SPE-184485-STU Development of Software Application for ...

SPE-184485-STU

Development of Software Application for Optimization of Primary Cementing Operations using Visual Basic Abdul Manan Chaudhry, University of Engineering & Technology Taxila

Copyright 2016, Society of Petroleum Engineers This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Dubai, UAE, 26–28 September 2016. This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the writ-ten consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract Scientific software development is a multi-step process, involving good understanding of the mathemat-

ical model, development of an algorithm and subsequently its implementation as a computational code.

Using these methodologies an open source Cementing Operations software library has been coded. A

software application “Cementing Operations Calculator” has been developed over this library, which

efficiently provides solutions for primary cementing operations.

The software helps in selecting optimum parameters for primary cementing operations such as Dis-

placement Volume, Lead Slurry Total Volume, Tail Slurry Total Volume, Lead Slurry Composition

(quantity of cement & cement additives), Tail Slurry Composition (quantity of cement & cement addi-

tives), Lead Slurry Composition (Dead Volume), Tail Slurry Composition (Dead Volume) and finally

the Chemicals required for performing the primary cementing operations job.

A number of geoscientific computational libraries are available in the public domain which have been

initiated by various universities and developed and maintained by a large community of developers.

Keeping in view the same trend, there is a need for developing open source libraries for petroleum engi-

neering. Thus the aim of this research is to provide open source code which is publicly available to the

others to enhance and incorporate new functionality. In addition the software tools are also publicly

available which can be used by students and researchers for analysis of their data. The use of the soft-

ware is demonstrated with real field data examples.

1 Introduction 1.1 Purpose

A number of geoscientific computational libraries are available in the public domain which have been

initiated by various universities and developed and maintained by a large community of developers.

Keeping in view the same trend, there is a need for developing open source libraries for petroleum engi-

neering. Thus the aim of this research is to provide open source code which is publicly available to the

others to enhance and incorporate new functionality. In addition the software tools are also publicly

available which can be used by students and researchers for analysis of their data.

1.2 Scope of Work

Scientific software development is a multi-step process, involving good understanding of the mathemat-

ical model, development of an algorithm and subsequently its implementation as a computational code.

Using these methodologies an open source Cementing Operations software library has been coded. A

software application “Cementing Operations Calculator” has been developed over this library, which

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efficiently provides solutions for primary cementing operations.

1.3 Research Title

Development of Software Application for Optimization of Primary Cementing Operations using Visual

Basic

1.4 Significance of the Study

The software application “Cementing Operations Calculator” selects optimum parameters for primary

cementing operations such as Displacement Volume, Lead Slurry Total Volume, Tail Slurry Total Vol-

ume, Lead Slurry Composition (quantity of cement & cement additives), Tail Slurry Composition (quan-

tity of cement & cement additives), Lead Slurry Composition (Dead Volume), Tail Slurry Composition

(Dead Volume) and finally the Chemicals required for performing the primary cementing operations job.

1.5 Research Methodology

1.5.1 Research Process

Figure 1.1 elaborates the research process of the study.

Figure 1.1 Research Process of the Study

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1.5.2 Classification

The study in hand can be classified into a couple of research areas i.e. longitudinal (Case Study) and ap-

plied research.

1.5.3 Limitations of the Study

This version of the software application “Cementing Operations Calculator” can only be used for

Primary Cementing Operations including Conductor Casing, Surface Casing, Intermediate Cas-

ing and Production Casing

2 Statement of Theory and Definitions

2.1 Terminology

The basic terminology and concepts behind cementing operations, used in this software “Cementing Op-

erations Calculator” are discussed as follows:

2.1.1 Primary Cementing

The placement of cement in the annular space between the casing and the wellbore is known as primary

cementing. Primary cementing is the most important operation performed on a well. The main objective

is to provide zonal isolation. Without complete zonal isolation in the wellbore, the well may never reach

its full producing potential. A faulty cementing job results in lost reserves, low production rates and

hence the revenue is delayed. In order to repair a faulty cementing job, stimulation treatments may be

required. [1]

2.1.2 Classification of Casing Strings

A series of casing strings are essential to complete a well and for the production of the desired fluids ef-

ficiently. The design of the casing program depends on the following:

Drilling objectives

Depth

Sizes of the holes

Formation Pressures

Mud column

Formation Geology

Withstand mechanical stresses and

Chemical stresses

In this section, the functions of the casing strings and the depths to which they are normally set are dis-

cussed. [1]

2.1.2.1 Conductor Pipe

The first and the shortest casing string in the well which helps protect shallow sands from being contam-

inated and help prevent washouts is known as conductor casing. It can be used for attaching a blowout

preventer (BOP). It is used to protect the subsequent casing strings from corrosion and to support some

of the wellhead load. The setting depth is usually less than 300 ft. (9 1 m). [1]

2.1.2.2 Surface Casing

The second string of casing which helps to cordon off aquifers which are found at relatively shallow

depths, unconsolidated formations and to maintain hole integrity is known as surface casing. Diameters

range from 7 to 20 in. (18 to 50 cm) and depths can reach 5,000 ft. (1,520 m). [1]

2.1.2.3 Intermediate Casing

The longest section of casing in the well which is used to maintain the borehole integrity, seal off weak

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zones and prevent lost circulation is known as intermediate casing. Typical casing sizes range from 65/8

in. (17 cm) to 133/8 in. (34 cm), and the depth can vary from 1,000 to 15,000 ft. (305 to 4,570 m). [1]

2.1.2.4 Production Casing

The last string of casing in the well which is used to isolate the reservoir from undesirable fluids in the

producing formation and from other zones penetrated by the wellbore is known as production casing.

We can say that, the production string is the oil well. Common sizes range from 41/2 to 95/8 in. (11.5 to

24.5 cm). Depths can vary from 1,500 to over 25,000 ft. (460 to over 7,620 m). [1]

2.1.3 Cement Additives

The chemicals which modify the behavior of the cement slurry which allows successful placement of

cement slurry, rapid compressive strength development and zonal isolation during the lifetime of the

well are known as additives. Over 100 additives are available which can be in solid or liquid forms. The

concentrations of most solid cement additives are expressed as a percentage by weight of cement

(BWOC). Liquid additive concentrations are expressed in gallons per sack (GPS) of cement. Eight cate-

gories of additives are generally recognized. [1]

2.1.3.1 Accelerators

The chemicals which reduce the setting time of cement slurry and increase the rate of compressive

strength development are known as accelerators. [1]

2.1.3.2 Retarders

The chemicals which extend the setting time of cement slurry are known as retarders. [1]

2.1.3.3 Extender-s

The materials which lower the density of cement slurry and reduce the quantity of cement

per unit volume of set product are known as extenders. [1]

2.1.3.4 Weighting Agents

The materials which increase the density of cement slurry are known as weighting agents. [1]

2.1.3.5 Dispersants

The chemicals which reduce the viscosity of cement slurry are known as dispersants. [1]

2.1.3.6 Fluid-Loss Control Agents

The materials which control the loss of the aqueous phase of cement slurry to the formation are known

as fluid loss control agents. [1]

2.1.3.7 Lost Circulation Control Agents

The materials which control the loss of cement slurry to weak or vugular formations are known as lost

circulation control agents. [1]

2.1.3.8 Specialty Additives

Miscellaneous additives, e.g., antifoam agents, fibers, etc. [1]

2.1.4 Cement Slurry Properties

2.1.4.1 Slurry Density

The slurry density is calculated by adding the masses of the components of the cement slurry and divid-

ing by the total of the absolute volumes occupied. In other words, to determine the density in lb/gal, di-

vide the total pounds by the total gallons. [1]

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2.1.4.2 Yield

The volume occupied by one unit of the cement plus all of the additives and mix water is known as

yield. As cement is measured in sacks hence the yield is measured in cubic feet per sack (ft3/sk). This

value is then used to calculate the number of sacks required to achieve the desired fill-up in the annular

space. Most slurry density calculations are performed on the basis of one sack of cement which is equiv-

alent to 94 lb. [1]

2.1.4.3 Mix Water

The amount of water in gallons per sack of dry cement blend before the addition of liquid additives is

known as Mix Water. Water can be Fresh Water or Sea Water. [1]

2.1.4.4 Mix Fluid

The amount of total liquid additives and water in gallons per sack of dry cement blend is known as Mix

Fluid. [1]

2.1.4.5 Displacement Volume

The displacement volume to land the plug is simply a calculation of the capacity of the pipe. [1]

2.1.4.6 Lead Slurry

The low density and high yield slurry which is used to fill and cover the upper section of the annular

space is known as lead slurry. The density of lead slurry is higher than that of the drilling fluid and less

than that of the tail slurry. [1]

2.1.4.7 Tail Slurry

The higher density slurry which is used to cover the lower section of the annular space up from the bot-

tom of the hole is known as tail slurry. The properties of the tail slurry are normally superior to those of

the lead slurry. [1]

3 System Analysis and Design

3.1 Software Architecture

The software architecture of the application “Cementing Operations Calculator” is illustrated in Figure

3.1.

Figure 3.1 Software Architecture

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3.2 Front End Interface

3.2.1 File

The options that are enlisted under the “File” tab are shown in Figure 3.2.

Figure 3.2 File

3.2.1.1 New Cementing Data

It opens the “Input Data” form and the user has the ability to enter the input data manually into the form

as shown in Figure 3.3.

Figure 3.3 New Cementing Data

3.2.1.2 Open Cementing Data

It allows the user to automatically load the input data into the “Input Data” form, from the saved files

which are in the form of CEM File as shown in Figure 3.4.

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Figure 3.4 Open Cementing Data

3.2.1.3 Save Cementing Data

It allows the user to save the input data which is entered manually into the “Input Data” form, in the

form of CEM File as shown in Figure 3.5.

Figure 3.5 Save Cementing Data

3.2.1.4 Save Cementing Result

It allows the user to save the results generated in the “Output Data” form, in response to the processes

performed on the input data, in the form of Text Document as shown in Figure 3.6.

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Figure 3.6 Save Cementing Result

3.2.2 Process

The options that are enlisted under the “Process” tab are shown in Figure 3.7.

Figure 3.7 Process

3.2.2.1 Conductor Casing

It performs all the calculations on the input data for conductor casing and display the results in the “Out-

put Data” form. The results obtained are actually the design of the cementing job for the conductor cas-

ing section of the well as shown in Figure 3.8.

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Figure 3.8 Conductor Casing

3.2.2.2 Surface Casing

It performs all the calculations on the input data for surface casing and displays the results in the “Out-

put Data” form. The results obtained are actually the design of the cementing job for the surface casing

section of the well as shown in Figure 3.9.

Figure 3.9 Surface Casing

3.2.2.3 Intermediate Casing

It performs all the calculations on the input data for intermediate casing and displays the results in the

“Output Data” form. The results obtained are actually the design of the cementing job for the intermedi-

ate casing section of the well as shown in Figure 3.10.

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Figure 3.10 Intermediate Casing

3.2.2.4 Production Casing

It performs all the calculations on the input data for production casing and displays the results in the

“Output Data” form. The results obtained are actually the design of the cementing job for the production

casing section of the well as shown in Figure 3.11.

Figure 3.11 Production Casing

3.2.3 Plot

The option that is enlisted under the “Plot” tab is shown in Figure 3.12.

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Figure 3.12 Plot

3.2.3.1 Wellbore Geometry

It shows the graphical representation of the well which includes wellbore wall & casing to be cemented

with appropriate labels as shown in Figure 3.13.

Figure 3.13 Wellbore Geometry

4 Case Study The accuracy of the software application “Cementing Operations Calculator” is demonstrated with the

use of real field data examples.

4.1 Conductor Casing

4.1.1 Solution by Cementing Operations Calculator

The solution of the problem by software application i.e. by the use of “Cementing Operations Calcula-

tor” is given in Figure 4.1, Figure 4.2 and Figure 4.3.

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Figure 4.1 Well Data (Conductor Casing)

Figure 4.2 Results (Conductor Casing)

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Figure 4.3 Wellbore Geometry (Conductor Casing)

4.2 Surface Casing




Figure 4.4 Well Data (Surface Casing)

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Figure 4.5 Results (Surface Casing)

Figure 4.6 Wellbore Geometry (Surface Casing)

4.3 Intermediate Casing




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Figure 4.7 Well Data (Intermediate Casing)

Figure 4.8 Results (Intermediate Casing)

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Figure 4.9 Wellbore Geometry (Intermediate Casing)

4.4 Production Casing




Figure 4.10 Well Data (Production Casing)

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Figure 4.11 Results (Production Casing)

Figure 4.12 Wellbore Geometry (Production Casing)

5 Findings, Conclusions And Recommendations 5.1 Findings

The accuracy of the developed software application “Cementing Operations Calculator” has been proven

using the case study methodology by the use of real field data examples.

5.2 Conclusions

The developed software application “Cementing Operations Calculator” selects optimum parameters for

primary cementing operations such as Displacement Volume, Lead Slurry Total Volume, Tail Slurry

Total Volume, Lead Slurry Composition (quantity of cement & cement additives), Tail Slurry Composi-

tion (quantity of cement & cement additives), Lead Slurry Composition (Dead Volume), Tail Slurry

Composition (Dead Volume) and finally the Chemicals required for performing the primary cementing

operations job.

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5.3 Recommendations

The following recommendations are suggested regarding the further development of this open source

Cementing Operations software library:

This research work i.e. open source Cementing Operations software library should be continued

in future in the Master’s thesis and Doctoral dissertations by the research students of various

universities and also by the professionals working in this field to make this publicly available li-

brary be the best in the field of Cementing

This research work should be funded by the national Exploration and Production (E&P) compa-

nies in Pakistan to trigger the development of Oil and Gas software’s in Pakistan and which will

help in tremendous cost savings from the expenses that are done in lieu of purchasing and licens-

ing of software’s acquired from the services companies

5.4 Future Work

The future research work in the further development of the software application “Cementing Operations

Calculator” is listed as follows:

Liners: Acquiring results from the services companies for testing the “Liner” cementing jobs on

the already developed version of the software

Remedial Cementing: Development of computational algorithm for “Remedial Cementing” i.e.

Squeeze Cementing techniques

Cement Plugs: Development of computational algorithm for “Cement Plugs” techniques

Horizontal Well Cementing: Development of computational algorithm for “Horizontal Well

Cementing” techniques

Cement Job Evaluation: Development of computational algorithm for “Cement Job Evalua-

tion” i.e. testing and logging techniques

6 Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Dr. Khalid Amin Khan for the continuous

support, for his patience, motivation, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me in all the time of

research and writing of this paper.

7 Nomenclature BWOC = By Weight of Cement

Ft = Foot

ft3 = Cubic Feet

GPS = Gallons per Sack

gal = Gallons

in = Inches

lb = Pounds

m = Meter

sk = Sack

8 References

8.1 End Notes [1] Nelson, Erik B. 1990. Well Cementing. Sugar Land, Texas: Schlumberger Educational Services.

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8.2 Bibliography

Spoerker, H.F., Real-Time Job Monitoring and Performance Control of Primary Cementing Operations

as a Way to Total Quality Management (TQM), SPE, 1995.

Ravi, K.M., Improve Primary Cementing by Continuous Monitoring of Circulatable Hole, SPE, 1993.

Smith, R.C., Successful Primary Cementing: Fact or Fiction, SPE, 1986.

Smith, R.C., Successful Primary Cementing Can Be a Reality, SPE, 1984.

Carl Haut, Richard, Applications Of A Computer Simulator To Primary Cementing, SPE, 1978.

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