Author Miguel Diaz

Guidelines for Setting

Cement Plugs
Introduction
Failure to set cement plugs in the first
attempt is still the most common form of non-
productive time associated with cementing
operations on drilling and workover rigs.
An industry average for kick-off plugs is 2.4
attempts per kick-off, with 24 hours rig time
associated with each attempt.
Failure commonly comes from one or more of
the following causes:
• Plug slippage when not set on a solid base
• Drilling out too soon
• Inaccurate well data
• Insufficient slurry volume
• Poor slurry design
• Losses because of too high ECD while
reversing
• Poor mud removal
• Contamination of slurry both inside and
outside of the string
Plug designs which adhere to the guidelines set
out below should help maximize the chances of
performing successful abandonment and kick-
off plug cementations.
www.wellcem.no | Guideline to successfully set cement plugs
Success criteria
A minimum of 500 psi compressive strength
is required to tag a cement plug. Waiting-on-
cement (WOC) time expectations should be
confirmed with the client as per Compressive
strength (UCA) results. The effect of
contamination on the compressive strength of
the cement at the top of the column must be
taken into consideration before/while tagging
it.
Best Practices for plug placement
1. Optimum Plug length
The rule of thumb for Cement plug length
is 500 ft; this length combines the benefits
of accounting for contamination between
mud and cement and minimizing the length
of pipe immerse inside the slurry. An excess
of cement slurry can be pumped. Ideally, this
excess should be determined based on caliper
tools, but the experience in the field can also
be used if no measurements are available.
Underestimated or unknown open hole volume
could cause the low top of plugs.
There are Logging while drilling (LWD) tools
that can measure hole diameter. Unfortunately,
unless the well is logged just before setting the
plug, the caliper produced on a well opened
for a week may be not accurate. Take this into
consideration when assuming the hole excess.
It is better to pump more cement, pull back
and circulate out the excess rather than risking
having to set the plug again. Low top of a plug
for whatever reason is the most common cause
of plug failure.
For deviated well bores and holes with
destabilized shale sections, an excess cement
of 100 - 200 % may be required. A good
practice is to use at least 10% excess even
when caliper information is available. This
excess helps to establish under-displacement,
counteract contaminations, and so forth.
• It must have the highest viscosity while still
being just barely pumpable. Two common
rule of thumbs to quality check the pill
capability are a Marsh Funnel viscosity of
275-300 Seconds or a Yield point of 100
lbf/100 ft2.
• Density half way between the slurry and the
mud density.
• Pill length should not be less than the
cement plug itself - A minimum volume
equal to 300 ft in the open hole section is
required.
• When allowed by fluids compatibility, a
reactive pill containing five gpb of sodium
silicate is always preferable.

2. Avoiding Cement Contamination

The origin of most plug failures is mud/
spacer contamination with the cement slurry
Figure 1: Reactive pill sustaining a
during placement or contamination following cement plug
placement due to density differential (fluids
swapping). Contamination can occur at
top and base of the cement plug during A final option in kick-off plug scenarios (time-
placement. The design of an optimal spacer/ consuming but effective) would be to fill the
plug supporting base and the execution of the hole up to the kick-off plug setting depth, in
appropriate pumping program reduce the risk 500-750 ft stages, with a high gelling (YP > 40
of contamination during placement. lb/100 ft^2) extended slurry, mixed just above
the mud weight to avoid excessive ECDs and
2.1. Unstable Plug Base (Fluid Swapping and Prevention) cost. Then, wait until the top plug has at least
50 psi compressive strength, before setting the
Since cement slurries usually have a higher high-density kick-off plug.
density than other fluids present in the
wellbore, a cement slurry placed above another 2.2. Contamination during Placement (inside string).
fluid is in a mechanically unstable position. If
no particular action is taken, fluid swapping is Use foam balls to separate fluids inside the
likely to occur whether the well is vertical or drill pipe/tubing. Select the appropriate ball
inclined. considering inner pipe restrictions. See figure 2
for more information.
The preference is a solid base for the cement
plug, i.e., a mechanical system (bridge plug,
inflatable packer or other available tools) or
the bottom of the hole. However, when a solid
base is not possible, it is best to place a viscous
fluid or reactive pill underneath the cement.
This pill must meet the following conditions:
Figure 2: Foam balls specifications.

www.wellcem.no | Guideline to successfully set cement plugs

 ** The ball may be damaged when pumped through restrictions as small as those listed in this column.

Available ball sizes – Courtesy of Coretrax

General Size Ref. inches (mm) Actual size inches (mm) Typical Wiping Range inches (mm) Minimum restriction inches (mm) **

3.00 (76.1) 3.15 (80) 2.50 to 1.10 (63.5 to 27.9) 0.500 (12.7)

4.00 (102.0) 3.94 (100) 3.12 to 1.38 (79.2 to 35.1) 0.625 (15.9)

5.00 (127.0) 4.92 (125) 4.00 to 1.75 (101.6 to 44.5) 0.750 (19.1)

6.00 (152.4) 5.91 (150) 4.75 to 2.00 (120.7 to 50.8) 0.875 (22.2)

7.00 (178.1) 6.89 (175) 5.50 to 2.38 (139.7 to 60.5) 1.000 (25.4)

8.00 (203.0) 8.66 (220) 7.00 to 3.00 (177.8 to 76.2) 1.375 (34.9)

11.00 (279.4) 11.00 (279.4) 8.75 to 3.75 (222.3 to 95.3) 1.750 (44.5)

Cement volumes mixed at the surface should
not be below 20 bbl; this volume might
increase based on dead volumes of batch tanks
used. If a short plug is required, foam balls are
mandatory.
2.3. Slurry jetting inside the drilling fluid or viscous pill at
the base of the plug.
By gravity, and as result of the pump pressure,
the fluid coming out of the drill pipe tends to
be jetted down into the mud/viscous pill below
the end of the drilling string. To prevent this, it
is recommended to place a flow diverter (refer
to figure 3) at the tip of the drill string.
2.4. Contamination in the Annulus – Ineffective Mud
removal
2.4.1. Hole conditioning
Mud should be circulated at least one hole
volume to remove any gelled or partially
dehydrated fluid and to ensure a wellbore fluid
with a homogenous density. A homogeneous
drilling fluid would be easier to remove by the
cement pre-flushes.
The drilling fluid must be clean and of the same
weight throughout the system (well and in the
pits).

2.4.2. Pre-flushes

Thinner or Low yield point (YP) mud in volumes

equal to those of the cement spacer should
be circulated ahead of the treatment. Ensure
that the spacer mixed in the field matches the
design parameters of density and rheology
hierarchies.
Pump the appropriate volumes of spacer fluid
ahead (500 ft of annular capacity) and behind
the slurry (Same height for plug balancing
calculations). Weighted viscous spacers are
preferred and should be used on all critical
plugs or plugs set in non-aqueous fluids.
For all types of jobs the essential properties
that a spacer must have are:
Figure 3: Example of a custom made diverter tool

www.wellcem.no | Guideline to successfully set cement plugs

• Compatibility with Cement Slurry and Mud
System.
• Non-retarding or accelerating effect when
mixed with cement.
• Water wetting when displacing OBMs.
• Density half-way between that of the mud
and that of the cement slurry for an efficient
fluid displacement.
2.4.3. Drilling string movement
When setting a balanced plug pipe, movement
(rotation only in this case) is recommended.
Pipe movement helps with mud removal both
during the pre-job circulation and while placing
the cement. While reciprocation would help
during the hole conditioning before the cement
job, it shall be avoided during cementing
operation, as it may increase the chance of
intermixing the fluids and thus contaminating
the slurry.
Rotating the pipe at 30-60 rpm minimizes
fluid contamination, and it is relatively easy to
achieve with a simple drill pipe swivel during
placement. When the pipe is not going to be
rotated, centralization of the stinger will greatly
improve mud removal.
Do not rotate the pipe while pulling out of the
hole
2.5. Contamination While POOH
The use of slim assemblies with small outside
diameters (OD) is recommended for cement
plugs applications (Drill pipe/tubing with
www.wellcem.no | Guideline to successfully set cement plugs
low profiles joints and the smaller possible
diameter).
After placing the cement, the drill string should
be pulled out of the plug at rates no greater
than 30 ft/min (not including pipe breakout
time). The stinger used at the bottom of the
pipe should be 1.5 times the length of the
cement plug with the pipe inside.
2.6. Contamination While Reversing Out
Reverse circulation is preferred over
conventional circulation as it takes less time
to get the excess cement out of the hole.
Reserve circulation also reduces the risk of
contamination of the top of cement, when no
diverter tool is used, as it eliminates the jetting
effect into the cement column.
Reverse the cement until the drill pipe is
clean or at least two drill pipe volumes. It is
recommended not to circulate out at the top of
the cement plug. The drill pipe should be pulled
back at least 200 ft above the expected top of
cement before attempting to reverse out.
For plugs mean to cure losses, direct circulation
is a better choice as the reverse circulation may
lead to higher pumping pressures, and the lack
of returns may result in cement left inside the
pipe.
3. Slurry systems
3.1. Slurry quality
Use a batch tank if possible, unless an
automatic density control system is available.
Density should also be verified by using
Pressurized Mud Balance
3.2. Determine BHCT
Minimum thickening time should be job time
plus one to two hours as a safety margin. Use
API squeeze schedule for the selection of
Bottom Hole Circulating Temperature (BHCT),
and take into consideration batch mixing time
as part of the thickening time "Time to reach
the bottom." A rule of thumb is to use 30
minutes for less than 100 bbls of slurry batch
mixed and 1 hour for volumes above 100 bbls.
For critical jobs, an additional sensitivity test
can be run at +/-15 °F to establish the range
of variation and confirm that safety margin is
adequate.
Long thickening times increase the risk of
contamination, delay compressive strength
development, and increase WOC time and rig
cost.
3.3. Cement slurry design
The slurry formulation for a cement plug
should be as simple as possible for the given
well temperature and conditions. In most cases,
fluid loss additives are not necessary.
It is important to make sure that the cement
do not settle at the downhole temperature (the
API settling test should be run). While kick-off
www.wellcem.no | Guideline to successfully set cement plugs
and abandon plugs may require high densities
to achieve certain mechanical properties of the
set cement, plugs for loss circulation should
be done with lighter slurries that reduce the
hydrostatic pressures over the weak zones.
Extended slurries treated with lost circulation
material are the preferred choice in those
cases.
For holes with more than 85 degrees of
inclination, ensure that the slurry has a high
yield point, at least 30 lb/100 ft^2.
4. Slurry Displacement
4.1. Plug Placement tools
The best methods to ensure correct
displacement is to use dart catchers which:
• Give a positive indication of end of
displacement (depends on the type of dart
catcher)
• Act as wiper plugs, hence minimizing
contamination within the pipe.
In addition to separating the fluids and thus
preventing their contamination and efficiently
wiping the drill pipe clean, the plug placement
tool provides an excellent means of precisely
controlling the displacement volumes.
4.2. Physical measurement of the displacement fluids.
The plugs should always be displaced using
the cement pumps. If for any reason, the crew
needs to use a rig pump to displace a plug,
proper risk assessment should be done before
starting the operation, and the mitigation
measures must be discussed and agreed upon
with the client. In all cases, the displacement
volumes should always be physically measured
(displacement tank counting) by at least
two people. Under-displacement should be
calculated between 250 ft and 500 ft of drill
pipe fill.
5. Waiting on cement
In most cases, 24 hours is a reasonable target.
Do not take shortcuts and attempt to drill out
too soon. If there is a good understanding
of the downhole temperature, slurry recipe,
thickening times and setting times at circulating
temperature, then you might reasonably wait
for a few hours beyond the time required for
the cement to develop the necessary strength
in the laboratory conditions (at circulating
temperature).
WOC should be enough for the cement to
develop:
www.wellcem.no | Guideline to successfully set cement plugs
• Base for 2nd Plug >50 psi
• Tag/Dress Off >500 psi
• Pressure Test >1500 psi
• Kick-off >3000 psi
If the plug is not adequate for kick-off, do not
drill it out completely; leave a portion of it as
the base for the next plug.
5.1. Compressive strength development
The slurry strength development should be run
at the Bottom Hole Static Temperature (BHST)
corresponding to the top of the plug with a
10% v/v contamination of spacer. If BHCT >
250°F then run UCA using BHCT at the head
of the plug. This is to ensure that the slurry
designed will develop adequate strength in 24
hours in those conditions. A minimum of 500
psi compressive strength is required to tag a
cement plug.
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