SPE-191773-18ERM-MS

Multiple Enhanced Mechanical Property Cements Help Prevent Pre- and

Post-Fracturing Gas Migration

Kristin Kutchak, Paul Jones, and Samuel Van Meter, Halliburton

Copyright 2018, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Eastern Regional Meeting held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 7 - 11 October 2018.

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Abstract
"Gas migration" has been the catch phrase of the Appalachian Basin in the northeastern part of the US for
years. As demonstrated in a previous study, optimal displacement efficiency can be obtained by rotating
casing during the entirety of the cement operation, providing uniform cement coverage and eliminating gas
migration. However, while horizontal well lengths continue to increase, the ability to maintain rotation for
the entirety of the cement operation can be severely inhibited.
Conventional cement slurries are satisfactory for the majority of wells in both the Marcellus and
Utica/Point Pleasant. However, while operators are pushing the limit toward a 20,000-ft measured depth,
there is a growing need to rely less on industry best practices written at the onset of shale drilling and
expand engineering creativity toward implementing new technologies. With rotation off the table, a service
company recommended the combined use of two highly enhanced mechanical property cement slurry
technologies to bridge the technology gap from a conventional cementing solution to a more "life of the
well" solution.
Historically, gas migration from either the Upper Devonian and/or the Marcellus Shale has been proven
to be troublesome for the northeastern part of Pennsylvania. When the challenge cannot be addressed with
historical best practices, deploying new technology on hand is necessary to achieve the goal. With the
more robust functionality of a low-Portland cement design and resin composite cement slurry, the service
company's design team was able to combine these two technologies to deliver a dependable barrier tailored
to achieve zonal isolation. Optimizing the placement of the resin-composite-based cement slurry itself was
pivotal; placement across the problem zones and above the landing point of the horizontal section was
necessary. Successful elimination of both pre- and post-fracturing gas migration was achieved without
casing rotation during cement slurry placement. The wells were put into production, and the operator has
not had to perform any costly remediation operations because the reservoir was properly isolated by means
of the primary cementing operation.
Enhanced mechanical property cements were proven to be vital for alleviating the concerns of gas
migration. These cement systems help prevent Upper Devonian and Marcellus wells from being reworked
because of primary cement quality post-completion.
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Introduction
Mitigating shallow gas migration in the Appalachian Basin in the northeast is a highly complex task (Moore
et al. 2012). Conventional cementing best practices are becoming more difficult to implement because
of the long length of the lateral section of the wells. The challenge was to deliver a dependable barrier
capable of mitigating prefracturing gas migration and withstanding the cumulative cyclic forces of hydraulic
fracturing during the production casing by intermediate casing annulus. Additionally, the operator was
challenged with lowering equivalent circulating densities (ECDs) because of a slimhole wellbore design
(4.5-in. production casing × 6.25-in. openhole section) and improving displacement efficiency to achieve the
appropriate cement top to help ensure zonal isolation. The flow potential (FP) associated with the wellbore
is a calculated value that determines the potential for fluid to flow from the reservoir through the cemented
annular space. This value is calculated by taking the maximum pressure reduction (MPR) divided by the
overbalance pressure (OBP)—essentially, calculating pressure drop across a chosen interval.

(1)

where MPR is the maximum pressure of the reservoir (maximum pressure at surface)—MPR is
approximately (500/300) × (L/D) where L is the height of cement and D is the effective diameter (note that
the effective diameter for the annulus is based on both the inner and outer diameters of the annulus)—and
OBP is the hydrostatic pressure (reservoir zone gradient * reservoir zone true vertical depth [TVD]).
Fig. 1 shows a computer simulation to calculate the FP for these wellbores and determine how to proceed
in the segmented design approach to slurry design.

Figure 1—Flow potential.

The FP was considered to be "severe" for this wellbore. In situations of severe flow potential,
compressibility is usually added to the blend, either in the form of an additive or nitrogen-laden slurries;
however, using a resin composite could also be viewed as a viable option.
A segmented design approach was followed for achieving zonal isolation, with each zone of interest
separated based on complexity and addressed independently. The wellbore was segmented into three
sections: total measured depth (TMD) to landing point (LP) of the curve, LP to kickoff point (KOP) of
the curve, and KOP to surface. It was determined that a combination of engineered solutions would work
best to achieve the goal. The service company and operator's combined experiences in this area pointed to
the upper two intervals as the most in need of a tailored solution to mitigate post-fracturing gas migration.
Furthermore, it was then determined that the Upper Devonian interval, just above the Marcellus, was of the
utmost importance. Additionally, Fig. 1 helped determine where it was most important to have these slurries.
SPE-191773-18ERM-MS 3

For the production-lead design for the KOP-to-surface section, a low-Portland cement barrier with
enhanced mechanical properties and reduced ECD was designed. A production composite designed for the
LP to KOP interval (deemed most important) was a combination of the low-Portland cement slurry designed
for the upper section integrated with resin to create a composite slurry. This resin-composite-based cement
slurry was designed to further enhance the mechanical properties of the blend and increase resiliency to
withstand the cyclic forces of hydraulic fracturing. This solution contained 10% epoxy resin by volume of
slurry to maintain strength while reducing Young's modulus and helping improve bonding to casing. For
the section from TMD to LP, a conventional production tail slurry design was used. Pre- and post-fracturing
gas migrations were eliminated on all wells that achieved proper cement placement.

Theory and Definitions

A major challenge with developing cement slurries for unconventional applications is achieving the
appropriate mechanical properties to resist the cyclic loading induced during hydraulic fracturing (McDaniel
et al. 2014). Once set, the resiliency of cement is influenced by its compressive strength, Young's modulus,
and tensile strength (Iverson et al. 2008). Increasing compressive strength while lowering Young's modulus
requires more energy to create a failure in the set cement, thus increasing its resiliency to pressure cycling.
To evaluate the mechanical properties of the slurries designed for the segmented approach, the slurries
were prepared in accordance with API 10B-2 (2013). Samples for mechanical property measurements
were cured for seven days at 3,000 psi. Curing temperature for the production lead, resin composite, and
production tail were 133, 139, and 133°F, respectively.

Description and Application of Equipment and Processes

Samples were tested in compression using a load frame equipped with axial extensometers to measure
compressive displacement. Young's modulus was taken from the slope in the linear elastic regime of the
stress-strain plot. Table 1 shows that the compressive strength and Young's modulus reported are an average
of three measurements, and Brazilian tensile strength is an average of four measurements.

Table 1—Mechanical properties and density of cement slurries used for well cementing.

Data and Results

When comparing the resin composite and production tail slurry, the compressive strength of the resin-
composite slurry is comparable to the production tail, but Young's modulus is lower. The ratio of
compressive strength to Young's modulus is often used to compare cement slurries for resiliency. The
production lead and production tail had ratios of 1.935×10-3 and 1.988×10-3, respectively, while the resin
composite had a ratio of 2.811×10-3. These results suggest that the resin-composite slurry has the most
favorable mechanical properties to achieve and maintain zonal isolation under cyclic loading, and strategic
placement of the slurry in the well design could help improve the resiliency of the well.
A computer model was used to simulate the ECDs and slurry placement. The ECD and hydrostatic
pressure graph in Fig. 1 is from a well on a previous pad for the operator. Fig. 2 shows downhole annular
pressure and ECDs versus volume of fluid pumped at a given TVD. Ideally, this chart is evaluated at total
TVD of the wellbore to see what the ECDs and pressures are like at the end of the cementing operation
4 SPE-191773-18ERM-MS

to help ensure that cement is properly displaced and loss of returns during the operation can be mitigated.
It is imperative that the operator provide the most accurate fracture gradient and reservoir (pore) pressure
data at the zone of interest (TVD).

Figure 2—ECD and hydrostatic pressure at 5,872 ft TVD/11,035 ft TMD from previous pad.

Besides the accurate fracture gradient and reservoir pressure from the operator, the other essential input
for this chart is fluid rheologies. Thinning of the slurry inherently lowers the ECDs in the wellbore. Table
2 shows the rheologies input for the model in Fig. 1. Rheologies are of the utmost importance for a
slimhole designed wellbore because added friction pressure is created resulting from the tight annular/casing
clearance.

Table 2—Fluid rheologies of single slurry from previous pad.

When designing the pad of wells on hand for mitigated gas migration, these same standards were applied.
By converting the single-slurry run on the previous pad into being the "production tail" for this pad, the
"production lead" and "resin composite" were implemented with lower rheologies (Table 3).
SPE-191773-18ERM-MS 5

Table 3—Fluid rheologies of tailored three-slurry system.

Rheologies from Table 3 were then used for fluid displacement simulation. By lowering the top of cement
of the most viscous slurry and adding the production lead and resin composite to the wellbore, the ECDs
were then intrinsically lowered (Fig. 2). Additionally, it should be noted that the lateral lengths increasing
and maintaining lower ECDs for longer is extremely important. The wellbore in Fig. 3 is approximately
two times the length of the one in Fig. 2, while still producing low ECDs.

Figure 3—ECD and hydrostatic pressure at 6,291 ft TVD/17,085 ft TMD.

As previously stated, proper slurry placement is important to the success of any tailored solution. A
computer simulation was used to help ensure that proper displacement efficiency was achieved. Two-
dimensional (2D) modeling displaced in Fig. 4 shows where the designed top of cements would be in a
perfectly placed scenario with no intermixing of fluid.
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Figure 4—2D wellbore displacement model.

Once 2D modeling is completed, three-dimensional (3D) modeling is performed, simulating the

intermixing of fluid both inside the casing and the annulus. This model accounts for the directional survey,
dogleg severity, openhole excess, standoff of the casing within the wellbore, centralizer type and frequency,
plug separation, flow regime, flow potential, pipe rotation, etc.
Within this 3D model, varying zones of interest can be evaluated for displacement efficiency. This is as
close as one can get to understanding what is occurring downhole in terms of slurry intermixing. However,
these simulations should not be used as a replacement to bond logs for determining the top of cement. Fig.
5 evaluates displacement efficiency at the top of the curve and bottom of the resin-composite slurry.

Figure 5—3D displacement chart at 5,000 ft—23.9% resin composite, 66.9% total cement.

Fig. 6 evaluates displacement efficiency at intermediate casing shoe and top of the resin-composite slurry.
SPE-191773-18ERM-MS 7

Figure 6—3D displacement chart at 2,500 ft—37.1% resin composite, 62.0% total cement.

Conclusions
Data dictate the importance of proper cement placement to achieve the desired result (i.e., no annular
gas migration). To help ensure proper slurry placement, it is recommended to follow all industry best
practices (centralization, annular velocity, mechanical aides, pipe movement, spacers, and flushes). If a well
experiences a high gas show while drilling or loss of circulation before cementing, the ability to obtain proper
tops of fluid, maintain annular gas post-cementing, and fracture can be inhibited. Using this segmented
method has resulted in improved cementing reliability in preventing gas migration after primary cementing
and hydraulic fracturing.

References
Iverson, B., Darbe, R., and McMechan, D. 2008. Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Cements. Presented at The 42nd
U.S. Rock Mechanics Symposium (USRMS), San Francisco, California, 29 June-2 July. ARMA-08-293.
McDaniel, J., Watters, L., and Shadravan, A. 2014. Cement Sheath Durability: Increasing Cement Sheath Integrity to
Reduce Gas Migration in the Marcellus Shale Play. Presented at the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference,
The Woodlands, Texas, 4-6 February. SPE-1468650-MS. Petroleum Engineers. https://doi.org/10.2118/168650-MS.
Moore, L. P., Jones, J. E., Perlman, S. et al. 2012. Evaluation of Precompletion Annular Gas Leaks in a Marcellus
Lateral. Presented at the SPE Americas Unconventional Resources Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 5-7 June.
SPE-153142-MS. https://doi.org/10.2118/153142-MS.