Improving Confidence in Cement Evaluation

Pablo Estrada
Wireline Well Integrity Domain, North Sea Offshore Well Integrity Conference, North Sea Aberdeen 27th-28th Feb. 2013

Agenda
Cementing Objectives Why Cement Evaluation? Cement Evaluation Measurements
CBL/VDL Traditional Ultrasonic Technology Enhanced Ultrasonic Technology

High quality cementing objectives

Support the pipe in place Further drilling Production Protect the pipe in place Corrosive formation fluids Hydraulic isolation No communication between different formation fluids No migration of formation fluids to surface No loss of production to thief zones

Challenges in Cement Evaluation

Cements ranges widely in property Foam to high density cements Contaminated cements Cement placement quality depends on Well construction Cement design and execution Formation pressure, fracture gradient & fluid migration behavior Annulus geometry varies Casing centralization

Cement Evaluation: Reducing uncertainty

Resolve ambiguity through multiple measurements Address the wide range of cements that could be potentially placed

Confirm vertical continuity of cement placement to isolate zones

Identify cement placement challenges Confirm adequate pipe centralization (where possible)

Confirm the azimuthal placement of cement and absence of channels

Norsok D-10 Rev 3.0

Cement evaluation measurements

Presence of the cement
CBL amplitude / attenuation VDL formation arrivals Acoustic Impedance Flexural attenuation Third Interface Echo
Isolation Scanner

Ultrasonic

Cement azimuthal placement

Acoustic impedance Flexural attenuation Third Interface Echo

Sonic (CBL-VDL)

Cement Bond Log (CBL) & Variable Density Log (VDL)

3ft receiver - Amplitude 5ft receiver - Waveform (VDL)

No Cement

Good Bond

Sonic Tools (CBL/VDL) Too simplistic and subjective

Strengths

Free Pipe

Work well in most well fluids, tolerate corrosion Qualitative cement-formation bond from VDL Omni directional measurement High CBL amplitude can be ambiguous Microannulus & Channels Contaminated or Light cement Sensitive to fast formation

Limitations

Well cemented Pipe

Traditional Ultrasonic Technology (USI)

Transducer

1st Interface 2nd Interface 3rd Interface

Mud

Casing Cement

Formation

Single Tx-Rx configuration rotating at 7.5 rps

72 azimuthal measurements
1.2 in (30mm) resolution Excitation of thickness mode of the casing Inversion for the acoustic impedance Measurements:
Cement evaluation (Acoustic Impedance) Casing corrosion and wear

Echo amplitude Transit time Internal casing Internal radius condition

Resonance Thickness

Resonance Cement acoustic impedance

USI azimuthal cement evaluation

USIT Strengths
High azimuthal & vertical resolution Quantitative measurement Less sensitive to microannulus Pipe diameter & thickness measurement Azimuthal cement map Channel identification Pipe inspection with cement evaluation

Benefits

Value to Operators
Reduced uncertainty on cement placement Efficiency Cement and Pipe Evaluation

Traditional ultrasonic challenges

USI Neat

Low mud-cement contrast Subjective light/contaminated cements Cement evaluation limited to pipes with thickness <0.6 High attenuation logging fluids

6 4 2 0

Light

Acoustic impedance

Gas

Liquid

Cement

Contaminated cement

GAS
0.3 Mrayls (Default)

SOLID
2.6 Mrayls (Class-G)

8 Mrayls (Class-G)

Increasing contamination

Enhanced Ultrasonic technology (Isolation Scanner)

Service built on USI Ultrasonic hardware Acoustic Impedance Combines USI measurement with 2nd flexural attenuation measurement:
Used with USI cement acoustic impedance to characterize SLG (Solid-Liquid-Gas) model

Improved evaluation of Light Weight and contaminated cements

Circumferential imaging, up to formation or second casing

Flexural

Isolation Scanner - Material identification in annulus

Far Near USI

Tx

Independent measurements to define annulus material in 1 of 3 SLG (Solid-LiquidGas) states, limiting reliance on thresholds
SLG = Acoustic Impedance + Flexural Attenuation

Isolation Scanner increases cement evaluation confidence

Isolation Scanner strengths
Retains USIT answers Adds flexural attenuation measurement Improved sensitivity to light and contaminated cements Extends cement evaluation to pipe thickness up to 0.8 Quantitative & azimuthal cement map (S-L-G) Annulus velocity, pipe centralization Identify presence of channels and impact to zonal isolation Pipe inspection with cement evaluation Reduced uncertainty on cement placement and zonal isolation decisions IPTC 10546

Benefits

Value to operators

Isolation Scanner - Third Interface Echo (TIE)

1st Echo

Estimated wave velocity - confirm the SLG map and better understand cement placement Physical measurement of casing standoff in % Cement sheath pseudo-thickness 3D annular geometry imaging - improved zonal isolation determination Support for improved completion, kickoff, CSG retrieval and remedial strategy

3rd Echo

Mud Casing Cement

Formation

Transducer

Reducing uncertainty in hydraulic isolation Isolation Scanner

Annulus cross-section shows a marginally thinner cement on one side, but still confirms the presence of a solid cement sheath

Requires the ability to

Confirm vertical continuity of cement for zonal isolation Confirm adequate pipe centralization Confirm azimuthal cement and absence of channels Resolve ambiguity through multiple measurements
Acoustic impedance, Flexural attenuation 3rd interface echo (TIE) annulus velocity and thickness

SLG map discriminates more solids compared to USIT image

Casing standoff measurement indicates a value of 60-80%

(SPE-120061)

Thank You