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5.0: CEMENT (CERAMICS) IN OIL AND CAS OPERATION:

Recall Ceramics types, namely

AX AM Xp AM Bn Xp

MgO Al2 O3 BaTi O3

NaCl Ca f2

CS Cl UO2

Zns ZrO2

SiO2 Al2 Si2 O5 (OH)4

Ni Fe204

Cement that is profusely used in the oil well is a ceramic material. In addition to
restricting fluid movement between formation, to bond and support the casing, tile
cement isolates oil, gas and water producing zones, protects the casing from
corrosion, prevent the blowout by forming a seal quickly, protects casing from shock
load in drilling deeper, seals off zones of hot circulation or thief zones.

5.1: MANUFACTURE OF CEMENT:

The basic raw materials for cement manufacture are limestone (calcium carbonate)
and clay (Al2 Si2 05 (OH)4) or shale, Iron oxide and aluminium, if they are not
sufficiently present in the clay or shale. These materials are ground, blended
together wet or dry and fed into a rotary kiln where the slurry of the limestone and
the other material are fused at 2600 to 3000° F into cement clinker. The clinker is
pulverized and blended with a small amount of gypsum (Ca3 (PO4) 2 that controls the
setting time of the finished product (cement).

5.2 PERFORMANCE OF CEMENT IN OIL WELLS

The performance of cement in well is usually defined by a simple oxide analysis and
performance tests based on pump ability, strength, rheology etc. A simple oxide
analysis of API class G or H cement used in well is given below:

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Oxide %

SiO2 22.43

CaO 64.77

Fe2O3 4.10

Al2O3 4.76

MgO 1.14

S03 1.67

K2O 0.08

Lost in Ignition 0.54

(LOI)

When cement is slurried at well site, water functions as a carrier for placement of' the
reactive silicates produced in the manufacturing process. Once in place, a plastic
lattice structure develops gel strength, finally resulting in a set solid mass. The
performance of cement for given well depths and temperatures is judged on certain
physical tests defined by API standards.

The characteristic crystal shape of set cement sectionobserved under magnification

and polarized light depict uniform crystal formation for good duality cement for well
operations This is a metallographic test of set cement before application to the oil
well.

The following chemical components are found in Portland cement, a typical cement
used in well operations.

♦ C3S- Tricalcium silicate hexagonal or angular crystals, which may be highly

coloured.

♦ C2S- Dicalcium silicate. Spherical or rounded crystals often with rough

surfaces and not highly coloured.

♦ C4AF - Tetracalcium alminoferrite. White matrix sui-roundIg other crystals.

♦ C3A - tricalcium aluminate. Grey blades, flecks or streaks

♦ MgO - periclase small pink hexagonal plates

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♦ CaO - free lime. Small, smooth spheres, highly in clusters.

5.3 API CLASSIFICATION OF CEMENT FOR THE OIL INDUSTRY

The cement for the oil Industry must satisfy, the "AP1, Standards 10 specifications
for oil well cements and cement additives”.

The different classes of API cements for use at down hole temperatures and
pressures fall into classes A to H depending on the depth of oil well, sulphate
resistance and strength of the cement, temperature and pressure of the oil well. It is
also noteworthy that in well completion operations cements are used almost
universally to displace the drilling mud and to fill the annular space between the
casing and the opening hole. To serve this purpose therefore, cement must be
designed for well-bore environments varying from those at the surface to those at
depths exceeding 30, 000 ft where temperature ranges from below freezing to more
than 700° F in well drilling for geothermal steam production, (depending on the
location of the well). API specifications list physical and chemical properties for
different classes of cements that will fit most well conditions.

5.4 CEMENT ADDITIVES:

Additives to oil well cement affect its various characteristics, namely density,
compressive strength, setting time, filtration of the cement, flow properties,
resistance to corrosion, texture of the cement, resistance of the cement,
permeability, heat of hydration etc. These additives are classified as follows:

♦ Accelerators

♦ Lightweight additives

♦ Heavyweight additives

♦ Retarders

♦ Lost circulation - control agents

♦ Friction reducers

♦ Specialty materials

For details, consult API Standards 10 "Specifications for oil-well cements and
additives". It is also in the ASTM C 150.

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For the appreciation of Cement and Cementing in Well Operations, the

Trainees are shown the Video on " The Primary Cementing Process as
part of Well operation”.

5.0 Functions of Oil Well Cement, Additives and Spacers

Functions of Oil Well Cement

During the drilling of a well, it is necessary to place steel pipe, known as casing, into
the drilled hole. The casing is cemented in position, i.e. a strong cement sheath is
placed in the annulus between the outside of the casing and the borehole itself. The
principal functions of the cemented casing are:

- to keep the hole open

- to prevent contamination of fresh water horizons

- to provide a means of controlling fluid influxes and preventing blowouts

- to isolate the producing horizons and to keep out undesired fluids - to confine
produced fluid to the wellbore

- to support wellhead equipment

- to provide a means of anchoring the blowout preventers, and to maintain well

control while drilling is in progress.

A summary of basic and special types of cements is given in Table 7. The cement
commonly used is Portland cement with various additives.

The additives modify the properties of the cement to allow acceptable rheology,
setting times and to match the formation characteristics of the individual well.

Chemical Additives for Cementing

The principal types of additives used in cementing are as follows:

(i) Weighting agents

These products are usually required when high-pressure conditions are

encountered. They are similar additives to those used for drilling fluids, i.e. barytes,
iron oxides, ilmenite.

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(ii) Lost circulation materials

Products, which prevent the loss of, cement slurry to the formation when low-
pressure conditions are encountered. Examples are gilsonite and mica.

(iii) Accelerators

Products, which will accelerate the setting time of the cement in order to speed up
operations. Examples are sodium chloride (up to 5% by weight), calcium chloride
and sodium silicate.

(iv) Retarders

Products, which will extend the normal cement setting, time to render the slurry
pumpable over an extended period. This feature is often required when placing
cement slurries in deep hot wells. Examples are lignin retarders, calcium
lignosulphonate, calcium sodium lignosulphonate, carboxymethyl hydroxyethyl
cellulose (CMHEC) and saturated salt water.

(v) Fluid loss additives

Products to control the loss of water from the slurry to the formation. Examples are
carboxymethyl hydroxyl ethyl cellulose (CMHEC), polyamines and silica flour.

(vi) Dispersants/friction reducers

Products designed to improve the rheology of the slurry. Examples are

lignosulphonates, lignins, sodium chloride, aryl alkyl sulphonates.

(vii) Other additives

Other chemicals such as bentonite, pozzolan (volcanic ash), fly ash, and latex are
used in varying amounts for specific applications.

5.6 Mud-Cement Spacers or Preflushes

In normal fast flow cementations an adequate volume of water (usually

equivalent to some 150 m annular column length or greater) is used as a
spacer between the drilling fluid and cement. In plug flow type cementations it
is$ required to design a certain density and viscosity into the spaces When an
oil-base mud has been used on the drilling operation, it is recommended to
use a diesel spacer followed by a water spacer. Both spacer fluids should be

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treated with a strong water-wetting surfactant, e.g. Shell Nonidet LE, in order
to remove oil mud from the hole wall and casing and re-establish water-wet
conditions, thus enhancing the cement bond to casing and hole wall.

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