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Plugback Cementing

The document discusses plugback cementing techniques for setting balanced cement plugs in open holes. It describes four cases for plug placement based on the use of spacers ahead of and behind the cement slurry. The key steps for setting a balanced plug include calculating the required cement volume, spacer heights, and mud displacements to balance pressures across the plug. Detailed calculations are provided to design a plug that will maintain its position after the drill pipe is removed.

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Mehdi Norouzi
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83 views24 pages

Plugback Cementing

The document discusses plugback cementing techniques for setting balanced cement plugs in open holes. It describes four cases for plug placement based on the use of spacers ahead of and behind the cement slurry. The key steps for setting a balanced plug include calculating the required cement volume, spacer heights, and mud displacements to balance pressures across the plug. Detailed calculations are provided to design a plug that will maintain its position after the drill pipe is removed.

Uploaded by

Mehdi Norouzi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MWE

Plugback Cementing

Plugback Cementing
Balanced Cement Plug

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

Plugback Cementing
Setting Cement Plug

Plugback Cementing
Plugback Cementing

g Case I: No Spacer
g Case II: Equal Height Spacers
g Case III: Spacer Ahead of Cmt. (only)
g Case IV: Two Unequal Spacers
g Mixtures and Solutions

Plugback Cementing
Cementing (Open-Hole Plugging)

1. Plug-back for abandonment


2. Plug-back for fishing or hole deviation

g Open-hole plugging is usually performed


with “slick” drillpipe or tubing.
g In some cases, reciprocating scratchers
may be run to enchance cement
bonding.
Plugback Cementing
Types of Balanced Plugs

Case I: No water or other fluid of different


density from that in hole is run ahead or
behind the cement slurry.

Case II: Water or other fluid of different


density from that in 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.
Plugback Cementing
Displacement

Case III: Water or other fluid of different


density from that in 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 hole is run ahead and
behind cement slurry. In this case, the
heights of fluid in annulus and drill string
are not equal.
Plugback Cementing
Case I
T C

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

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

Plugback Cementing
Case II hWD = hWA
V WD V WA
=
mud T C
⎛T ⎞
water VWD = VWA ⎜ ⎟
⎝C⎠
cement hW
Height of
water Height of plug
plug with
pipe in place after pulling pipe
mud

Plugback Cementing
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

Plugback Cementing
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)


Plugback Cementing
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 Height of plug
pipe in place after pulling pipe

PA = PD
Plugback Cementing ∆PCA + ∆PWA + ∆PMA = ∆PCD + ∆PWD + ∆PMD
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

∆PCA + ∆PWA + ∆PMA = ∆PCD + ∆PWD + ∆PMD


Plugback Cementing
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

Plugback Cementing
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 heavy slug (small volume slug)
ready to pump.

Plugback Cementing
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.

Plugback Cementing
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.

Plugback Cementing
Calculations to Design a Balanced
Open Hole Cement Plug

1. Calculate cu. ft. of slurry required for


plug in open hole.
π 2
V1 = d L ft
4
3
( ) or, use Halliburton tables.

2. Multiply this volume by excess factor


(50% excess factor = 1.50)

V2 = V1 * factor, ft 3

Plugback Cementing
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


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

3. Find height (h, ft) cement will occupy when


drillpipe is at bottom of plug during pumping:

V2 , ft 3
h=
Vol inside DP + Vol annulus (based on d 2 )

ft 3 ft 3
ft ft
Plugback Cementing
Calculations for balanced plug - cont’d
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.
PDP = Pann
6. Pressures must balance at bottom of plug
Plugback Cementing
Calculations for balanced plug - cont’d

7. Pann = ∆Pcmt + ∆Pspacer + ∆Pannulus mud

PDP = ∆Pcmt + ∆Pspacer + ∆PDP mud

Solve for ∆PDP mud

8. Convert this ∆PDP mud to feet inside DP.

Plugback Cementing
Calculations for balanced plug - cont’d

9. Convert this footage to bbls inside DP for


proper displacement.

10. To find sx cmt required, divide volume,


V2, by yield/sk. This yield, Ysk, may be
in the Halliburton tables.

V2
Number of sx req’d, N=
Ysk
Plugback Cementing
Calculations for balanced plug - cont’d

11. If yield not shown, calculate from ρ 1 v 1


formula for mixtures. Solve for V W
in this formula. Add the V’s for yield.

12. Total mix water will be VW / sk times


number of sacks.

VW total = (VW / sk) * N

Plugback Cementing

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