when flowing out of the bottom of the sand filter.

Sand filter

Fig. 3— Equipment to demonstrate selective nature of the waterless slurry

One side of the plastic separator is filled with water and the other with oil. After starting the suction pump, the level of both
fluids drops (Fig. 4a). In a second test, the waterless cement slurry is added to both the water and oil. In this test, when the
suction pump is started the level of the oil mixed with waterless cement slurry drops whereas the level of the water mixed
with the waterless cement slurry remains static after a short period of time (Fig. 4b).

A B

Oil
Water

Fig. 4a and 4b—Changing fluid levels

4 SPE 151646

The selective nature of the waterless cement slurry makes it possible to perform rigless operations—as the fluid can be
bullheaded without downhole tools to place the fluid or in many cases to mill out set cement after treatment.

The waterless cement slurry may also be pumped through coiled tubing without any change in the fluid properties. The
waterless cement slurry was circulated through 3,000 ft. of 1 ¾-in OD coiled tubing with and without a bottom hole assembly
(BHA) at varying pump rates. At the end of each cycle, a sample was taken to measure the stability, density, and rheology of
the slurry (Table 1). Even after repeated cycles through the coiled tubing there was no evidence of sedimentation or free
fluid.
Table 1—WATERLESS CEMENT PUMPED IN COILED TUBING
Cycle Rate Pressure drop/ 1,000 Measured Density Stability
(BPM) ft. (psi) (gr/cc)
1 2.10 513 1.62 OK
2 2.25 547 1.62 OK
3 2.00 467 1.62 OK
4 1.75 303 1.62 OK
5 1.50 250 1.62 OK
6 1.25 187 1.62 OK
7 1.00 147 1.62 OK

Case Study

Production History
The well was first put on production in 1992 and initially produced over 3,000 BOPD and zero water cut. The well continued
to produce over 1,500 BOPD without any water until 2007. After 2007, the water cut began to increase and the oil production
started to rapidly decline (Fig. 5). In April 2011, just before the treatment, water cut reached 71%. The well was producing
710 barrels of water per day (BWPD) and 290 BOPD.

Fig. 5— Production History

Well Information
Total depth: 5,503 m (cement plug)
· Maximum well deviation: 21.0° (S-type curve)
· Production casing: 5 in., 18 lbm/ft.; liner hanger at 4,494 m
· Production tubing: 3 ½ in., 12.7 and 9.2 lbm/ft and 2 7/8in, 6.4 lbm/ft at 4489m
SPE 151646 5

· Anomaly at 4,975m (according to the SpectraSCAN log)

· Bottomhole pressure: 3,450 psi at 5,000m
· Bottomhole static temperature: 295 °F at 5,000m
· Lithology: Dolomite
· Porosity: 4% and Sw=15%
· Permeability:16 mD
The well producing from three intervals (Fig 6)
(1) 5,030-5,050m (Upper Cretaceous Agua Nueva KSAN),
(2) 5,070-5,080m (Upper Cretaceous Agua Nueva KSAN),
(3) 5,461-5,477m (Jurrassic)

Fig. 6— Well schematic

Water Control Diagnosis
The water production in this well can be defined in terms of three distinct problem types.
Problem type 4 (Fig. 1): High permeability layer with no crossflow.
This applies to the interval 5,030-5,050m. This interval is the only oil producer out of the three open intervals as
can be seen from the production log run in 2004 (Fig. 7). The objective of the treatment is to plug the lower, water-
producing interval and only produce from the top interval. The production log does not indicate the presence of
crossflow between the upper and lower intervals.

Fig. 7—Production log June 2004.

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Problem type 3 (Fig. 1): Water/oil contact moving up.

The two intervals 5,461-5,477m and 5,070-5,080m are invaded by water. This shows that the water/oil contact is
moving closer to the oil-producing interval. As the production log (Fig. 7) does not show any flow below 5,050 m, it
can be conluded that the two then i are saturated with water. It is not necessarily a problem because no water is
produced, but as the tracer survey shows the interval 5,070-5,080 m taking some fluid (Fig. 8), it needs to be
isolated.

Fig. 8— Tracer log

SPE 151646 7

Problem type 1 (Fig. 1): Casing leak

The logs indicated that there is an anomaly - casing leak - at approximately 4,975 m (Fig. 9) that is producing water
and needs to be plugged. The presence of the casing leak producing water is also likely limiting the oil production
from the 5,030-5,050 m interval.

Fig. 9— Tracer and production log across the anomaly - casing leak.

Design and Execution

As for any squeeze cementing job, an injectivity test was performed prior to the treatment to make sure that there was
sufficient injectivity to enable the treatment to be displaced to perforations.

The volume of waterless cement slurry was calculated based on 3-ft radial penetration—the same volume that is typically
used for conventional cement squeeze treatments in the same area.

The treatment was designed and executed as follows:

• Pressurize annulus with 600 psi to monitor pressure during treatment
• Injectivity test by pumping 10 m3 of Xylene at 1 to 3 bbl/min and a pressure of 1,200 psi dropping to 50 psi.
• Pump 25 m3 of a diesel spacer at 3 bbl/min with 50 psi.
• Pump 7 m3 of waterless cement slurry at 2 to 3 bbl/min with 80psi.
• Displace with 20.5 m3 of diesel at 3 to 5 bbl/min and 80 psi.
¾ The displacement volume calculated to have the top of cement at 5,030m

After the treatment, the well was shut in for 36 hours to ensure that the slurry had developed its final compressive strength.

Evaluation
After waiting for the cement to set, the well was opened and there was no flow. After which the well was cleaned out using
coiled tubing with an obstruction (weight loss) encountered from 4,721 m to 5,021 m indicating that the casing leak was
effectively squeezed off. Set cement was tagged at 5,021 m and milled out to 5,036 m at which time the well started to flow.

Before the treatment, the well was producing 710 BWPD with a water cut of 71%. Directly after the treatment, the average
production was 1054 BOPD—260% increase in oil production—with water cut of 5%. Three months later, the well
continued to produce 1050 BOPD while the water cut increased to 12%.

Since the completion of this well, wells have been rountinely successfully treated using waterless cement slurries.

Conclusion
The combination of good problem diagnosis and appropriate fluid selection makes it is possible to successfully treat complex
water control problems with simple solutions.
8 SPE 151646

When a water-control treatment is performed correctly, it is possible to not only decrease water production, but also increase
oil production.

In conclusion, waterless cement slurries have proven to be an effective means to control water production in older wells
completed in more than one interval.

References
Burrafato, G. Pitoni, E., Pérez, D., Cantini, S. 2005. Water Control in Fissured Reservoirs - Diagnosis and Implementation of
Solutions. Cases from North Italy. Paper SPE 96569 presented at the Offshore Europe, Aberdeen, United Kingdom 6-9
September.

Chan, K.S. 1995. Water Control Diagnostic Plots. Paper SPE 30775 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and
Exhibition held Dallas, Texas, 22-25 October.

Claverie, M., Malek, N.A., Goh, K.F. 2006. Practical Steps for Successful Identification and Production of Remaining
Hydrocarbons Reserves in a Mature Field - Case study from Tinggi, Malaysia. Paper SPE 96569 presented at the SPE Asia
Pacific Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition, Adelaide, Australia, 11-13 September.

Elphick, J., Seright R. A. 1997. Classification of Water Problem Types. Presented at the Petroleum Network Education
Conference’s 3rd Annual International Conference on Reservoir Conformance Profile Modification, Water and Gas Shutoff,
Houston, Texas, USA, 6-8, August.

Flores, J.G., Elphick, J., Lopez, F., Espinel, P. 2008. The Integrated Approach to Formation Water Management: From
Reservoir Management to Protection of the Environment. Paper SPE 116218 presented at the SPE Annual Technical
Conference and Exhibition held in Denver, Colorado, 21-24 September.