Wellbore Cementing: An Integral Part of Well Integrity

Abstract

Abstract Well barriers are an important factor during the life of a well. As cementing is involved in many of those well barriers, there is considerable focus in the oil field on the design, execution, and validation of the cement as a well barrier. It is important that the cement job design begins at the same time as the basic well design, especially in deepwater operations. Decisions made early in the well design can have a tremendous effect on the cement job execution. Early in the well design, the cement job objectives are set, and through simulations, the cement job placement, slurry design, and, in some cases, well design, are optimized to overcome any identified challenges and minimize risks during cement placement. Cement equipment is becoming increasingly more sophisticated and cement job designs more critical; additional attention needs to be placed on the cementing job preparation on location prior to the actual cement job. By using the latest advances in communications, it is easier for the offshore cementing specialists to stay in contact with the shore-based staff; not only with the design engineer, but also the maintenance manager or operation support staff. Improved monitoring and automation during the job execution enhances the process control. Advances in real-time capabilities enable the onshore experts to monitor the offshore operations and provide advice during the execution of the cement job itself. The final step of a cement job is the evaluation phase. A cement job evaluation is more than just a pressure leak-off test or running a cement evaluation log. The evaluation procedure of a cement job ties together all the parameters of the job, including the job objectives, drilling parameters, job execution, and post-job test results. Looking at one parameter only will often not provide a complete analysis and evaluation. Because cementing provides critically needed well barriers, it becomes a very important aspect in well integrity management during the life of the well.