Schlumberger
A.4 CEMENT EVALUATION TOOL
Fig. A21: CET Principle.
A . 4 . 1 INTRODUCTION
A different method of evaluating cement be-
hind casing using ultrasonic energy is intro-
duced. This technique embodied in the Cement
Evaluation tool uses the casing resonance in its
thickness mode in contrast to conventional ce-
ment bond logging tools which measure the
attenuation of a sonic plane wave propagating
axially along the casing. It is based on a reflec-
tive acoustic energy measurement versus a re-
fractive acoustic energy measurement.
Fig. A22: Ultrasonic Wave Propagation.
A . 4 . 2 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The CET utilizes eight transducers radially
distributed in a helix with each focused on a
segment of the pipe’s circumference. The
transducers act as transmitters, emitting a short
ultrasonic pulse of acoustic energy, and then as
receivers, receiving the echo from the casing as
shown in Figure A21.
The basic idea is to make the casing resonate
as illustrated in Figure A22. The amount of
energy in the received waveform is dependent
on the acoustic impedance between the pipe
and the material behind the casing. Hard ce-
ment provides high acoustic impedance, which
means most of the energy will be absorbed by
the cement. Water or mud provides low acous-
tic impedance and absorbs very little of the
waveform energy (Figure A23).
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Introduction to Cased Hole Logging

Fig. A23: W2 Waveform Energy.

Fig. A24: Measurement and Calibration.

A . 4 . 3 THEORY OF MEASUREMENT

Acoustic impedance (Z) is related to the

(a) Energy Windows
The energy of the waveform is measured in a
window (W2) designed to best represent the
overall energy of the received waveform. The
energy of W2 is normalized to the fluid in the
borehole and to the borehole size by dividing
W2 energy by the energy of the first return in
W1 and by the characteristic energy of W2 in
free pipe:
compressive strength of the material support-
ing (or not supporting) the casing by the log-
log plot in Figure A25. It is defined as kg/m3
x m/sec or kg/m2 /sec.
To ensure that the main calibrating constant,
W2FP, is correctly picked, W2 is crossplotted
(Figure A26) against a similar window known
as W3, where:

W2normalized = (W2/W1) x 1/W2maxF.P. W3normalized = W3/W1 x 1/W3maxFP

W2maxF.P. is a calibrating constant unique to W2FP = W3FP = 1 in free pipe.

each size and weight of pipe and fluid type in
the wellbore.

The W2 normalized value (R) is the output

voltage of this gate. R is a function of the
acoustic impedance (Z) of the medium behind
the casing and is defined by A24. The mean of
all eight W2 normalized values is referred to as
WWM and is presented on track 2 of the CET
log.

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0.0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.4

1.6

1.2
Compressive Strength (psi x 1,000)

W2XP
0.8
2.755

W2 = W3
5
0.4
W2FP = 1
W3FP = 1
0.0
W3XP

0.0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.4

1.6

Water Z 2.755

1.2 W2 = W3
5 10
NEAT CEMENT
W2XP

Acoustic Impedance 0.8 SECTION OF WELL

Fig. A25: Compressive Strength vs. Acoustic

0.4
Impedance.
W2FP = 1.1

0.0
W3FP = 1.75

W3XP
(b) Calibration
0.0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.4
To correctly establish the data points on a
1.6
calibrating line, W2FP and W3FP are adjusted
until the points follow the trend of: W2 = W3
2.755

1.2
W2 = (W3) 2.755
W2XP

FOAM CEMENT
0.8 SECTION OF WELL
Hard cement has high acoustic impedance
yielding low energies in both W2 and W 3,
making the majority of the data points fall in 0.4
W2FP = 1.1
the lower section to the crossplot. W3FP = 1.75
0.0
In foam or gasified cements, the data points W3XP

fall near the top, suggesting that the cement is

weak with low acoustic impedance. Fig. A26: W2 vs. W3 crossplots.

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Introduction to Cased Hole Logging
The zones of low acoustic impedance (weak
or no cement) are shown white on the cement
map where zones of high acoustic impedance
(strong cement) are shaded black.
A . 4 . 4 CET LOG EXAMPLE
An example of a typical Cement Evaluation
log is displayed in Figure A27.
Track 1:
Gamma Ray (GR) measures the natural ra-
dioactivity of the earth. It is scaled in API
units. Generally, shales tend to have higher
amounts of radioactivity while sands and car-
bonates have low amounts.
Casing Collar Locator (CCL) shows the lo-
cation of the collars or joints of casing in the
well.
Acoustic Caliper (CALU) displays the inter-
nal diameter of the casing being logged in mil-
limetres or inches. It is the average of the four
high resolution diameters from the eight trans-
ducer transit times.
Eccentricity of the CET tool (ECCE) is the
eccentralization of the sonde as a quality con-
trol check.
Ovality (OVAL) is the ovalization or differ-
ence between the largest and the smallest di-
ameters.
Tension (TENS) is the amount of tension on
the wireline as indicated by the tension meas-
uring device.
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Depth track:
Depth numbers
Relative Bearing (RB): This curve displays
the azimuthal displacement of transducer #1
from the high side of the tool.
Track 2:
DEVI - (Deviation) The angle of the tool
with respect to the vertical.
CSMX - The maximum compressive
strength shown by two consecutive transduc-
ers.
CSMN - The minimum compressive strength
shown by two consecutive transducers
(averaged over 0.6 metres).
WWM - The mean ratio over 360 degrees of
the eight transducers of all eight W2 normalized
values.
LCO2 - A local computation which is the
mean ratio over 360 degrees of the eight trans-
ducers of all eight W3 normalized values.
Track 3 is an image of the cement placement
in the annulus. Low energy in W2N for a par-
ticular transducer is displayed in black and
high energy in W2N is white. Different shades
of gray cover intermediate values. All eight
transducers are represented from left to right of
the image. It is usual to orient the display such
that the low side of the pipe is at the centre of
the track.
In the far right, eight small tracks are used to
display codes of third interface reflections
(black bars) and gas detection flags (thin
lines).
 Schlumberger

Fig. A27: CET Log Example.

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Introduction to Cased Hole Logging
Fig. A28: Relationship between normalized W2 and
thickness of microannulus.
Environmental Effects on the Log
Microannulus: This is a small gap between
casing and cement generally caused by releas-
ing the pressure inside the casing before the
cement is set. If this gap is less than 0.1 mm,
the CET tool will continue to see cement; as
such, a gap length is a small fraction of the
acoustic wavelength.
Fig. A29. Fast Formations or Double String Reflections.
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A . 4 . 5 FORMATION REFLECTIONS
When the W2FP and W3FP values are cor-
rectly applied the W2 and W3 normalized out-
puts fall into the W2 = W32.755 relationship. In-
stances can still occur where there is an
abnormally high amount of energy in W2
(Figure A29). This phenomenon is known as
formation reflection and is caused when spuri-
ous sound is reflected back to the transducer.
This sound is not related to the normal expo-
nential decay due to the casing resonating. Ex-
amples of this occur when there are two casing
strings, collars, and very hard formations.
The CET software could interpret these re-
flections as poor bond, but avoids this by rec-
ognizing this occurrence and assigning a
minimum compressive strength of 1000 psi
(Figure A30).
 Schlumberger

Fig. A30: Formation Reflection Flags as a Result of Concentric Casing Strings.

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Introduction to Cased Hole Logging

Fig. A31: Gas Cut Cement.

A . 4 . 6 GAS CUT CEMENT OR GAS

BEHIND PIPE
Similar to formation reflections, the presence occurs, the cement map looks like free pipe.
of free gas or gas cut cement could lead to The software recognizes the situation and ac-
misinterpretation of the CET log. If gas is pre- knowledges it with a gas flag (Figures A32
sent, the normal exponential decay does not and A33).
occur and there is an abnormal amount of en-
ergy in W2 and W3 (Figure A31). Where this

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Fig. A32: Gas Flags.

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Introduction to Cased Hole Logging

Fig. A33: Gas Flags.

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Fig. A34
A . 4 . 7 INTERPRETATION
a) General Log Quality Control
1. Check that relative bearing curve has
character.
2. W2/W3 crossplot should be included on
the log and should plot close to the em-
pirical relationship.
3. Curves on depth with each other.
4. Calipers (CALI) reads correctly for
casing size and weight.
5. Tool must be well centralized (ECCE).
6. Check fluid velocity for type of well-
bore fluid. (This is measurement of
transit time by transducer #9.)
Schlumberger
Fig. A35
b) Referring to CET Log Example # 1
again, we can see that:
1. Relative bearing has movement.
2. W2/W3 crossplot conforms to the ex-
pected empirical relationship. This
crossplot was generated from the exam-
ple 1 CET log. See Figure A34.
3. Curves are on depth with one another.
4. The caliper scale is 150 mm to 170 mm.
It reads 156 mm at the top down to 155
mm at the bottom of the log, which is
close to the expected reading of 159 mm
in 177.8 mm casing (38.69 kg/m
weight).
5. ECCE must be less than 4 mm in 177.8
mm casing.
6. Fluid Velocity (FVEL) is about 625
µs/m, which is reasonable for produced
formation fluids (656 µs/m is the fluid
transit time for fresh water). See Figure
A35.
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Introduction to Cased Hole Logging

Fig. A36: Log Example 1.

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 Schlumberger

Fig. A37: Log Example 2.

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Introduction to Cased Hole Logging

A . 4 . 8 CET EXAMPLE #1

Interpretation of Example 1
There is good cement from the bottom of the log up to 2488 metres, as evidenced by WWM reading
0.4 to 0.6. This is the expected reading for WWM over well cemented intervals of Class "G" cement.
The cement top thus is picked at 2488 metres.

Above this probable cement top, WWM reads around unity, which suggests liquid-filled annulus.
There is an absence of gas flags in the far right hand of Track 3, which further substantiates this.

Cement compressive strength reads as high as 3500 psi, while the minimum reading is mostly
above 500 psi in the well cemented regions. Both readings are zero in the liquid-filled annulus.

A . 4 . 9 CET EXAMPLE #2

Radial Investigation with CET

The Cement Evaluation Tool generates pulses of low energy from each of eight transducers ar-
ranged in segments around the entire circumference of the casing. The strength of the echo reflected
from the casing and segment is maximum opposite fluid (or particularly gas) backed casing wall and
minimum opposite competent cement backed casing wall.

The tool provides an accurate map of cement distribution radially around the pipe and quantitative
evaluation of cement strength in most common cased wellbore environments.

The example is interpreted as follows:

Above 1597 metres - unsupported casing with gas in the casing formation annulus.
1597 to 1610 metres - strong cement with gas presence.
1610 to 1622 metres - uncemented casing.
1622 to 1675 metres - strong cement with channels.
Below 1675 metres - strong unchannelled cement.

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