LINER CEMENTING

A liner is a short section of casing that does not reach the surface. It is hung on the
previous casing string using a liner hanger.

Similar to a casing, liner is made up joint by joint at the rotary table and lowered into the
well. Float shoe and Float collar is lowered as usual but a landing collar is included one joint
above the float collar. The centralizers are used carefully as the annulus clearance is small.

The liners are run into the well with the help of drill pipe and special setting tool which is
retrievable. The liner is then hanged using a liner hanger installed at the top of the liner. It
supports the weight of the liner. The liner when landed is kept in tension on slips to avoid
buckling due to its own weight.

A setting tool is also used which provides a pressure tight seal between the drill pipe and
liner and holds the weight of liner. It also provides the housing for the wiper plug attached with.
shear pins. After conditioning the mud the liner hanger is set hydraulically or mechanically and
the setting tool is detached.

A cementing head is attached and pump down wiper plug is placed inside it. The
cementing lines are connected from cementing units and spacer is pumped followed by cement
slurry. After pumping of cement slurry pump down plug is released and is displaced by
calculated amount of mud. This plug slides down along with the liner wiper plug and will land
at landing collar. At this point a pressure rise will indicate the completion of displacement. Then
the pressure is released to check the NRV (Non-return valve). The setting tool is pulled out and
made free from the liner hanger and excess cement is reversed out.

SQUEEZE CEMENTING METHOD

Squeeze cementing may be defined as the process of injecting cement into a confined
zone behind the casing. The three common techniques for squeeze cementing are:

1. Bradenhead squeeze method

2. Packer squeeze method
3. Hesitation squeeze method

BRADENHEAD SQUEEZE METHOD

In this, tubing or drill pipe is lowered without packer upto the perforations. A predetermined
amount of slurry is mixed and pumped to the specific height outside the tubing or drill pipe to
make a balanced plug. The tubing or drill pipe then pulled out of the slurry and Pipe Ram B.O.P
is closed at the surface. The displacing fluid is pumped down the tubing/drill pipe until the
desired squeeze pressure is reached or until a specific amount of the fluid has been pumped.
Usually, this method is used for squeezing shallow wells.
PACKER SQUEEZE

The main objective of using a packer is to isolate the casing and wellhead while high
pressure is applied downhole. In the packer squeeze method either a retrievable packer or a
retainer packer is run to just above the zone to be squeezed off. The advantage of the retrievable
packer is the fact that it can be reused while a retainer packer can be drilled but cannot be
retrieved.

The retrievable packer is run on drill pipe and can be easily set and unset mechanically.
The cement slurry is first spotted against the perforations to be squeezed off. The packer is then
set and the cement is squeezed into the open zone. After squeezing of cement is done, the packer
is first unset and excess cement is then reversed out.

The retainer packer is run on wire line and set by a special

setting kit. Cement is first circulated to the shoe of the stinger. The
stinger is allowed to penetrate the retainer and squeeze pressure is
applied from the surface. When the complete volume of cement is
squeezed off, the stinger is pulled out and excess cement should be
reversed out to prevent cementing the drill pipe or stinger.
HESITATION SQUEEZE METHOD

A loose formation will need a long hesitation period to begin building the squeeze
pressure. A first hesitation period of 30 minutes or more is not unreasonable. When pumping is
resumed after this period the slurry should be moved as slowly as possible. Monitor the pressure
gauge on the cementing unit and continue pumping as long as the pressure steadily increases. If
shut in pressure is no more than the first period, a longer waiting period is needed. As shut in
pressure increases, hesitation period can be shortened, continue pump-hesitation-pump cycles
until squeeze pressure is attained.

A tight formation will need only short hesitation

CEMENT PLUGGING

The process of setting a cement plug involves the placement of a relatively small amount
of cement slurry inside an open hole or inside casing. The two common techniques for setting a
cement plug are:

1. Balanced Plug Method

2. Dump Bailer Method

BALANCED PLUG METHOD

The balanced plug method is performed with drillpipe or tubing.

 A preflush is pumped ahead of the cement and a spacer fluid is pumped behind the
cement. The principle involved is to displace the preflush and part of the cement out of the
drillpipe until the cement columns inside the drillpipe and in the annulus are equal. This is done
basically to maintain equal hydrostatic pressures in the drillpipe and annulus.

The drillpipe is then slowly pulled out, so that the remaining cement falls through and
occupies the volume previously held by the drillpipe steel. This will then leave a balanced plug
in place. The plug can be cut off at the desired height by reverse circulation.

A spacer is used behind the cement to provide a column of fluid of the same length and
density as the preflush column in order to keep the columns balanced.

The height of a balanced plug can be calculated from the following formula:

Cement ( ft 3) Plug (ft )

×[¿ drillpipe∨tubing ft
− ( )
Volume of Height of Annular area between casing ft 3 internal capacity of ft 3
=
drillpipe∨tubing ft ( )]
V =H × ( A +C )

V
H=
A+C

DUMP BAILER METHOD

This method allows the placement of a cement plug by wireline techniques. As first step,
a bridge plug is lowered using a wireline and set below the intended plug zone. After that, the
dump bailer containing a pre-specified volume of cement is run on wireline to the desired setting
depth. The bailer can be opened electrically or mechanically by touching the top of a bridge plug.

This method is normally used in cased holes to plug of low pressured formation.

ADVANTAGES

1. Depth of cement plug is easily controlled.

2. Relatively cheap.

DISADVANTAGES

1. Not easily adoptable to setting deep plugs.

2. Quantity of cement is limited to volume of dump bailer.