SPE 77752

Cement Pulsation Treatment in Wells

Andrew K. Wojtanowicz, SPE, John Rogers Smith, SPE, Djuro Novakovic, SPE/Louisiana State University, V. S.
Chimmalgi, SPE/ONGC, Ken R. Newman, SPE/Coiled Tubing Engineering Services, Dale Dusterhoft, SPE/Trican
Services, Brian Gahan, SPE/Gas Technology Institute
Copyright 2002, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and
Exhibition held in San Antonio, Texas, 29 September2 October 2002.
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Abstract
Cement pulsation is a novel technology for enhancing zonal
isolation by applying low frequency, hydraulic, pressure
pulses to the wellhead immediately after cementing. The
treatment maintains the slurry in a liquid state, which
transmits hydrostatic pressure downhole, and keeps the well
overbalanced thus preventing early gas flow after cementing.
The paper summarizes several stages in the development
of cement pulsation technology including comparison to other
methods, physical principles, process analysis, mathematical
modeling, computer-aided design, laboratory testing, and field
performance.
The paper supports published information on cement
pulsation with data from research and field studies that was
instrumental in developing the technology. Emphasis has
been given to the analysis of the pulsation process, description
of design model and software, and an updated account of field
applications.
Described is the MS Windows software for pulsation
design. Two examples demonstrate the computer-aided
design. The examples show that the software could be used to
find the pulse size and treatment duration for a constantpressure treatment. Alternatively, a variable-pressure
treatment with controlled treatment depth could be designed.
Data is presented from pulsation of over 80 wells in
drilling areas notorious for early gas migration after
cementing. Field applications of the technology in 80 wells
provided significant evidence of the success of cement
pulsation in preventing early gas leakeage in cemented wells.

Introduction Top Cement Pulsation

In 1982, a landmark field experiment performed by Exxon
revealed hydrostatic pressure loss in the annuli after primary
cementing in wells1. Since then, hydrostatic pressure loss after
cement placement has been considered a primary reason for
gas migration outside wells. As the annular cement still in
liquid state - loses hydrostatic pressure, the well becomes
under-balanced and formation gas invades the slurry and finds
its way upwards resulting in the loss of wells integrity.
Cement slurry vibration using a low-frequency cyclic
pulsation is used by the construction industry for improving
quality of cement in terms of better compaction, compressive
strength, and fill-up. (Cement gelation or transmission of
hydrostatic pressure is not a concern in these applications.)
In the oil industry, the idea of keeping cement slurry in
motion after placement has been postulated a promising
method for prolonging slurry fluidity in order to sustain
hydrostatic pressure and prevent entry of gas into the wells
annulus. The idea was based upon experimental observations
that cement slurries in continuous motion remained liquidous
for a prolonged period of time2,3.
Manipulating the casing string would move the cement
slurry. Thus, early concepts considered keeping cement slurry
in motion through casing rotation or reciprocation4,5,6. The
motion should improve displacement of drilling mud and
placement of cement slurry in the annulus.
The use of forced casing vibrations for gas flow control
has become subject of several inventions in the 80's and
90's7,8,9,10,11,12. For example, enhanced filling of annulus with
cement slurry without rotating or reciprocating the casing"
was considered the main advantage of the first casing
vibration method with mechanical vibrator placed at the
bottom of the casing string7. All these methods have been
already experimentally studied and patented. However, none
of them have been used commercially because of difficulty
involved in manipulating the entire casing string. Apparently,
heavy equipment and installatioin needed to vibrate a long and
heavy string of casing makes these methods not feasible, even
onshore.
In 1995, Texaco patented a technique based on pulsation
of the cement top13,14. In this method, low frequency and
small-amplitude pressure pulses are applied at the top of the
cement by cyclic pumping of water or air to the wellhead. The

WOJTANOWICZ, SMITH, NOVAKOVIC, CHIMMALGI, NEWMAN, DUSTERHOFT, & GAHAN

treatment continues for sufficiently long time to keep cement

in liquid state, reduce transition time, and maintain hydrostatic
pressure overbalance.
Texaco field-tested a number of shallow (up to 4,700 feet)
wells in the Concho (Queen) field of the Permian basin,
Texas. The tests demonstrated that pulses could be transmitted
through the slurry in the lab and that the bond logs of pulsed
wells were superior to those that were not pulsed.
The Coiled Tubing Engineering Services, and the
Louisiana State University have jointly further developed the
cement pusation technology in a project sponsored by the Gas
Technology Institute. Field testing of instrumented wells (with
downhole pressure gauges) demonstrated that annular pulses
could be transmitted to a significant depth in excess of 9,000 ft
and that hydrostatic pressure in the annulus was maintained by
pulsing the slurry15,16. Full-scale laboratory pulsation
experiments with a thixotropic slurry in an LSU well showed
how small pressure pulses would progressively break gel
structure and deliver pressure to the wells bottom17,18. They
also revealed that pulsation should have an additional
advantage versus application of a constant pressure18. Another
laboratory study showed that pulsation did not reduce final
compressive strength or shear bond of cement19.
Development and commercialization of the technology
required a method for designing the treatment. Mathematical
modeling, performed at LSU, provided theoretical basis for
the treatment design and diagnostic analysis methods and
software3,17,20,21,22. Industrial use of the technology has been
carried out by Trican Well Services Ltd. and Husky Energy in
three oilfields of Eastern Alberta, Canada23,24.
The objective of this paper is to support published
information on cement pulsation technology with data from
research and field studies that was instrumental in the
technology development. Emphasis has been given to the
analysis of the pulsation process, description of design model
and software, and updated account of field performnce.
Cement Pulsation Process and Equipment
After cement placement, the well annulus is intermittently
pressurized-depressurized by cyclically pumping water from
the cement pulsation unit to the wellhead. A portable cement
pulsation unit consists of an air compressor, water tank, hoses
to connect to the well, instrumentation and a recording system.
Pulses are applied to the annulus by water that is pressurized
by the air compressor. After charging the well, the water is
bled back to the tank. The system schematic is shown in
Fig.1.
An air compressor continuously pressurizes an air tank.
To pressurize the annulus, the control system opens a valve
between the air tank and a water tank. The air pressure forces
the water into and pressurizes the casing annulus. To release
the pressure, the control system closes the pressurization valve
and opens the exhaust valve. As the pressure is released,
water returns from the casing annulus to the water tank. Once
the pressure is fully released, water is added to the water tank
if needed, to keep the water tank full.

SPE 77752

The volume of water displaced to the well for each pulse is

determined by measuring the water level in the tank. From this
measurement a compressible volume is derived using a data
-smoothing algorithm with corrections for water loss in the
well and compressibility of surface installation.25. As the
cement sets, the compressible volume of the casing annulus
should decrease as shown in Fig. 2.
The pulses are quite slow, with built in delays. The
pressure is applied and held for up to 10-25 seconds (design
parameter). After pressure is released, there is a dormant
period of up to 10- 25 seconds (design parameter). The
pulsation frequency is low, of the order of 1-2 cycle/minute
(design parameter).
Recorded parameters of the pulsation process are shown in
Fig. 3. Each cycle includes three periods, pre-pressurization,
pressurization, exhaust. During the pre-pressurization period,
the air-tank and water-tank are not in communication with
each other. The water that goes into the annulus during the
previous cycle will continue to come back and will result in
water level increase. At this time the annulus pressure can be
in the range of 2 to 5 psi. The compressor during this period is
used to compress only the air tank. The water tank pressure or
annulus pressure will be very low during this period.
When the pressurization is started, the use of pressurized
air to compress the water will reduce pressure in the air tank
and increase the pressure of water in the water tank. Once the
air pressure and the water pressure reach equilibrium, both the
pressures will continue to increase together, but at a lower rate
as some of the water is getting pumped into the annulus.
During this time, the pressure in the water tank will force the
water out of the tank into the annulus. The water level will be
the lowest at the maximum annulus or water-tank pressure.
When the air tank is cut off from the water tank and water
pressure is bled off during the exhaust period, the water
pressure will fall suddenly allowing the water that went into
the annulus to come back to the water tank. This will make the
water level rise. The compressor will continue to increase the
air pressure in the air tank during this period.
Physical Mechanism of Cement Pulsation
The first question asked about this technique is typically about
energy efficiency. Unlike other vibration techniques, this
method uses small input energy that is very efficiently
transmitted over a long distance despite the opposing friction.
Thus, frictional losses must be small.
Efficient transmission of small top pressure pulses over
several thousand feet down the annular column of NonNewtonian fluids with yield stress could only be efficient if
the column yields only at the walls while the bulk fluid (a
plug) remains not sheared. From the analysis of flow of
Bingham fluid in the annulus it has become clear that, for the
plug flow, energy required to reciprocate the slurry is much
smaller than that needed to shear the entire bulk slurry.
The analysis required revisiting the theory of Bingham
fluid and deriving exact formulas for plug flow17,24. Figure 4
demonstrates the concept of a minimum velocity needed to
shear the bulk slurry (reduce plug size to zero). It has been

SPE 77752

CEMENT PULSATION TREATMENT IN WELLS

shown that for typical pulstion parameters and annular sizes

the slurry motion is well within the plug flow regime24.
Moreover, the exact model of plug flow gives small values of
shearing rates and pressure losses (energy loss) at velocities
representing cement pulsation. The shearing rate relation is
shown in Fig. 5, and the pressure loss in Ref. 17.
As the pulsed slurry moves only as a plug, its reciprocating
motion can be simplified as an equivalent slow continuous
motion in the plug flow regime. Thus, the relationship
between average velocity and displacement amplitude
becomes,

v( z ) =

1
y( z) * f
2

(1)

Displacement amplitude, y(z), is distributed along the

slurry column. Cement in the upper annulus undergoes greater
displacement than the deeper cement - the displacement
amplitude reduces with increasing depth so does the friction
opposing the displacement as the velocity is also reduced with
depth.
After a few modeling attempts aimed at pressure wave
propagation and other effects of pressure transient, the
modeling focused on a pseudo dynamic concept where the
velocity of the fluid and the deformation of the annular walls
is considered, while the transient effects are neglected. The
simplification is based on evaluation of the pressure pulse
propagation velocity in the annular system for different
annular sizes24. It was found that the velocity of pressure wave
in the annulus would range between 2500 ft/second to 4200
ft/sec. As the typical pressure pulse duration used in cement
pulsation is of the order of the 10s of seconds and the velocity
of pulse application is low, the pressure transients are
negligible.
Keeping slurry in motion reduces static gel strength (SGS)
development and delays the transition from liquid to solid.
Several experiments have shown that the change of SGS
development is practically independent from shearing rate.(3)
Thus, for the design, one could assume that as long as the
slurry is sheared at the wall, its gelation could be represented
by a single altered SGS plot disregarding the shearing rate
value. This also means that the pulsation treatment is effective
when pressure value at depth exceeds the time-dependent
value of the altered SGS of the slurry. The condition would
define the depth of (effective) treatment.
Two sections could be visualized in the pulse-treated
cement column. The upper, and usually very long, section is
where the shear stress at the wall is larger than yield stress of
the slurry and the slurry is in motion. In the bottom, typically
short, section, the transmitted pressure pulse is smaller than
yield stress so the slurry is motionless and not sheared. In this
work we assume that the latter section column is negligibly
small and all the pressure is expended when the displacement
amplitude becomes zero. Hence in our analysis the terms
treated depth and the depth of pressure transmission are equal.
During pulsation, the cement slurry at depth is sheared at
the walls as it reciprocates upwards and downwards. As the
annulus is a closed system, the slurry movement in the annulus

is caused by elastic deformation of the fluid and the annular

walls. Thus, the displacement amplitude is caused by the
pressure at a given depth and is controlled by the
compressibility of the annulus below that depth. The annular
compressibility represents isothermal compressibility of the
slurry coupled with the elastic properties of the cased hole and
a stratified open hole built of several layers of rocks having
different properties and thickness. The annular system
compressibility model has been derived and presented
elsewhere17,26.
Designing pulsation treatment for a well involves
determination of parameters such as the pressure pulse
amplitude, pulse cycle duration, and depth of treatment as
functions of time. Interestingly, the three parameters are
somewhat dependent on each other as well as on the properties
of cement, mud, and rock, and on the annular geometry of the
well. Hence, mathematical modeling of pressure pulse
transmission (attenuation), and displacement amplitude
distribution becomes a basis for the design.
Mathematical Model of Cement Pulsation Process
Derivation of the mathematical model has been based on the
following assumptions:

Reciprocating motion of slurry is represented by

equivalent continuous motion with average velocity given
by Eq. (1);

The annular fluid motion follows Bingham plastic model

in plug flow;

System compressibility applies and the annular system

deforms elastically;

Pressure pulse duration is sufficiently long so inertial

effects can be neglected;

Time dependent properties of stagnant and sheared slurry

(yield stress and plastic viscosity) are known from pre-job
testing;

Duration of time lapse between the two consecutive

pulses is sufficently long so that the stress from the
previous pulse fully diminishes; i.e. displacement
amplitude is not affected by residual stresses;

There is an active mechanism of stress relaxation in the

annular fluid column fluid loss to the rock;

The applied top pressure is attenuated by the total

distributed friction due to slurry movement; i.e frictional
pressure loss in plug flow controls pressure transmission
downhole;

Displacement amplitude is distributed and controlled by

compressibility and pressure distributions.
The top pressure pulse, p0, transmission formula is:
0

po

dp = ( K v + G)dz

where:

(2)

K=
G=

WOJTANOWICZ, SMITH, NOVAKOVIC, CHIMMALGI, NEWMAN, DUSTERHOFT, & GAHAN

C f PV
1000(d 2 d1 ) 2
C f YP

(3)

200(d 2 d1 )

v
C f = 0.936 + 0.0614 ln
d 2 d1
Displacement amplitude is described by the linear
differential equation:

dy
+ exp( cp o )0.5czKfy ( z ) = 1 exp( cp o )[1 + cGz )]
dz
(4)
which gives distributed displacement formula:
3
3

aZp
2
exp(az2) z + az
y(z) = (1 exp(cp0))exp(aZp ) Zp +

3
3

(5)
where:

a = 0.25cKf exp(cp0 )

(6)

From the model, the depth of treatment, Zp, and the top
displacement amplitude, Y0, are calculated from the equation:

aZ 3p
2

Yo = (1 exp(cp 0 )) exp( aZ p ) Z p +

(7)

Finally, the bottomhole pressure at any time is computed as:

p(Z) = ( g

4SGS
4YS
)(Z Zp ) + (g
)(Zp )
d2 d1
d2 d1

(8)

The mathematical model was validated in full-scale

pulsation experiments at the LSU Well facility, and by
matching data recorded during cement pulsation in two wells
in Texas17,26. We also used this model in a sensitivity study to
evaluate relative effect of the parameters involved in the
pulsation process. The study revealed that:

Large well annuli improve pulse transmission

significantly;

There is almost linear increase of treatment depth with the

size of top pressure pulse;

Low-frequency pulses (f < 0.1) would significantly

increase treatment depth;

Annular system with large compressibility would reduce

treatment depth.
Cement Pulsation Design Software
Cement Pulsation Design software is a MS Excel based
application integrating both spreadsheet calculations to handle
the local mathematics and VB Macros to handle global task
assignment and property distribution within the well of
interest. The Main spreadsheet is shown in Fig. 6. The
software consists of several spreadsheets, designed to separate
several aspects of data. (User can navigate between

SPE 77752

spreadsheets either by clicking the button containing particular

aspect of data input or by using tabs in the bottom of the
screen.) The input spreadsheet names and button titles for
corresponding sheets are: ControlPanel, OpenHole,
CasedHole, and Fluids. The output data is saved in the
spreadsheet Results.
The ControlPanel spreadsheet is used to enable/disable the
check for necessary Excel Add-Ins (Solver and Analysis
ToolPak) or support software provided by Microsoft with
original installation CD. Also using the ControlPanel, the user
may request a customized listing of time-related properties at
specific depths of interest. If the listing were omitted, the
software would output the treated depth, top displacement and
top pressure pulse for each timestep.
The OpenHole spreadsheet takes input data for up to 20
different rock strata composing the openhole section of the
well annulus. For each strata the input is similar to that for the
CasedHole section and includes: bottom depth of the strata,
size of vertical gridblocks, sizes (open hole diameter, inner
and outer casing diameter), Poisson's ratio for rock and steel,
Young's modulus for rock and steel, and compressibility of the
fluid opposite the strata.
Values of Youngs modulus and Poissons ratio for the
openhole strata can be estimated from empirical correlations.
Poisson ratio values for sedimentary rocks vary from 0.2 for a
hard and fragile rock to 0.5 for most soft rocks. Correlations of
Poison ratio vs. confining/overburden pressure have been
developed for specific areas. For the Gulf coast area, the Eaton
correlation gives the Poison ratio vs. depth directly. For other
areas, the Poissons ratio can be calculated using Eaton
correlation for Gulf coast area with variable overburden
pressure. The procedure for finding the overburden pressure is
described elsewhere27. Once the overburden pressure is
known, Youngs modulus can be computed from the empirical
formula,

E = K 0 pa ( p / pa ) n

(9)

where,
K0 = rock dependent empirical modulus number
n = rock dependent exponent
pa = atmospheric pressure
p = overburden pressure
Values for K0 and n for elastic rocks are given in Table 3.1
in Ref. 28.
The remaing input data are saved in the Fluids spreadheet.
The spreadsheet accepts two types of time-dependent data,
annular fluids properties (drilling mud, tail, and lead slurry),
and pulsation data (pressure pulse size, and cycle time).
The Results spreadsheet returns two types of output data:
time- dependent and depth-dependent. The time dependent
results are time, minutes; treatment depth, ft; top
displacement, gal; and top pressure, psi. The depth-dependent
results are controlled by a user-provided listing in the
ControlPanel and they include a header containing timestep
and pulse cycle; depth, ft; pulse pressure, psi; and,
displacement, gal.

SPE 77752

CEMENT PULSATION TREATMENT IN WELLS

Algorithm
By definition, average fluid properties for the annular system
are computed from Eqs. (10) and (11). Equation (12) gives the
first approximation of depth of pressure pulse transmission,
which is a function only of the average yield point. In the
subsequent iterations the treatment depth is computed from
Eq. (13) derived from Eq. (2).

PVavg =
YSavg =

Zp =

li

( Z
i =1

) (YS )i

(11)

p 0 300(d 2 d1 )
YPavg
Zp

(10)

li

( Z
i =1

) ( PV ) i

(12)

p 0 = ( K v + G )dz

(13)

The equations (3,5,6,10,11, and 13) are iterated until the

depth of treatment, average Yield Point, and Plastic Viscosity
converge.
Compressibility of the total annular system (down to the
cement bottom) remains constant throughout the pulsation
process3. However, the compressibility of the treated annulus
is not constant. Most of the time, the treated annular system
will have both open hole and cased hole portions, with the
openhole section having larger compressibility than the cased
hole section. (By definition, the system compressibility is the
volumetric averages of the open hole compressibility and the
cased hole compressibility.) Thus, with continuing pulsation
and increasing gelation, the depth of pressure pulse
propagation (treatment depth) and the treated system
compressibility will both reduce. Consequently, the treated
system compressibility values must be updated after each
series of iterations.
The software algorithm flowchart, presented in Fig. 7, can
be summarized as follows. For the previous value of
treatment depth, the average PV and YP (and system
compressibility) is computed from Eqs. (10) and (11). Then,
the top displacement amplitude is computed from Eq. (7).
Since the correction factor Cf is velocity dependent and we do
not know the velocities of the cement column, we assume
unity value for Cf (simplified plug flow model) and calculate
the top displacement amplitude and velocity from Eq. (1).
The annular column is divided into large number of small
grids to enable us to take into account the variation in the
annular geometry and the fluid properties. The displacement
amplitude, velocity, correction factor, Cf, and frictional
pressure loss is calculated across each grid together with
cumulative pressure attenuation described by the integral in
Eq. (2). The calculation for different grid blocks is continued
till the transmitted pressure pulse becomes zero. The
corresponding depth becomes an updated depth of treatment

and is substituted back to calculate once again the average

property of the fluid, the corresponding system
compressibility and top displacement. Once this operation is
carried out for the grid-wise pressure distribution, the
spreadsheet automatically updates displacement amplitude
distributions. These iterations are repeated until the depth used
to calculate the top displacement and the depth of pressure
pulse transmission become equal. Normally, the calculations
converge within two to three iterations. The above
computations represent the calculation procedure for a single
time step.
For next time step, the fluid properties are updated and the
procedure of calculation is repeated. The top displacements
and the depth of treatment for each of the time step are saved
and plotted against time or number of pulses. Also, as the
iterations are carried out for a non-linear system of equations,
the safest way to do it is using MS Excel's Add-in Solver.
Examples of Computer-aided Design
Two types of cement pulsation treatment are demonstrated
below, constant-pressure operations and controlled-depth
operations. The treatments were designed for the same well in
Texas shown in Fig. 8. (The subject well was actually treated
using the constant-pressure pulsation pattern.) The properties
of annular fluid used in the design were as follows:
Drilling mud:
Depth
= 6,900 ft
Density
= 12.5 ppg
YP
= 10 lb/100 sq ft
PV
= 18 cp
Lead cement:
Depth
= 7,700 ft
Density
= 12.5 ppg
= 8.9681 e

YS
PV
Tail cement:
Density

9.9917 e 0.0169(t + 20 )

= 15 ppg
= 70.674 e

YS
6

0.0198(t + 20 )

0.0053(t + 20 )

PV = 10 t + 5 10 t + 2.1124 t + 149.65
Where t is elapsed time in minutes.
Predicted results of the constant-pulsation process are
shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Over the first 50 minutes, the top 300
feet of the lead slurry column is pulsed followed by continuing
pulsation of the lead slurry until 2 hr and 10 min of the
treatment. After that time, only drilling mud column is pulsed;
the treated depth becomes constant and equal to 6,900 ft. Also,
the top displacement amplitude becomes constant and equal to
10 ft Fig. 10.
The controlled-depth pulsation was designed in two stages.
During the first 120 minutes pulsation is carried out with
constant pressure of 100 psi Fig 13. During that time, the
depth of treatment reduces from the initial 8,000 ft to 7,000 ft,
i.e. to the top 100 feet of the lead cement. To treat more
cement for longer time we plan to increase the treatment depth
from 7,000 ft to 7,100 ft and keep the depth constant until 3
3

WOJTANOWICZ, SMITH, NOVAKOVIC, CHIMMALGI, NEWMAN, DUSTERHOFT, & GAHAN

hrs of pulsation as shown in Fig. 11. The increased and

constant treatment depth requires progressive enlargment of
the top pressure pulse from 100 psi to 230 psi Fig. 13. The
increase of top pressure compresses mostly the 6,900-foot
long mud column so the top displacement amplitude should
rise. In fact, figure 12 clearly demonstrates the increase of the
amplitude from 11 to 25 feet.
Laboratory Testing of Pulsed Cement Slurries
The proposed testing protocol for cement pulsation is
analogous to, but different than, the pre-job tests performed
for primary cementing operations. This testing is not
mandatory, but it is useful for determining the feasibility of,
and for making both simple and comprehensive performance
predictions for, a specific job. This is particularly important
for deep jobs, for those with a high viscosity drilling fluid, or
for diagnosing problems during a job.
The most important properties are a pulsation-specific
yield point, conventional gel strength measurements, and the
expected pulsation time analogous to thickening time.
Modified cement test methods can also be used to demonstrate
how pulsation controls the development of cement gel
strength. The protocol uses conventional lab equipment to
measure the required mud and cement properties. The specific
procedures for measuring all these properties, the basis for
such measurements, and an example application to an
instrumented field cement pulsation job were previously
described in detail by Smith et al29.
Tests of Mud Properties. The mud properties that must be
measured for use with cement pulsation are the plastic
viscosity, the yield point, and the gel strength versus time.
Viscometer speeds of 3, 6, and 100 rpm were selected to
represent the range of fluid velocities expected in the well
annulus during pulsation. The following definition of yield
point was validated by previous work18.
The pulsation
specific mud rheology parameters are:
(14)
YP = 3 ( 6 3 )

PV = 3 ( 100 YP )

(15)

The mud gel strength is measured using conventional

definitions and procedures for drilling fluids27.
Tests of Cement Properties. The cement properties that
should be measured are the same as for mud. However for
cement, all of the properties vary with time and prior shear
history. The viscometer measurements are made with a
specially modified Fann viscometer. Measurements are made
at 3, 6, and 30 rpm with a standard F1 spring and a 1.2276 cm
radius bob that has been knurled to minimize cement slippage.
The speeds were selected to represent the range of annular
velocities expected in the cement column.
(16)
YP = 2.11 ( 3k ( 6 k 3k ))

PV = 29.7 ( 30 k (YP / 2.11))

Gel Strength = 211
. 3k, peak

(17)
(18)

SPE 77752

The validity of these measurements was confirmed by

comparison of simple predictions of job feasibility and
performance to downhole pressure measurements reported in a
previous paper29.
Measurement of the maximum cement pulsation treatment
time is performed by operating a MACS Analyzer at 8 rpm to
simulate pulsation. A consistency reading of 25 to 35 Bc at 8
rpm is proposed as the limit which determines the maximum
treatment time. The actual static gel strength can also be
measured when the consistency reaches this level by stopping
rotation and switching the device to its static gel strength
measuring mode.
The measurement of conventional static gel strength versus
time under normal conditions is also potentially useful.
Comparing the consistency versus time under simulated
cement pulsation with static gel strength versus time can give
an approximate indication of whether pulsation will suppress
gel strength development for a particular slurry.
Field Results
The final phase of the research was to test the pulsation theory
in the field to determine if pulses would, in fact, prevent gas
flow into the annulus. These tests could confirm that the
ability of cement pulsation to maintain bottom hole pressure
demonstrated in previous instrumented field tests15,16 does
supress flow after cementing. Therefore, cement pulsation has
been applied to a total of eighty wells in Canada in areas with
previous gas migration problems. A more complete
description of the test program is given by Dusterhoft et al24.
Wells in the Eastern Alberta area of Canada were chosen
to test the technique. This area was considered ideal since it
contains a number of wells that experience gas migration to
surface, which is easy to measure by monitoring surface
casing vents. Another advantage of this area is that it has a
solid history of recorded vent leaks to compare to.
A pulsation cementing project was undertaken with Husky
Energy in three fields: the Tangleflags, Wildmere and Abbey
fields. All of these fields have experienced various levels of
gas migration in the past and numerous techniques have been
used in an attempt to control the problems.
Tangleflags Area. A typical Tangleflags well is described in
Table 1. This area has had a history of moderate gas
migration problems with an average of 10.5% of the wells
drilled experiencing gas migration problems. A total of 24
wells were included in the study: seventeen were pulsed and
two were abandonment plugs that were also pulsed. None of
the wells pulsed experienced any leaks.
Wildmere Area. A typical Wildmere well is also described in
Table 1. It has been more difficult to control gas migration in
Wildmere, which has had an average of 25% of the wells
leaking. Twenty wells were cemented in this area: four were
plug jobs and 16 were production cement jobs. Of the 20
cemented, 18 had no leaks while two wells leaked. Both wells
that leaked experienced equipment freezing problems during
pulsation so the pulses were not transmitted to the annulus.

SPE 77752

CEMENT PULSATION TREATMENT IN WELLS

The above test results were taken from the information

available from Huskys gas migration test database and may
not be inclusive. Not all wells drilled in the years specified
may be reflected in the numbers - some wells do not have tests
on file. The leaker/non-leaker status is based on the most
recent test conducted.
Abbey. Table 2 outlines a typical Abbey well. Abbey is in a
river valley and wells in this area have serious gas migration
problems. The wells here are shallower due to the lower
surface elevations. Gas migration is believed to originate
from the Milk River zone at 360 m and 3,800 kPa. This depth
reduction, in conjunction with higher pressure gas zones, has
resulted in more than 80% of the wells leaking in this field.
Eight jobs have been performed in this area. Six of the wells
have not leaked and two wells have leaked. One well is
leaking through the vent and the second is leaking through the
ground around the surface casing.
Additional Field Testing. Since the initial Husky tests, an
additional 28 wells have been cemented in other serious gas
migration areas of Alberta. To date, the pulsation system has
been 100% successful in preventing vent leaks in these wells.
The deepest wells pulsed to date have been 1,300 m. Four
wells were cemented to this depth in an area where 75% of the
offset wells had vent leaks. All four pulsed wells had no vent
leaks.
One two-stage well was pulsed. The second stage was
cemented from 1,000 m to surface and was pulsed. The
previous two offset wells experienced surface vent leaks from
a gas zone above 1,000 m. The pulsed well had no vent leak.
A summary of the additional wells is contained in Table 3.
Conclusions
The paper summarizes several stages in developing cement
pulsation technology, from comparison to other methods, to
physical principles, to process analysis, to mathematical
modeling, to computer-aided design, to laboratory testing, and,
to field performance. Several aspects of the technology have
been supported with new data leading to the following
conclusions:
1. Keeping the cement slurry in motion prolongs its liquidity
and ensures well pressure overbalance. The motion can be
induced with several techniques: casing/cement vibration,
casing rotation/reciprocation, or cement pulsation. The
latter method is the simplest, most convenient to use
without disrupting rig routines.
2. Low-frequency and small-amplitude pressure pulses
require small input energy but can be transmitted deep
downhole with little attenuation. The reason for high
energy efficiency is the plug flow motion of the slurry
with small energy loss for shear friction outside the
friction-less plug.
3. The pulse cycle time is long and greater than the transit
time. The pulsation process involves a series of individual
applications of pressure to the top of the annulus. In each
application the pressure is held long enough so it could be

4.

5.

6.

7.
8.

felt deep downhole. This principle not only defines the

designed duration of the pressure holding time, but it also
allows elimination of pressure transient effect for
mathematical modeling of this process.
The mathematical model describes effect of a single
pressure pulse at a time. (The rectangular pulse shape has
been verified with the monitoring system of the pulsation
unit.) The model relates the applied pressure to the length
of the annular slurry column in motion (treatment depth)
for known dynamic (in-motion) properties (PV, YS) of
the slurry at that time. As YSdynamic < SGSstatic; the
hydrostatic pressure at depth is greater than that for a
static column at any time.
The design software simulates cement pulsation process
by recurrent pulse-wise applications of the mathematical
model over the entire treatment time involving hundreds
of pulses. At each pulse, the software searches for
iterative solution to the system of non-linear equations
describing pressure/dispalcemnt transmission along the
heterogenous annular column comprising several sections
of different fluids and up to 20 layers of rocks in the open
hole.
As demonstrated in examples, the cement pulsation
software could be used to find the pulse size and
treatment duration for a constant-pressure treatment.
Alternatively, a variable-pressure treatment with
controlled treatment depth could be designed.
The fluid property definitions proposed herein provide a
reasonable basis for predictions of cement pulsation
feasibility and performance.
Field application of the technology in 80 wells provided
statictically significant proof of cement pulsation
performance in preventing early gas leaking in cemented
wells.

Nomenclature
a = flow parameter defined by Eq. (6)
c = compressibility, 1/psi
Cf = parameter defined by Eq. (3)
d1 and d2 = annular diameters: inside and outside, respectively
E = Youngs modulus of rock, psi
f = frequency, 1/sec
G = flow parameter defined by Eq. (3)
K = flow parameter defined by Eq. (3)
K0 = rock modulus number, 103 in.
l1, li...lN = lengths of different fluid sections, ft
N = number of fluid sections in annulus
= viscometer dial reading
PV (t) = plastic viscosity, cp
p0 = top pressure pulse, psi
p = frictional pressure loss
t = time, min
_

v = average velocity of pulsed slurry defined by Eq. (1)

z = depth, ft
Z = depth of cement bottom, ft
Zp = depth of pressure pulse travel (treatment depth), ft

WOJTANOWICZ, SMITH, NOVAKOVIC, CHIMMALGI, NEWMAN, DUSTERHOFT, & GAHAN

y(z)= displacement amplitude at depth, ft

Y0 = top displacement amplitude, ft
YP (t) = yield point (mud: YP=YS), lbf/100sq.ft.
YS (t) = dynamic yield stress of pulsed cement, lbf/100sq.ft.
SGS = static gel strength, lbf/100sq.ft.
= density, lb/gal
g = acceleration of gravity, lb-ft/sec2
References
1.
2.
3.

4.

5.

6.

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

14.
15.

Cooke C.E. Jr., Kluck M.P., and Medrano R.: "Field

Measurements of Annular Pressure and Temperature During
Primary Cementing", SPE Paper 11206, 1982.
Cooke, C.E., Gonzalez, O.J., and Broussard D.J.: Primary
Cementing Improvement by Casing Vibration During
Cementing Casing Time, SPE 14199, 1988.
Wojtanowicz, A.K., and Manowski, W.: "Pressure Pulsation of
Cement for Improved Well Integrity - Field Method and
Theoretical Model," Proc. 10th Int. Scientific & Technical
Conference: New Methods and Technologies in Petroleum
Geology, Drilling and Reservoir Engineering, Krakow, Poland,
June 24-25, 1999, Vol. 2, 421-436.
Carter, G., and Slagle, K.: A Study of Completion Pratices to
Minimize Gas Communication, SPE 3164, Central Plains
Regional Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of
AIME, Amarillo, TX (Nov. 16 -17, 1970).
Carter, G., Cook, C., and Snelson, L.: Cementing Research in
Directional Gas Well Completions, SPE 4313, Second Annual
European Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of
AIME, London, England (Apr. 2-3, 1973)
Christian, W.W., Chatterji, J., and Ostroot G.: Gas Leakage in
Primary Cementing - A Field Study and Laboratory
Investigation, SPE 5517, 50th Annual Fall Meeting of the
Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, Dallas, TX (Sept. 28 Oct. 1, 1975).
Solum, K.W. et al.: Method and Apparatus for Vibrating and
Cementing a Well Casing, U.S. Patent 3,557,875, Jan. 26,
1971.
Cooke, C.E. Jr.: Method for Preventing Annular Fluid Flow,
U.S. Patent 4,407,365, Oct. 4, 1983.
Keller, S.R.: Oscillatory Flow Method for Improved Well
Cementing, U.S. Patent 4,548,271, Oct. 22, 1985.
Bodine, A.G., and Gregory, Y.N.: Sonic Cementing, U.S.
Patent 4,640,360, Feb. 3, 1987.
Rankin, R.E., and Rankin, K.T.: Apparatus and Method for
Vibrating a Casing String During Cementing, U.S. Patent
5,152,342, Oct. 6, 1992.
Winbow, G. A.: Method for Preventing Annular Fluid Flow
Using Tube Waves, U.S. Patent 5,361,837, Nov. 8, 1994.
Haberman J. P., Delestatius D. M., and Brace D.G.: Method and
Apparatus to Improve the Displacement of Drilling Fluid by
Cement Slurries During Primary and Remedial Cementing
Operations, to Improve Cement Bond Logs and to Reduce or
Eliminate Gas Migration Problems, US Patent 6,645,661,
1995.
Haberman J. P., and Wolhart, S.L.: Reciprocating Cement
Slurries After Placement by Applying Pressure Pulses in the
Annulus, SPE/IADC 37619, March 1997.
Newman, K., Wojtanowicz, A.K., and Gahan, B.C.: Improving
Gas Well Cement Jobs with Cement Pulsation, Gas Tips, Fall
2001, pp. 29 33.

SPE 77752

16. Newman, K., Wojtanowicz, A.K., and Gahan, B.C.: Cement

Pulsation Improves Gas Well Cementing, World Oil, July
2001, pp. 89 94.
17. Chimmalgi, V.S., and Wojtanowicz, A.K.: Design of Cement
Pulsation Treatment in Gas Wells Model and Field
Validation, Paper 2002-240, Petroleum Societys Canadian
Petroleum Conference 2002, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 1113, 2002.
18. Martin, J.N., Smith J.R., and Wojtanowicz, A.K,: Experimental
Assessment of Methods to Maintain Bottomhole Pressure After
Cement Placement, ETCE01-17133, ASME Engiuneering
Technology Conference on Energy, ETCE 2001, February 5-7,
2001, Houston, TX.
19. Shear Bond/Compressive Strength testing, CSI Final Report
on Pulsation Project submitted to CTES, Houston, TX, 2001
20. Manowski, W.M., and Wojtanowicz, A.K.: Oilwell Cement
Pulsing to Maintain Hydrostatic Pressure: A Search for Design
Model, J. Energy Resource Technology-Transactions of the
ASME, Vol 120, December 1998, pp 250-255.
21. Kunju, M.R., and Wojtanowicz, A.K.: Well Cementing
Diagnosis from Top Cement Pulsation Record, SPE 71387,
SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, New
Orleans, LA, September 30 October 3, 2001.
22. Novakovic, D., Wojtanowicz, A.K, and Chimmalgi V.S.:
Cement Pulsation Design Software, LSU Final report
submitted to GTI (August 2001) 42.
23. Dusterhoft, D., and Wilson, G.: Field Study of the Use of
Cement Pulsation to Control Gas Migration, Paper 2001-01
presented at the C ADE/CAODC Drilling Conference, Calgary,
Alberta, Canada, October 23-24, 2001.
24. Dusterhoft, D., Wilson, G., and Newman, K.: Field Study of
the Use of Cement Pulsation to Control Gas Migration, SPE
75689, SPE Gas Technology Symposium, Calgary, Alberta,
Canada, April 30-May 2, 2002.
25. Kunju, M.R.: Post-treatment Diagnosis of Cement Pulsation in
Wells, MS Thesis, Chapter 4, Louisiana State University (May
2001) 33.
26. Chimmalgi, V.S.: Design of Cement Top pulsation to Avoid
Gas Migration During Cementing, MS Thesis, Chapter 2,
Louisiana State University (December 2001) 37.
27. Bourgoyne, A. T. Jr et al.: Applied Drilling Engineering, second
edition, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, TX (1991)
42, 502.
28. Gidley, J.L., Hoditch, S.A., Nierode, D.E., and Veatch, R.W. Jr.:
Recent Advances in Hydraulkic Fracturing, first printing,
Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, TX (1989) 452.
29. Smith, J.R., Martin, J.N., Newman, K. R. and Gahan, B.C.:
Field Evaluation of Pre-Job Test Protocol for Cement
Pulsation, CIPC 2002, Calgary, AB, June 11-13, 2002.

SPE 77752

CEMENT PULSATION TREATMENT IN WELLS

Table 1 Typical Tangleflags and Wildmere Wells

Tangleflags

Wildmere

Location:

51-26-W3M

48-6-W4M

TD:

Approximately 600 m

Approximately 700 m

Casing:

177.8

177.8

Hole Size:

222.3

222.3

Cement Tops

Surface

Surface

BHST:

25 C

25oC

BHCT:

25oC

25oC

Surface Casing Depth

133 m

133 m

Gas Producing Zones

Up and down the hole

Up and down the hole

Table 2 Typical Abbey Well

Location:

22-17-W3M

Surface

244.5 m casing at 70 m

Intermediate:

177.8 mm casing at 130 m

222.3 mm hole size
BHST = 90oC; BHCT = 23oC
Potential gas zones along interval

114.3 casing to 500 m

Production:

158.8 mm hole size

BHST = 26oC; BHCT = 23oC

Potential Gas Zones

Milk River at 360 m BHP of 3,800 kPa

Table 3 Additional Pulsed Wells

Area

No. of Wells

Avg. Depth (m)

Lloydminster

23

800

Red Deer

Whitecourt

Estimate of % Vent
Leaks Prior to
Pulsation

% Vent Leaks After

Pulsation

20%

0%

1000

100% on 2 offsets

0%

1300

75%

0%

10

WOJTANOWICZ, SMITH, NOVAKOVIC, CHIMMALGI, NEWMAN, DUSTERHOFT, & GAHAN

Air Input

SPE 77752

Air control valve

Air Tank

200 gal.
200 psi V.P.

200 gal
200 psi V.P.

Water Tank

Water Input

Water to Well Annulus

Figure 1- Cement pulsation unit flowpath
12
11
10

Volume (Gallons)

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
0

30

60

90

120
Time (Minutes)

150

180

Figure 2 Change of compressible volume during cement pulsation

210

240

SPE 77752

CEMENT PULSATION TREATMENT IN WELLS

11

Cycle 1

180

Cycle 2

160

120

100

80

60

40
Pre-Pressure

Pre-Pressure
Pressurize

20

Exhaust

0
64

74

84

94 Time (Sec)104

Annulus/ Hose Pressure

114

124

134

Air Tank Pressure

Water Level

Figure 3 Recorded parameters of cement pulsation cycle

120

12.25X9.625 Annulus; YP = 40 lb/100sq.ft.; PV=83 cp

100

Plug Size/Annulus Size, %

Pressure(psi) / volume (gal)

140

80

60

40

20

0
0.03

0.05

0.10

0.25

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.75

1.00

1.25

1.50

1.75

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

Velocity, ft/sec
Figure 4 Plug size reduction with increasing flow velocity

6.00

7.00

8.00

WOJTANOWICZ, SMITH, NOVAKOVIC, CHIMMALGI, NEWMAN, DUSTERHOFT, & GAHAN

600

12.25X9.625 Annulus; PV = 80 cp: YP = 26 lbs/100 sq ft.

500

Shear Rate, 1/sec

12

400

Approxi
300

200

Exa

100

0
0

Velocity, ft/sec
Figure 5 Shearing rate in plug flow

Figure 6 Cement Pulsation Design Software

SPE 77752

SPE 77752

CEMENT PULSATION TREATMENT IN WELLS

Figure 7 Algorithm of Cement Pulsation Design Software

Figure 8 Example Well Schematic

13

14

WOJTANOWICZ, SMITH, NOVAKOVIC, CHIMMALGI, NEWMAN, DUSTERHOFT, & GAHAN

Figure 9 Treated depth vs. time for constant-pressure pulsation

Figure 10 Top displacement amplitude vs. time for constant-pressure pulsation

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SPE 77752

CEMENT PULSATION TREATMENT IN WELLS

Figure 11 Treated depth vs. time for controlled-depth pulsation

Figure 12 Top displacement amplitude vs. time for controlled-depth pulsation

15

16

WOJTANOWICZ, SMITH, NOVAKOVIC, CHIMMALGI, NEWMAN, DUSTERHOFT, & GAHAN

Figure 13 Top pressure vs. time for controlled-depth pulsation

SPE 77752