PETE 411

Well Drilling

Lesson 31 Plugback Cementing

Plugback Cementing
g g g g g

Case I:

No Spacer

Case II: Equal Height Spacers Case III: Spacer Ahead of Cmt. (only) Case IV: Two Unequal Spacers Mixtures and Solutions

Read:
Applied Drilling Engineering Ch. 3. Cementing

HW #16
Due November 22, 2002

Balanced Cement Plug

Fig. 3.11- Placement technique used for setting cement plug.

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Cementing (Open-Hole Plugging)

1. Plug-back for abandonment 2. Plug-back for fishing or hole deviation Open-hole plugging is usually performed with slick drillpipe or tubing. g In some cases, reciprocating scratchers may be run to enchance cement bonding.
g
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Types of Balanced Plugs

Case I: No water or other fluid of different density from that in the hole is run ahead or behind the cement slurry. Case II: Water or other fluid of different density from that hole is run ahead and behind cement slurry. The volume of fluid ahead and behind slurry is calculated so that height in casing is same as height inside the string.
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Displacement
Case III: Water or other fluid of different density from that in the hole is run ahead of cement slurry and hole fluid only is used as displacing fluid. Case IV: Water or other fluid of different density from that in the hole is run ahead and behind cement slurry. In this case, the heights of fluid in annulus and drill string are not equal.
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T C

Case I
ft 3 C = annular capacity, ft ft 3 T = drill pipe capacity, ft

Height of plug with pipe in place

Height of plug after pulling pipe

T C

Case I
ft 3 C = annular capacity, ft ft 3 T = drill pipe capacity, ft V = volume of slurry, ft 3 H = height of cement plug with pipe in place V = H *C + H *T = H(C + T)

Final Height

V H= C+T
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Example Balanced Plug - Case I

Set a balanced cmt. plug from 8,500-9,000 ft, with no fluid spacers. 1. Open hole diameter = 10 3/4 2. Assume no washout 3. Use 5, 19.50 #/ft DP, open ended 4. Use class H cement, 15.6 #/gal
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Example - Case I
(a) Calculate volume of
cement slurry required:

DH L

2 10.75 2 V = DH L = ft (500 ft) 4 4 12 = 315.15 ft 3 of slurry required

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Example - Case I (b) Calculate actual height of plug

when DP is in place at 9,000 ft. If
C = annular capacity in ft / ft
3

T = drillpipe capacity in ft 3 / ft

then V = (C + T)H
V H= C+T

T C = Height of Plug, with Pipe in place

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Example - Case I (b) contd

In this case,
10 .75 2 5 2 C= 4 144 2 ft * 1 ft/ft

= 0.49394 ft 3 / ft
T = 0 . 0997 ft 3 / ft
( Halliburton Book )
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Example - Case I (b) contd

V 315.15 ft 3 H = = C + T (0.49394 + 0.0997)

ft 3 / ft

H = 530.9 ft = height of plug, with pipe in place

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Example - Case I
(c) Determine the quantity of mud displacement
inside the DP that will ensure a balanced plug. Balance requires that the pressures be equal inside the DP and in the annulus, at 9,000.

PD = PA P CD + PMD = PCA + PMA 0.052( MD )h MD = 0.052( MA )h MA

hMD = hMA

PD PA
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Example - Case I
height of mud inside drillpipe = height of mud in annulus height of mud inside drillpipe = 9,000 - 530.9 = 8,469.1 ft
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Example - Case I
Volume of mud displacement (behind the cement slurry) = 8,469 ft * 0.0997 ft /ft
3

bbl = 844.4 ft * 3 5.61 ft

3

VDispl = 150.4 bbl (of mud)

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Example - Case I Also required:

Class H cement reqd

315 . 15 ft = 1 . 18 ft 3 / sk = 267 .1 sks

Mix water reqd

267 .1 sks * 5.2 gal/sk = 42 gal/bbl

Water Re quired = 33.1 bbl

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Case II
mud water cement water mud
hW Height of plug with pipe in place

hWD = hWA

V WD V WA = T C T VWD = VWA C
Height of plug after pulling pipe

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Example, Balanced Plug - Case II

Set a balanced plug, 500 ft high, with its bottom at 9,000 ft. Use water spacers of equal height inside DP and in annulus. Volume of annular water spacer = 10 bbl Open hole diameter = 10 3/4. No washouts 5 DP, 19.50 #/ft, open ended. Use class H cement, 15.6 #/gal
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Example - Case II (a) & (b) From previous example:

V = 315 .15 ft 3 , vol. of cement slurry C = 0.49394 ft 3 / ft , annular capacity T = 0.0997 ft 3 / ft , drillpipe capacity V H= = 530 .9 ft, = height of plug C+T with drillpipe in place
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Example - Case II
(c) Calculate height (length) of water spacer
in DP:
In annulus,

h WA

ft 3 10 bbl * 5.61 VWA bbl = = 3 0 .49394 ft / ft C = 113.6 ft h WD = 113 .6 ft

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Example - Case II (d) Volume of water spacer inside DP V W,DP

T = Vol. of spacer in annulus * C
0.0997 ft / ft = 10 bbls * 0.49394 ft 3 / ft
3

V W,DP = 2.02 bbls

for spacers of equal height
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Example - Case II
(e) A balanced plug
requires that
PD = PA

PCD + PWD + PMD = PCA + PWA + PMA

PD PA

mud in drillpipe must extend to the surface.

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Example - Case II (e) contd

Height of mud in drillpipe

= 9,000 - h CD h WD

= 9 ,000 530 . 9 113 . 6

= 8 ,355 . 5 ft

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Example - Case II Volume of mud required to displace cement and spacers

ft 3 = 8,355.5 ft * 0.0997 ft

= 833.0 ft

VDispl = 148.5 bbls

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Check
148.5 bbls + 2.02 bbls 150.5 bbls answer to previous problem - Case I OK.

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Pumping Sequence:
1. Water spacer for annulus: 10 bbls 2. Cement Slurry for Plug:

315 .15 ft 3 56.2 bbls

3. Water spacer behind cement: 2.0 bbls

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Pumping Sequence
4. Mud displacement behind second water spacer: 148.5 bbls Total fluid pumped = 10 + 56.2 + 2 + 148.5 = 216.7 bbls
(at 10 bbl/min this would require ~22 min)
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Case III
Hole fluid density > density of water Hydrostatic heads in DS and annulus must balance at top of cement slurry with DS in hole.

hW Height of plug with pipe in place Height of plug after pulling pipe

PA = PD

P 30 CA + P WA + P MA = P CD + P WD + P MD

Case IV - General Case

Hole fluid density is greater than water density. Hydrostatic heads in DS and annulus must balance at top of cement slurry with DS in hole.

PA = PD P CA + P WA + P MA = P CD + P WD + P MD
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Procedure in setting balanced plug

1. Run drillpipe in to depth where plug is to be set; in this case 9,000 ft. (open ended). 2. Circulate and condition mud one complete circulation to make sure system is balanced. 3. Pump spacers and cement per calculations and displace w/proper amount of fluid
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Procedure in setting balanced plug

4. Stop pumps; break connection at surface. A. If standing full, plug is balanced. B. If flowing back, a mistake in calculations has been made. Stab inside BOP, or have a slug of heavy mud ready to pump.
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Procedure in setting balanced plug

5. Once the end of the drillpipe clears the plug, there is a good chance the pipe will pull wet. This is because pressures have gone back into a completely balanced mud system. 6. If pulling wet, slug pipe and pull out of hole.
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Procedure in setting balanced plug

7. Even if plug is severely out-of-balance, never try to reverse cement out of hole. 8. Tag plug with DP at end of 8 hours. If too high, plug may have to be drilled out and another plug spotted. If too low, spot another plug to required height with DP just above top of first plug.
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Calculations to Design a Balanced Open Hole Cement Plug

1. Calculate cu. ft. of slurry required for plug in open hole.
2 V1 = d L ft 3 4

( )

or, use Halliburto n tables.

2. Multiply this volume by excess factor (50% excess factor = 1.50)

V2 = V1 * factor, ft

3
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Calculations for balanced plug - HINT

When dealing with a washed-out hole, where an excess factor is required, it is usually easier to calculate a new, effective hole size, and use that instead of the excess factor.

V2 = V1 * 1.5

If 50% excess is required

2 2 d2 = d1 * 1.5 4 4
d2 = d1 1.5 = 1.225 d1
Use d2 for calculations This is the effective dia.
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Calculations for balanced plug

3. Find height (h, ft) cement will occupy when drillpipe is at bottom of plug during pumping:
V H= T+C

h=

V2 Volinside DP + Vol annulus (based on d2 )

3 ft ft 3 ft
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Calculations for balanced plug - contd

4. Find height (ft) water spacer ahead of cement will occupy in annulus. Use d2 to calculate this (to account for the excess factor). 5. Find height (ft) water spacer behind cement will occupy in DP. Do not use excess factor. 6. Pressures must balance at bottom of plug

PDP = Pann
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Calculations for balanced plug - contd

7. Pann = Pcmt + Pspacer + Pannulus mud

PDP = Pcmt + Pspacer + PDP mud Solve for PDP mud

8. Convert this PDP mud to feet inside DP.
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Calculations for balanced plug - contd

9. Convert this footage to bbls inside DP for proper displacement. 10. To find sks cmt required, divide volume, V2, by yield/sk. This yield, Ysk, may be in the Halliburton tables (or may not). Number of sx reqd,

V2 N= Ysk
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Calculations for balanced plug - contd

11. If yield not shown, calculate from 1 v 1 formula for mixtures. Solve for V W in this formula. Add the Vs for yield. 12. Total mix water will be VW / sk times number of sacks. VW total = (VW / sk) * N
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