Abstract
Gas leakage through wellbore micro-channels is a major challenging
problem for well cementing and integrity. One of the reason that leads
to weaker cementing is the drilling fluid contamination within the
cement plug, which provides weak parts for the flowing pathways of gas
and fluids. The objective of this paper was to experimentally
investigate the drilling fluids contamination in terms of liquid and
dehydrated drilling fluid on wellbore cement in multiple scale to
compare and quantify the impact of the drilling fluids on the cement
plug. In the experiment, specific amount of drilling fluid was mixed
with wellbore cement. Different level of contamination was introduced
for each phase of the drilling fluid. Class H Portland cement slurries
were then prepared using API-10 B standard for a density of 16.4 lb/gal
(SG=1.97), and the control sample with 0% contamination is referred to
as neat Class H cement slurry. The first part of the testing is to
quantify the effect of the contamination on core scale. Samples were
tested for petrophysical and mechanical properties in terms of porosity,
permeability and unconfined compressive strength. Moreover,
Microstructural properties and hydration process were evaluated using
Optical Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) on micrometer
scale in order to investigate the fundamental mechanism of contamination
on properties of cement matrix. The results showed that the presence of
mud would highly harm the performance of the cement. Micro-fractures
appeared at the interface of the cement/mud through the Optical
Microscope. The porosity of the core increased from 30% porosity of the
neat cement to approximately 40% porosity of contaminated samples at
most. The compressive strength could drop to more than 50% of the
original value. Micro-annular channel and irregularities in the
structure can be observed which might explain the increased porosity and
permeability. The results presented in this paper would lead to safe
implementation of cementing, enable safe Oil and Gas exploration in
deepwater without risks of environmental contamination, and contribute
to improvement in overall wellbore construction and development of
robust hydraulic barrier materials.