Improved method of setting successful whipstock cement plugs

Conference · Tue Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5699502

Smith, R C; Beirute, R M; Holman, G B

Setting open-hole cement plugs for whipstocking has historically been very unsatisfactory. Often, several attempts are required to set a cement plug before one is obtained which has sufficient strength for kickoff and is at the intended depth. The unstable flow behavior due to the heavy weight of an unset cement plug resting on top of a light-weight mud is one of the main causes of plug failure. Also, the common practice of using open-ended drill pipe or tubing to spot the plug is another heavy contributor to unsuccessful plug setting. This paper presents a placement technique and materials design which have resulted in a successful plug on the first attempt in numerous field cases where previous plug setting was difficult. Several case histories are presented in the paper. To examine the instability problem associated with cement plugs, an experimental investigation was conducted. This investigation consisted of setting cement plugs of known densities and rheological properties on top of drilling muds having known properties. The experiments were conducted using lucite pipe to simulate hole or casing and using copper tubing as the drill pipe. In each test the hole was initially filled with drilling mud. Cement was then displaced through the simulated drill pipe to displace drilling mud up the annulus. The ability of the cement plug to remain where it was placed was visually observed and correlated with other experimental observations. This paper includes the results of the experimental investigation. The main conclusion of this investigation is that the stability and quality of a cement plug for whipstocking or any other purpose can be greatly improved through the use of this new placement technique.

• Research Organization: AMOCO Production Co.
• OSTI ID: 5699502
• Report Number(s): CONF-830203-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States) Journal Volume: IADC/SPE 11415
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
ANNULAR SPACE
BUILDING MATERIALS
CEMENTING
CEMENTS
CLOSURES
CONFIGURATION
DATA
DRILL PIPES
DRILLING EQUIPMENT
DRILLING FLUIDS
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS
FIELD TESTS
FLUIDS
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL WELLS
PIPES
PLUGGING
SPACE
SYSTEM FAILURE ANALYSIS
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TESTING
WELL SERVICING
WELLS