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Cementing Drilling Muds Monitoring Deepwater Wellbore
Cementing Drilling Muds Monitoring Deepwater Wellbore
June 2013
Page
Table of Contents.................................................................................................................... 2
Abstract…………………....................................................................................................... 3
1. Introduction..……………...................................................................................................... 3
2. Objectives..……………...................................................................................................... 10
6. Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………... 51
7. Bibliography ….…………………………………………………………………………… 52
In this study, series of experiments were performed to evaluate the behavior of oil well
cements and drilling mud with and without modifications. For the cement, tests were performed
from the time of mixing to hardened state behavior. During the initial setting of the cement, the
electrical resistivity changed with time based on the type and amount of additives used in the
cement. During the curing of the cement, initial resistivity reduced by about 10% to reach a
minimum resistance and maximum change in resistance within the first 24 hours of curing varied
from 50 to 300%. Effect of adding silica fume, bentonite, barite and fly ash with and without
carbon fibers to cement hydration and changes in resistivity have been quantified. Based on the
current study, a new quantification concept has been developed to characterize the curing of the
cement based on the changes in the electrical resistivity in the first 24 hours of curing. When the
cement was modified with less than 0.1% of carbon fibers, the piezoresistive behavior of the
hardened cement was substantially improved without affecting the rheological properties and
setting properties of the cement. For the carbon fiber modified smart cement, the resistivity
change at peak stress was about 400 times higher than the change in the strain. Addition of metal
nanoparticles such as iron and nickel also improved the piezoresistive behavior of hardened
cement compared to the multiwall nano-carbon tubes. Effect of several additives on controlling
the water loss in the cement has been quantified. Also the effect of temperature on the curing and
hardened carbon fiber modified cement behavior was also investigated. Contamination of the
cement slurry with bentonite (drilling mud) can be detected based on the increase in the
resistivity of the cement. Change in bentonite content in the water based drilling mud was
sensitive to the changes in electrical resistivity. When the bentonite content in the drilling mud
was changed from 2% to 6% the resistivity reduced by 40%. Contamination of the water based
drilling mud with salt can be detected based ton the reduction in resistivity. Addition of up to
0.2% carbon fiber, with and without surfactants, also made the oil based drilling mud and
synthetic drilling mud sensitive to the resistivity. Several additives have been tested to reduce the
fluid loss in all types of drilling muds.
Hence electrical resistivity can be used as the sensing properties for both cement and
drilling mud. Addition of up to 0.2% carbon fibers made the smart cement and smart drilling
mud with relatively high sensing properties to monitor the performance. For example, since the
resistivity of water based 6% bentonite drilling mud is over 400% higher than the initial
resistivity of cement slurry, movement of the drilling mud and cement can be identified during
the installation of the oil well. Selecting electrical resistivity as the monitoring parameter unifies
the data collection process during the installation and the entire service life of the oil wells.
1. INTRODUCTION
As Deepwater exploration and production of oil and gas expands around the world, there
are unique challenges in well construction beginning at the seafloor. Also preventing the loss of
fluids to the formations and proper well cementing have become critical issues in well
construction to ensure wellbore integrity because of varying downhole conditions (Labibzadeh et
al. 2010; Eoff et al. 2009; Ravi et al. 2007; Gill et al. 2005; Fuller et al. 2002). Moreover the
environmental friendliness of the mud and cements is a critical issue that is becoming
increasingly important (Durand et al. 1995; Thaemlitz et al. 1999; Dom et al. 2007). Lack of mud
and cement returns may compromise the casing support and excess cement returns cause
Oil well cementing is done to provide a protective seal to the casing, prevent lost
circulation and blowout and to promote zonal isolation. The standards of API suggest the
chemical requirements determined by ASTM procedures and physical requirements determined
in accordance with procedures outlined in API RP 10B and ASTM. There are several classes of
cements which could be used for oil well cementing.
Cement slurry flow ability and stability are the major requirements of oil well cementing.
Oil-well cements (OWCs) are usually made from Portland cement clinker or from blended
hydraulic cements. OWCs are classified into grades based upon their Ca3AlnOp (Tricalcium
Aluminate – C3A) content: Ordinary (O), Moderate Sulphate Resistant (MSR), and High
Sulphate Resistant (HSR). Each class is applicable for a certain range of well depth, temperature,
pressure, and sulphate environments. OWCs usually have lower C3A contents, are coarsely
ground, and may contain friction-reducing additives and special retarders such as starch and/or
sugars in addition to or in place of gypsum.
Cements such as class G and class H, considered to be two of the popular cements, are
used in oil well cementing applications. These cements are produced by pulverizing clinker
consisting essentially of calcium silicates (CanSimOp) with the addition of calcium sulphate
(CaSO4) (John, 1992). Class H cement is produced by a similar process, except that the clinker
and gypsum are ground relatively coarser than for a Class G cement, to give a cement with a
surface area generally in the range 220-300 m2/kg (John, 1992). Cementing is an important
operation at the time of oil well construction (Backe et al., 1997). When admixtures are added
with cement, tensile and flexural properties will be modified. Also admixtures will have effect on
the rheological, corrosion resistance, shrinkage, thermal conductivity, specific heat, electrical
conductivity and absorbing (heat and energy) properties of oil well cement (Bao-guo, 2008). Oil
well cement slurry is used several thousand feet below the ground level and hence determining
cement setting time is always a challenge.
Portland
Cement 50 25 12 8 3.5 320 - 380
1.1.1 Modifiers: Modifiers (additives) are used in cement slurry could to control the flowability,
setting properties and enhance the solidified behavior. Typical modifiers used in OWC slurries
can be categorized as follows:
a. Setting time and thickening time altering additives: The setting time can usually be increased
by reducing the proportions tricalcium aluminate (C3A). Accurate control of the thickening time,
the time after initial mixing at which the cement can no longer be pumped, is crucial in the oil
well cementing process. The thickening time is usually controlled by using retarders. The
addition of carbohydrates such as sucrose can significantly extend the thickening time or even
prevent setting completely. Other retarders used in well cementing include cellulose derivatives,
organophosphates and inorganic compounds. The thickening time of OWC slurries was also
found to increase with the addition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) latex. Ligno-sulfonates and
hydroxyl carboxylic acids are retarders that have been used with OWCs. Salts of carbonates,
aluminates, nitrates, sulphates, thiosulphates, as well as alkaline bases such as NaOH, KOH,
NH4OH have been used to accelerate the setting time.
b. Weighting agents: Density altering additives (weighting agents or extenders) are used to achieve
specific density requirements. Weighting agents add weight to the slurry to achieve higher
density, while extenders are low specific gravity materials that are used to reduce the slurry
density and to increase slurry yield. For instance, Barite, sand and microsand have relatively high
specific gravity and are finely divided solid materials used to increase the density of OWC
slurry. Barite (BaSO4) is the most commonly available weighting agent in oil/ gas well
cementing. Hematite, calcium carbonate, siderite, limonite, manganese tetraoxide, sand and
micro-sand are other types of weighting agents used in cement slurries. Also bentonite is used to
avoid segregation of heavy constituents of cement slurry.
c. Additives to enhance mechanical properties: The compressive strength and the shear bond
strength were modified with the addition of salts and metal oxides. An increase in flexural
strength and in energy absorption before fracture was achieved by incorporating relatively small
amounts of polymer latex together with short fibers. Various types of polymeric and glass fibers
have been used to modify the solidified cement properties.
d. Other Extenders: Bentonite helps in fluid loss control but the hardened cement sheath becomes
less resistant to corrosive fluids due to permeability issues. Fly ash resists corrosive fluids.
Project 10121-4501-01 / UH-CIGMAT 5 Final Report PHASE 1
Sodium silicates provide sufficient viscosity to allow the use of large quantities of mix water
without excessive free water separation. Silica fumes aids in obtaining low-density cement
systems with a high rate of compressive strength development and improves fluid loss control.
Foaming agents are used to reduce the modulus and permeability. Surfactants are used improve
the flowability and wetability of the cement slurry.
extent of polarization were increased by Intercalation of crystalline fibers. It was concluded that
when the four-probe method was used, voltage polarity switching effects were dominated by the
polarization of the sample itself, but when the two-probe method was used, voltage polarity
switching effects were dominated by the polarization at the contact sample interface.
Reza (2003) proved that with the addition of a small volume of carbon fibers into a
concrete mixture produced a strong and durable concrete and made the product as a smart
material. It is recommended that these techniques could be used as nondestructive testing
methods to assess the integrity of the composite.
Vipulanandan et al. (2004, 2005) studied the piezoresistive behavior of cementitious and
polymer composites. The studies showed that the changes in resistivity with the applied stress
were 30 to 50 times higher than the strain in the materials.
(b) Oil based muds (OBM): These are classified as invert emulsion or oil-based muds.
(i). Oil-based muds: are formulated with only oil as the base/liquid phase and are often used as
coring fluids. These systems might pick up water from the formation but no additional water or
brine is added. Specialized oil-based mud additives include: emulsifiers and wetting agents
(commonly fatty acids and amine derivatives), high-molecular weight soaps, surfactants, amine
treated organic materials, organo clays and lime for alkalinity.
(ii). Invert emulsion muds: They are water-in-oil emulsions generally with calcium chloride
brine as the emulsified phase and oil as the continuous phase. They may contain as much as 50%
brine in the liquid phase. Concentration of additives and brine content/salinity are varied to
control rheological, filtration and emulsion stability.
(c) Synthetic oil based muds (SBM): Synthetic fluids are designed to perform like other oil
based muds, without causing environmental hazards. Primary types of synthetic fluids are esters,
ethers, polyalpha olefins and isomerized alpha olefins. They are environmentally friendly, can be
discharged offshore and are non-sheening and biodegradable.
Various types of modifiers (additives) have been used to enhance the performance of the
drilling mud as described below:
(i) MODIFIERS: Drilling mud is composed of many modifiers (additives) based on the
application and required property enhancements. The following section outlines the functionality
of the modifiers added to the drilling muds:
a. Enhance cutting, cleaning and minimize water loss: It is the basic requirements of
drilling mud. Bentonite is a clay material used for such applications. Its functions are to
reduce water seepage or filtration in to permeable formation, increase hole cleaning
capacity, form thin filter film of low permeability, provide hole stability in loose
formations, avoid or overcome loss of circulation. The suspension of bentonite clay must
be prepared in fresh water; brine can significantly affect its ability to minimize water
loss. Its dosage varies with the major purpose of its use.
b. Control density: Barite (BaSO4) is added to increase the density and specific gravity of
the mud in order to control formation pressure as unbalanced formation pressures will
cause an unexpected influx of pressure in the wellbore possibly leading to a blowout from
c. Control Acidity and pH: Caustic soda (NaOH) is used to control the acidity of the mud.
Addition of NaOH increases the pH of the mud. But care must be taken while adding it to
water since NaOH with water reacts exothermically causing sudden increase in
temperature, increase in viscosity of the bentonite mud and decomposition of polymers.
(0.15% dosage). Also Caustic Potash (KOH) is used to increase pH of those muds which
are treated with potassium and also to solubilize lignite.
e. Control swelling of clay: Common salt is used in the form of brine solution for
inhibition to prevent swelling of clay in the production zone thus maintaining porosity
and permeability (dosage is 3% or more).
h. Reduce foaming: foaming agents added to reduce the foaming action of the mud and
therefore prevent the significant transport barrier to muds caused by the foams.
The quantity of modifiers used in the drilling mud will vary based on the drilling conditions.
But due to the complex nature of installing wells in the ultra deepwater it is critical to
monitor, in real time, the advancement of the fluid fronts (drilling mud and cement slurry) to
better control the fluid losses in various rock formations and to minimize the loss of fluids to
optimize the cementing operation. At present there is no direct real-time observation method
available to determine the location of the advancing cement slurry front in the borehole making
the casing installation very subjective and challenging. Also there is no reliable method to
determine the length of the competent cement supporting the casing and no real-time monitoring
of the cemented casing performance over the service life of the well.
The overall objective of this research study was to develop smart drilling mud and smart
cement slurry (enhance sensing properties) that can be integrated with real-time monitoring of
the operations for improving the wellbore integrity.
The two objectives for the PHASE 1 (TASK 5) of the study are as follows:
(1) develop smart cement slurry (SCS) and smart drilling mud (SDM) with enhanced sensing
capabilities for real-time monitoring of the changes in electrical resistivity during installation
and service life of the well.
(2) control fluid loss by modifying the drilling mud and cement slurry without affecting the
sensing properties.
It was very critical to identify the sensing properties for the cement and drilling mud that
can be used to monitor the performance. After years of studies and based on the current study on
oil well cements and drilling muds, electrical resistivity () was selected as the sensing property
for both cements and drilling muds. This makes it unique since same monitoring system can be
used to evaluate the performance of the cement and drilling muds. Hence two parameters
(resistivity and change in resistivity) will be used to quantify the sensing properties as follows:
R = (L/A) = K ……………………………………………………..(1)
Normalized change in resistivity with the changing conditions can be represented as follows:
Figure 1. Typical X-ray-Diffraction (XRD) Pattern for Class H Oil Well Cement
Specimen
Ohm-meter
Figure 3. Ohm-Meter with Typical Wire Placement in the Oil Well Cement Specimen
Figure 4. Typical Calibration for the parameter K in the Two Wire Method
(c) Viscosity
Standard viscometers, including Fann (high strain rate) and Brookfield (lower strain rate),
were used to quantify the viscous properties (yield point, plastic viscosity) of various cement and
drilling mud mixes. The viscometers were calibrated using several standard solutions.
20
Maximum=14%
15
Minium=0.5%
15 Average=5
11
σ=3.3
Frequency
σ2=10.8
10
8 8 Cov (%)=65.6
6 No.of Data=72
5 4 4
3 3 3
2 2 2
1
0
0
0.5 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 14+
Bentonite (%)
90
80 Previous Studies Maximum=79 pa
Minium=0.0 pa
Yield Stress ( o) (pa)
70 Current Studies
Average=6.6 pa
60
σ=13.7 Ib/100ft2
50 Cov (%)=208.7
40 No.of Data=58
30
20
10
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Bentonite (%)
Figure 6. Variation of Yield Stress with Percent of Bentonite in Drilling Fluid Mud
In this study several Wyoming bentonite contents (2%, 4%, 6% and 8%) mixed with
water were studied. Also a typical XRD pattern of the Wyoming bentonite used in this study is
shown in Fig. 6, where major constituents of the bentonite used in this study have been
identified.
(b) Oil Based Mud (OBM): Both mineral oil and vegetable oil were used in preparing oil based
drilling mud for this study. Also based on literature review, 4% of bentonite was added to the
mix. Also the amount of oil in the drilling mud was varied to investigate the sensing properties of
the OBM.
(c) Synthetic Fluid (SBF): Ester based synthetic fluids were used to study the behavior. The
ester in the drilling fluid was varied to investigate sensing parameters for the fluid.
(iii) Modifiers: Several modifiers including surfactants, carbon fibers and fluid loss reducing
agents (salts, gum), starch and barite were use in this study.
Fluid Loss: Standard fluid loss device was used to quantify the fluid loss with time and pressure.
Resistivity: The same devices that were used to measure the resistivity of cement were used to
measure resistivity of the drilling mud/fluids.
The main focus of this study was to enhance the sensing capabilities of the various types
cement slurries from the time of mixing to solidified state. Both Class H and Class G oil well
cements were used to demonstrate the potential of making the material more piezoresistive and
sensing without significantly affecting the rheological properties. Although several modified
cement slurries were studied only the performance of selected materials are presented. The test
results form the unmodified cement was used as the baseline for comparison. Also various types
of drilling muds were modified and tested to quantify the sensitivity of the changes.
(a) Density
The average density of each cement mix were measured immediately after mixing. The
water-to- cement (w/c) ratio was 0.35. As summarized in Table 3, addition of 0.075% of carbon
fiber had minimal effect on the density. Also density of the cement slurries with 5% foam was
11% less than the normal oil well cement. Whereas density of cement slurry with 5% silicate was
2% higher than the density of normal oil well cement. This difference was because of the
relatively higher density of silicate and lower density of foam compared to water.
Table 4. Densities of oil well cement (class H) with different additives (kg/m3)
0% 0.075% Port-
Time in Carbon Carbon *1% *5% land *1% *5%
hours fiber fiber Foam Foam* cement Silicate Silicate Remarks
Densities
varied
0 2019 2026 2000 1805 1992 2032 2064
from 1805
to 2064
Additives
Water affected
Density
Carbon Water loss was density
Remarks Water loss was
fiber loss higher and water
(Curing at was higher Lowest lower Highest
reduced was than loss
room than with density than oil initial
the water very normal during
condition) carbon well density.
loss high oil well curing at
cement
cement room
condition.
The effect of different additives on plastic viscosity and yield point of API class H cement
slurries was studied. Additives include the following:
bentonite
barite
silica fume
fly ash
All additives were weighed by weight of cement. Standard API high speed mixer was used at
4000 and 1200 rpm to mix the slurries. Slurries were mixed without and with 0.1% carbon fiber
based on weight of cement (BOWC). FANN standard viscometer (strain rate of 512 and 1024
sec-1) was used to determine the shear stress – strain rate relationships for the various cement
mixes and the responses are shown in Fig. and Fig. .
(i) Fibers
Carbon Fiber: The Bingham plastic relationships for cement with and without carbon fibers are
compared in Fig. 7. Addition of 0.2% carbon fiber to the cement slurry with a w/c ratio of 0.38
increased the plastic viscosity by 2 cps and reduced the yield point by 4.5 lb/100 ft2 (Table 5).
Also the ratio of YP/PV reduced from 0.34 to 0.27. With 0.1% carbon fiber the effects on the
rheological properties were less and the ratio of YP/PV remained unchanged.
(ii) Filers
Bentonite: The Bingham plastic relationship for cement with 0.5% bentonite is shown in Fig. 8.
Addition of 0.5% bentonite (also could be considered as contamination from the drilling mud)
increased both the plastic viscosity and yield point. Addition of 0.1% carbon fiber to the cement
slurry with 0.5% bentonite and a w/c ratio of 0.38 increased the plastic viscosity by 6 cps (Fig. 9)
and reduced the yield point by 10.5 lb/100 ft2 (Table 5 and Fig. 10). Also the ratio of YP/PV was
increased from 0.34 to 1.38 with the addition of 0.5% bentonite. With 0.1% carbon fiber ratio of
YP/PV was reduced.
Silica fume: The Bingham plastic relationship for cement with 5% silica fume is shown in Fig.
8. Addition of 5% silica fume increased both the plastic viscosity and yield point of the cement
with w/c ratio of 0.38. Addition of 0.1% carbon fiber to the cement slurry with 5% silica fume
and a w/c ratio of 0.38 increased the plastic viscosity by 17 cps (Fig. 9) and the yield point by 24
lb/100 ft2 (Table 5 and Fig. 10). Also the ratio of YP/PV was increased from 0.34 to 0.55 with
the addition of 5% silica fume. Addition of 0.1% carbon fiber increased the ratio of YP/PV to
0.53 compared to the cement only mix.
Fly ash: The Bingham plastic relationship for cement with 5% fly ash is shown in Fig. 8.
Addition of 5% fly ash reduced both the plastic viscosity and but increased the yield point of the
cement with w/c ratio of 0.38. Addition of 0.1% carbon fiber to the cement slurry with 5% fly
ash and a w/c ratio of 0.38 increased the plastic viscosity by 18 cps (Fig. 9) and increased the
yield point by 12 lb/100 ft2 (Table 5 and Fig. 10). Also the ratio of YP/PV was increased from
0.34 to 0.58 with the addition of 5% fly ash. Addition of 0.1% carbon fiber increased the ratio of
YP/PV to 0.6 compared to the cement only mix.
Figure 7. Variation of Shear Stress- Strain Rate Bingham Relationships for Cement with
and without Carbon Fibers
Figure 9. Comparison of Plastic Viscosity with Admixtures and 0.1% Carbon Fibers
(i) Resistivity
Based on the current study and past experience of the researchers, the change in
resistivity with time can be represented as shown in Fig. 11. Hence several parameters can be
used in monitoring the curing (hardening process) of the cement. The parameters are initial
resistivity (initial), minimum resistivity (minimum), time to reach the minimum resistivity (tmin),
resistivity after 24 hours of curing (24) and percentage of maximum change in resistivity [(24-
min) /min]100%. The test results from various cement compositions are summarized in Table 6.
The initial resistivity of cement with w/c ratio of 0.38 and 0.44 were 0.98 Ω.m and 1.33 Ω.m, a
35% increase in the resistivity. Also the time to reach the minimum resistance was reduced by 30
minutes when the w/c ratio increased from 0.38 to 0.44. The maximum change in resistivity for
cement with w/c ratio of 0.38 and 0.44 were 67% and 306% respectively. These observed trends
clearly indicate the sensitivity of resistivity to the changes occurring in the curing of cement
(Table 6).
(i) Fibers
Carbon Fiber: Addition of 0.2% of carbon fiber (CF) to cement with w/c ratio of 0.38 reduced
the resistivity to 0.94 Ω.m, a 4% reduction from the neat cement with w/c ratio of 0.38. The
maximum change in resistivity in the first 24 hours with 0.2% CF was 52% and the time to reach
the minimum resistivity was 70 minutes. Addition of CF to the cement with a w/c ratio of 0.44
had minimal effect on the initial resistivity but reduced the maximum change in resistivity after
24 hours (Table 6).
Bentonite: With 2.5% bentonite and w/c ratio of 0.38, the initial resistivity was 1.26 Ω.m, a 28%
increase in resistivity compared to the cement only mix. Addition of 0.1% CF didn’t affect the
initial resistivity. The time to research minimum resistivity was 190 minutes and adding 0.1% CF
reduced it to 90 minutes. The maximum resistivity change was 120%. With 0.1% CF, the
maximum resistivity change was 214%. Hence adding carbon fibers influenced the resistivity of
the curing cement with 2.5% bentonite.
Barite: With 4% barite and w/c ratio of 0.38, the initial resistivity was 1.97 Ω.m, a 100%
increase in resistivity compared to the cement only mix. Addition of 0.1% CF reduced the intial
resistivity to 1.32 Ω.m. The time to research minimum resistivity was 40 minutes and was not
affected by the addition of 0.1% CF. The maximum resistivity change was 111% and with
carbon fiber addition it was 124%. Addition of carbon fiber influenced the resistivity changes in
the curing cement with 4% barite.
Fly ash: With 5% fly ash and w/c ratio of 0.38, the initial resistivity was 0.83 Ω.m, a 15%
reduction in resistivity compared to the cement only mix. Addition of 0.1% and 0.2% CF
increased the initial resistivity. The time to research minimum resistivity was 30 minutes and
adding CF didn’t affect the time to research the minimum resistivity. The maximum resistivity
change was 255%. With 0.1% and 0.2% of CF, the maximum resistivity change was reduced to
135% and 128% respectively.
24
/min
initial
tmin 24
Curing Time (hrs.)
(hr)(Hr)
Figure 11. Typical resistivity–time relationship during the curing process
Figure 12. Hydration Temperature with Time for a Class H Oil Well Cement with
Different Additives Recorded using P-CAL 1000 Calorimeter
Table 7. Peak Temperature and Corresponding Time for a Class H Oil Well Cement
Hydration with Different Additives Recorded by P-CAL 100 Calorimeter
Peak Temperature
Additives (ºF) Peak Time (h)
With no Additive 171.7 20.5
With 0.075% Carbon Fiber 169.8 20.7
With 0.075% Carbon Fiber + 0.075%
Fe/Ni Nanoparticles 168.7 20.6
With 0.075% Carbon Fiber + 0.075%
Fe/Ni Nanoparticles + 1% Biosurfactant 150.2 21.2
Note: Water to Cement Ratio = 0.4. The weight percentage of carbon fiber, Fe/Ni nanoparticles
and biosurfactant was determined according to the weight of cement powder.
Based on Vicat needle test at room condition the initial setting time was determined to be after 6
hours and the final setting time was about 8 hours. As shown in Fig. 12 the cement continues to
hydrate beyond the experimentally determined setting time based on the Vicat needle test
(determined by hardness).
(i) Fibers
Carbon Fibers: Addition of 0.075% of carbon fibers to the cement with a w/c ratio of 0.4
reduced the peak temperature by about 2oF degrees and increased the time to peak reach the peak
(ii) Nanoparticle
Fe/Ni Nanoparticle: Addition of 0.075% of Fe/Ni nanoparticles with 0.075% of carbon fibers
reduced the peak temperature by 3oF and the time by 0.1 hr. Hence addition of 0.075%
nanoparticles had minimal effect on the hydration of cement.
(iii) Surfactant
Biosurfactant: Addition of 1% of biosurfactant to the cement with o.o75% of Fe/Ni
Nanoparticles and 0.075% carbon fibers reduced the hydration temperature by 21.5oF degrees
and increased the time to reach the peak temperature by 0.7 hours. Hence addin the biosurfactant
affected the hydration of the cement.
All the materials were mixed at room temperature and cured at different temperatures with and
without capping the mold (Table 8). In this study, 10% of silica fume was added to the modified
oil well cement (0.1% carbon fibers). The specimens were placed in molds and cured at different
temperatures (room temperature and 60o C) and the electrical resistance was measured
continuously up to 6 hours.
It was observed that specimens at higher temperature hardened after about 3 hours, compared to
specimens at room temperature which hardened after 6 hours. In Fig. 13, the time taken to reach
the minimum resistance are compared (represents the minimum resistivity as indicated in Fig.
11). The specimens cured at 60oC required almost half the time to reach the minimum resistivity
as compared to the room temperature cured specimens. Capped specimen at room condition took
more time as compared to 60oC, to reach the minimum resistance. Figure 14 shows the changes
in relative electrical resistivity ratio (R/Ro) after 6 hours. The change in resistivity ratio was
about four times higher for specimens cured at 60oC compared to the room temperature cured
specimens. Hence the electrical resistivity was sensitive to the changes in the curing temperature
of the modified oil well cement (with 0.1% carbon fibers).
Carbon Fiber: After 7 days of air curing, the specimen (w/c = 0.4) with 0.075% carbon content
(total weight of cement mix) was tested under compression loading. Typical change in resistivity
with compressive stress is shown in Fig. 15. The change in resistivity in the bulk material was
much higher than the strain response. For example, the change in bulk resistivity was 45% as
compared to a strain of 0.05%, at a compressive stress of 5 MPa. This shows the magnification
of the resistivity response of the modified cement with 0.075% of carbon fibers. The axial
compressive strain was about 0.2% at failure for the fiber modified cement and the resistivity
change was 80%. The resistivity change was about 400 times higher than the change in strain.
For 0.125% carbon fiber content specimen, the resistivity change response was different
where the resistivity initially reduced with applied compressive stress (Fig. 16). Once the crack
formed, may be due to cracking of the matrix between carbon fibers the change in resistivity
increased considerably. The specimen was tested after 7 days of specimen made. The percentage
change in resistivity at failure was around 150%, nearly double the amount observed with
0.075% fibers.
Carbon Fiber and Foam: Cement specimen with 5% of foam (based on cement content) and
0.075% of carbon fiber was tested under compressive loading after 28 days of curing at room
condition to quantify the piezoresistive behavior of the modified cement (Fig. 17). At a
compressive stress of 5 MPa the change in resistivity was about 8% while the axial strain was
about 0.06%. After formation of crack in the specimen, larger change in resistivity was observed.
As shown in the Fig. 17, percentage change in resistivity at the failure stress of 35 MPa was
around 60% as compared to the failure axial strain of 0.25%. Hence the carbon fiber
modification was also effective with the addition of foam.
CF - 0.075%
W/C - 0.4
Crack
CF - 0.125%
W/C - 0.4
Foam- 5%
Figure 17. Piezo-resistivity Behavior of Oil Well Cement with 0.075% CF & 5% Foam
(ii) Nanomaterials
Metal: Addition of Fe, Ni and Fe+Ni metal nanopatricles and multi-walled nanocarbon tubes
were studied. Addition of 0.075% of Ni nanoparticle also showed the piezoresistive response for
3 days cured cement (Fig. 18). Addition of Ni nano particles didn’t affect the compressive
strength of cement. At 1000 psi compressive stress, the change in resistivity was about 30%,
higher than what was observed with 0.075% carbon fibers (20%). Near failure stress the change
in resistivity was about 50% as compared to 80% for the carbon fiber modified cement (Fig. 18).
Figure 18. Piezo-resistivity Behavior of Oil Well Cement with 0.075% CF & 0.075% Ni
Nanoparticles
Figure 19. Piezo-resistivity Behavior of Oil Well Cement with 0.075% CF & 0.075%
MWNT
As shown in Fig 20, the compressive stress response of modified OWC with 0.075% CF added
and cured at room temperature and 200 ºF for 3 days curing time are compared. It was observed
that under 200 ºF, the compressive strength of the cement decreased while the change in the
resistivity with applied stress increased. At 1000 psi compressive stress the change in resistivity
were 20% and 80% at room temperature and 200oF respectively. Hence the carbon fiber
modification was effective at higher temperature. The failure resistivity of room temperature
cured specimen was about 80%.
Figure 20. Effect Temperature on the Piezo-resistivity Behavior of Oil Well Cement with
0.075% CF
(d) Fluid Loss
(i) Filers
The effect of bentonite and barite on the in fluid loss of a oil well cement was investigated at
various pressures. The bentonite and barite contents were varied up to 2.5% and 4% respectively.
Test results showed that increasing the pressure reduced the blowout time and increased the rate
of fluid loss (Table 9). Increased bentonite addition (or contamination) increased the blow out
time and decreased the fluid loss. Addition of 2.5% bentonite reduced the fluid loss rate by 76%
at 300 and 400 psi, 81% at 200 psi and 86% at 100 psi. Addition of 2.5% bentonite also
increased the blow out time by about 200% at all pressures. As shown in Fig. 21 o.5% bentonite
addition reduced the fluid loss rate by 69% to 48% when the pressure was increased from 100 to
400 psi. The 4% barite addition was comparable to the 0.5% bentonite addition as related to the
fluid loss but the blowout time was much lower (Fig. 22).
Figure 22. Blowout Time with Varying Amounts of Bentonite and Barite with Pressure
Filtrate
Total Filtrate Blow out
Additive Pressure Rate Remarks
(mL) time (sec)
(mL/s)
Fluid loss varied
100 96 200 0.48
from 96 to 124
200 127 234 0.54 mL based on the
No Additives pressure
300 119 140 0.85
400 124 100 1.24
100 81 560 0.14
Fluid loss was
0.5% 200 89 260 0.34 reduced
Bentonite 300 105 210 0.50
400 103 160 0.64
100 68 1261 0.05
Lowest fluid
2.5% 200 76 711 0.11
loss. Longest
Bentonite 300 83 398 0.21 blowout time
400 87 300 0.29
100 89 255 0.35 Fluid loss similar
to 0.5%
4% Barite bentonite. Blow
400 103 80 1.29 out time was
much less
Varied Varied Bentonite was
Fluid loss more effective in
Pressure effect from 80 from 0.05
Remarks varied from reducing the fluid
on fluid loss to 1261 to 1.24
68 to 124 mL loss
sec. mL/s
The drilling mud and drilling fluids, with and without modifications, were characterized
base on the resistivity, rheological properties and fluid loss.
As shown in Fig. 23 and summarized in Table 10 the resistivity of the drilling mud
changed with bentonite content. Increase in the bentonite content decreased the resistivity. The
resistivity of 1% bentonite drilling mud was 10.4 Ω.m, which was 10 times (1000%) higher than
the initial resistivity of cement with w/c ratio of 0.38. This difference will help in the monitoring
of drilling mud displacement and cement injection during the installation of the casing in the oil
well.
Table 10. Resistivity Change with Bentonite Content in the Drilling Mud
Resistivity
Bentonite% (Ω.m) Remarks
0.25 15.1 Resistivity decreased
0.5 13.7 with increase in
1 10.4 bentonite content.
When the bentonite
1.5 9.1
content was increased
2 8.1 from 1% to 6% the
3 6.0 resistivity decreased by
4 5.5 about 60%
6 4.8
8 3.1
2% Bentonite: The resistivity was 8.1 Ω.m. Hence it was over 8 times (800%) higher than the
initial resistivity of cement with w/c ratio of 0.38.
4% Bentonite: The resistivity was 5.5 Ω.m. Hence it was over 5.5 times (550%) higher than the
initial resistivity of cement with w/c ratio of 0.38.
2% bentonite: This is a shear thining drilling mud. When the shear strain rate was varied from 0
to 40 sec-1, the shear stress developed varied from about 3 to 9 pa and the relationship was
nonlinear (Fig. 24).
4% bentonite: This is a shear thining drilling mud. When the shear strain rate was varied from 0
to 40 sec-1, the shear stress developed varied from about 9.5 to 18 pa and the relationship was
nonlinear (Fig. 25).
6% bentonite: This is a shear thining drilling mud. When the shear strain rate was varied from 0
to 40 sec-1, the shear stress developed varied from about 15 to 45 pa and the relationship was
nonlinear (Fig. 26).
Figure 24. Shear Stress – Shear Strain Rate Relationship for 2% Bentonite Drilling Mud
Figure 26. Shear Stress – Shear Strain Rate Relationship for 6% Bentonite Drilling Mud
d 2
Condition 3: 0 ……………………………………………………….. (5)
d 2
Condition 4: , * ……………………………………………… (6)
The rheological models that were used to represent the drilling mud behavior are as follows:
o k1 ( ) n .......................................................................(7)
Hence verifying the conditions that needs to be satisfied.
d
k1n * ( n1) 0 kn 0 ………………………………. (8)
d
d 2
k1[n(n 1)] * ( n2) k1n(n 1) 0
d 2
…………………… (9)
(n 1) 0 n 1
1 1
1 2 d 1 1
k2 2 * * 2 0 k2 0
2 d 2
…………………………… (11)
d
2
1 1 1
k2 2 3 0
d 2
2 2
Where:
k2: model constant (
yield Stress (pa).
The shear stress-strain rate predictions for 2%, 4% and 6% bentonite muds are compared in Figs.
24, 25 and 26 respectively.
, * = o + 1/B ……………………………...(14)
Where:
o: yield stress.
A and B: are model parameters.
: is the shear rate (sec-1)
* is the ultimate shear strength of the drilling mud (pa)
The shear stress-strain rate predictions for 2%, 4% and 6% bentonite muds are compared in Figs.
24, 25 and 26 respectively.
Rheological
Plastic viscosity, yield point, gel strength (10 second and 10 minutes), for a 6% (w/w) bentonite
mud with different percentage (0 to 0.3% w/w) of salt (NaCl) content was determined using the
FANN viscometer (Strain rates of 512 and 1024 sec-1). Results (Fig. 27) show the effect of salt
which reduced the plastic viscosity, yield point and gel strength of bentonite drilling mud. The
plastic viscosity was reduced by about 10%, yield point was reduced by about 35%, and gel
strength was reduced by about 22% with an addition of 0.1% salt.
(b)
Figure 27. Effect of salt on 6% Bentonite Mud (a) Plastic viscosity, (b) Yield point and (c)
Gel strength
(ii) Salt on the resistivity: The variation of resistivity with salt content is shown in Fig. 28 for
6% bentonite drilling mud. The electrical resistivity was sensitive to the salt content and an
addition of 0.1% (w/w) salt (also represent contamination) reduced the resistivity by 40%. Hence
resistivity will be a good sensing property to evaluate level of salt contamination in the drilling
mud.
From this investigation, A was 3.74 (cP/Ohm-m) and B was 8.76 cP with the coefficient of
determination R2 = 0.97
30
Plastic Viscosity (cP)
25
20
15
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5
Resistivity (Ohm-m)
Figure 29. Relationship between the Resistivity and the Plastic Viscosity 6% Bentonite
Mud
Filter press testws performed with several additive but results with two additives xanthan
gum and corn starch are presenated. The results are shown. The amounts of additives used were
0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5% based on the amount of bentonite. The results presented are for 4%
bentonite drilling mud.
Figure 30. Fluid Loss with Time for 4% Bentonite Drilling Mud with Varying Amount of
Xanthan Gum (C35H49O29)
Total Total
Pressure
Xanthan gum Bentonite Filtrate at Filtrate at End Time
(psi)
30 min the End
Filter loss was over in
No additive 4% 32 180 100
1 day
0.1% of Filter loss was over in
4% 21.25 31.5 100
Bentonite 100 min
0.3% of Filter loss was over in
4% 18 26.5 100
Bentonite 90 min
0.5% of Filter loss was over in
4% 17.5 24 100
Bentonite 50 min
Total Total
Pressure
Corn starch Bentonite Filtrate at Filtrate at End Time
(psi)
30 min the End
Filter loss was over in 1
No additive 4% 32 180 100
day
0.1% of Filter loss was over in
4% 22 100 100
Bentonite 2.5 hours
0.3% of Filter loss was over in
4% 20 25 100
Bentonite 85 min
0.5% of Filter loss was over in
4% 19.5 22 100
Bentonite 40 min
In this study, both mineral oil and vegetable oil were used in preparing the oil based drilling mud
with 4% bentonite (by wt.%). The ratio of Oil to water was varied from 4:1 (300mL:75mL) to
1:1.
(a) Resistivity
The resistivity of OBM with varying compositions and 0.1 % CF are shown in Fig. 34 and
summarized in Table 12. Reducing the oil content from 4:1 mix to 1:1 mix reduced the resistivity
Table 13. Resistivity of OBM with O.1% Carbon Fiber and 1% Surfactant
Composition Resistivity (Ω-m) Remarks
Oil: Water 4:1 + 0.1% CF 11,300 Carbon Fiber reduced the resistivity
Oil: Water 4:1 + 0.1% CF + 6.3 Very large reduction in the resistivity with
1% SDS Surfactant the addition of a anionic surfactant
In this study, fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) were produced from by reacting alkali-catalyzed
vegetable oil (fats or fatty acids) with methanol.
(a) Resistivity
The resistivity of the SBM wa affected by the ester content. With increase in ester content
the resistivity increased (Fig. 37 and Table 14). The resistivity of SBM with 35% ester and 65%
water was about 25 Ω-m, 25 times higher than initial resistivity of cement with w/c ratio of 0.38.
Carbon Fiber: Addition of carbon fiber reduced the resistivity of SBM as shown in Fig. 37 and
summarized in Table 14. Addition of 0.1 to 0.2% CF reduced the resistivity by 10%.
Viscosity ws measured using Baroid FANN Viscometer subjected to 300 rpm and 600 rpm.
Biosurfactant: The plastic viscosity was increased and the yield point was decreased with the
addition of surfactant to the SBM with 70% ester and 30% water (Fig. 38). A reduction in the
yield point helps in reducing the pressure required to bring the drilling fluid back into motion
Figure 37. Variation of Resistivity with Ester Content With and Without Carbon Fibers
Table 14. Variation of Resistivity with Ester Content With and Without Carbon Fibers
Salt: As shown in Fig. 39, the ration of YP/PV of SBM (70:30) increased with increase in salt
content. When 1% biosurfactant was used it was effective in reducing the YP/PV ratio up to 5%
salt content. At higher salt content it increased the YP/PV ratio.
Based on the experimental study in characterizing the modified smart cement and drilling
mud/fluid following conclusions are advanced.
(1) Material resistivity will be the sensing property selected to represent both cement slurry and
drilling mud/fluids. This selection will unify the real time monitoring, using the same
instruments, for both oil well cement and drilling mud.
(2) Resistivity was sensitive to the types and amount of additives used in the oil well cement and
drilling mud/fluid.
(3) Several resistivity parameters have been identify to characterize the curing of the oil well
cement. Changing the water-to-cement ratio from 0.38 to 0.44 increased the resistivity by
30% and reduced the time to reach the minimum resistivity by 30 minutes. During the curing
of the cement, initial resistivity reduced by about 10% to reach a minimum resistance and
maximum change in resistance within the first 24 hours of curing varied from 50 to 300%
(4) Addition of 0.1 % carbon fiber to the cement reduced the initial resistivity and made the
material piezoresistive. The resistivity change due to applied stresses was 30 to 80 times
higher than the change in the strain in the material, making the cement material smart and
sensing. Also the addition of 0.1% carbon fiber did not affect the rheological properties of
the cement. For the carbon fiber modified smart cement, the resistivity change at peak stress
was about 400 times higher than the change in the strain. Hence carbon fiber modified
cement will be used in Task 6 and Task 7 of this study.
(5) Addition of 0.1% of carbon fiber made the cement with other additives such as nanoparticle
and silica fume more piezoresistive.
(6) Contamination of the cement by bentonite can be detected based on the change in resistivity.
Bentonite reduced the fluid loss in cement.
(7) Resistivity changed with bentonite content in the water based drilling mud. When the
bentonite content in the drilling mud was changed from 2% to 6% the resistivity reduced by
40%. Salt contamination of the water based drilling mud can be determined based on the
reduction of resistivity. Xanthan gum and corn starch can be used to control the fluid loss in
the drilling mud.
(8) Since the resistivity of water based 6% bentonite drilling mud is over 400% higher than the
initial resistivity of cement slurry, movement of the drilling mud and cement can be
identified during the installation of the oil well.
(9) Resistivity changed substantially with the oil–to-water ratio in the oil based drilling mud.
Adding surfactant substantially reduced the resistivity of OBM.
(10) Resistivity changed with ester-to-water ratio and with the carbon fiber addition in the
synthetic based drilling mud.
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