SPE 157976

New Practices for Cement Integrity Evaluation in the Complex Environment

of Xinjiang Oil Field
Guo Hongzhi, SPE, Schlumberger, and Wang Guobin and Wang Zhi, PetroChina

Copyright 2012, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition held in Perth, Australia, 2224 October 2012.
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 written 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
Junggar basin in west China is rich in oil and gas reserves in different geological structures that range in depth from 800 m to
7000 m. A variety of cement slurries is used to ensure the cement integrity in the wells. For instance, low-density cement as
light as 1.1 g/cm3 with hollow glass microspheres has been used for low-pressure-gradient formations in long openhole
wellbores, whereas high-density cement as heavy as 2.5 g/cm3 with iron mineral powder and other additives has been applied
in high-pressure deep wells. This variety poses challenges to performing cement evaluation with traditional acoustic
techniques that have limitations in providing unambiguous answers, and in some instances it is not possible to assess
implications to zonal isolation behind casing.
A new-generation ultrasonic imaging tool was deployed to increase the confidence in cement evaluation in Xinjiang oil
field over the past 2 years. This technique combines the traditional pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement with a new flexural
wave measurement. The analysis allows a better discrimination of solid, liquid and gas for density-independent cement
evaluation behind casing, additional information on casing centering, annulus geometry, and accurate casing inspection at
high resolution in one logging trip. Based on this improved zonal isolation information, well testing design improved, and the
testing success rate was significantly increased over previous operations. Moreover, the cementing technique improved from
proper post evaluation. The examples in this paper demonstrate the value of the high-quality logging data that were acquired
in different downhole conditions. This paper presents a new way to look at cement quality and placement.
Introduction
Junggar basin is a roughly triangular closed inland basin located between the Tianshan Mountains and Altay Mountains in
western China. It has an area of approximately 130 000 km2. It was formed from extrusion and since the Carboniferous.
Through tectonic movement, sedimentation, and multistage oil and gas accumulation, numerous reservoirs have been formed
in different structures and traps at various depths. Xinjiang Oilfield Company has been performing exploration and
production in Junggar basin for more than 50 years, and more than 30 oil fields and gas fields have been discovered. The oil
and gas formations in the northwest, central, and east margins of the basin are shallow (800 m), with a formation pressure
gradient as low as 1.1 g/cm3 with some nature fractures. However, the formation in the south margin of the basin is deep
(>7000 m), with high pressure in an overpressure system and the pressure gradient to 2.5 g/cm3. These complex
environments present numerous cementing challenges, including extra-deep wells, high or ultrahigh temperatures, highpressure and low-pressure formations, formations with a narrow window between formation pressure and fracture pressure,
and long intervals of up to 2200 m. To overcome these challenges, a variety of cement slurries is used to ensure the annular
isolation in the wells. For example, 1.1-g/cm3 low-density cement with hollow glass microspheres has been used for lowpressure-gradient formations in long openhole wellbores, and 2.5-g/cm3 high-density cement with iron mineral powder and
other additives has been applied in high-pressure deep wells.
Sonic cement bond logs and Variable Density logs (CBL-VDL) have been traditionally used as the technology to evaluate
the cement quality for decades. However, the CBL log has inherent limitations in its ability to evaluate light cement and is
easily affected by microannulus and casing eccentralisation. The lack of azimuthal resolution prevents conclusive detection
of channels behind casing. Interpretations of zonal isolation are therefore ambiguous and fail to help the improvement of the
cementing process for future wells. In this paper, we look at how a new generation of the ultrasonic imaging cement
evaluation tool introduced in Xinjiang oil field helps to increase the confidence in cement evaluation and reduce subjectivity
in the interpretation.

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Challenges for Lightweight Cement Evaluation

Apart from its density, a solid material is acoustically defined by compressional and shear velocities. Typical cement
properties (Al-Suwaidi et al. 2009), together with those of mud, are listed in Table 1. Lightweight cement or contaminated
cement could have acoustic impedance similar or close to those of drilling mud, which makes it difficult to distinguish
between them based on acoustic impedance or using the conventional CBL-VDL (sonic tools) alone.

Material
Gas
Water
Drilling mud
Lightweight cement
Class G cement

TABLE 1ANNULUS MATERIAL PROPERTIES

Density
Compressional
3
Velocity,Vp (m/s)
(kg/m
1.3130
1000
10002000
10001400
1900

330
1500
13001800
22002600
27003700

Acoustic Impedance
(MRayl)

0.00040.04
1.5
1.53.0
3.03.6
5.07.0

Lightweight cement is difficult to log because of its relatively low acoustic impedance. Presence of microannulus or
deterioration of cement properties due to contamination or changes in acoustic impedance of cement lead to an increase in the
CBL amplitude. For instance, using a CBL interpretation chart, in a 7-in. 26-lbm/ft casing, a 100% bond of Class G cement
with 5.5-MRayl acoustic impedance has an amplitude of about 1.5 mV on a CBL log. However, a 100% bond of lightweight
cement of 3.5-MRayl impedance has an amplitude of 18 mV (Fig. 1). Not taking these changes into account results in a
pessimistic evaluation of the cement behind pipe. This also does not allow any inference about the quality of the cement
behind pipe.

Fig. 1CBL amplitude for 100% bond of Class G and light weight cement.

New Ultrasonic Measurements

The new-generation ultrasonic imaging tool uses the traditional pulse-echo technology in combination with the latest
flexural wave imaging technology to accurately evaluate any type of cement (Van Kuijk et al. 2005; Bellabarba et al. 2008;
Tian et al. 2011). The new tool includes a rotating sub assembly supporting four transducers (Fig. 2). A normally aligned
transducer for generating and detecting the pulse echo is positioned on one side of the sub. The other three transducers are on
the opposite side of the sub and are aligned obliquely for flexural wave attenuation measurement. When performing the
logging operation, the sub rotates at 7.5 rev/s to render an azimuthal resolution of 5 or 10. The ultrasonic transducer sends a
slightly divergent beam toward the casing to excite the casing into its thickness resonance mode. This yields 36 or 72
separate waveforms at each depth. The azimuthal image of cement acoustic impedance from the traditional pulse-echo
measurement can be derived from the resonance decay.
As detailed in the paper by R, Van Kuijk et al, 2005, one of the flexural transducers transmits a high-frequency pulsed
beam to excite a flexural mode in the casing. The flexural wave, as it propagates (Fig. 3), faces attenuation due to energy loss
to the annulus (and to the fluid inside the wellbore) and the attenuationall other things remaining the sameis related to
the acoustic impedance of the material in the annulus. Two receiving transducers are optimally placed to acquire the flexural

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signals and to evaluate the attenuation. Lightweight cement normally causes a relatively higher flexural attenuation than
liquid and therefore is the basis of detecting and evaluating lighter cements.

Fig. 2New-generation ultrasonic imaging tool subassembly.

Fig. 3Radiation of the flexural wave.

When the annulus is filled with a liquid (Fig. 3), energy leaks through the propagation of the compressional mode. Once
the annulus is filled with solid material (say light cement, with a low compressional velocity), the energy leaks through both
compressional and shear modes, increasing the leakage and consequently increasing the attenuation. Because of Snells law,
no leakage occurs faster than 2650 m/s (the flexural phase velocity in casing). Attenuation decreases to a lower value when
cements have higher compressional velocities, as this prevents the leakage of the compressional mode. This results in a sharp
drop in the flexural attenuation when the cement acoustic impedance exceeds a critical value known as the evanescence
point. Below the critical point, the flexural attenuation is more sensitive to the impedance of the material in the annulus (as
detailed by Van Kuijk et al. 2005). Normal cements with acoustic impedance greater than the critical value are associated
with low attenuation, which prevents a robust way to differentiate fast cements from liquid and gas solely on the basis of
flexural attenuation; the traditional acoustic impedance from the pulse-echo measurement is needed as well. The
complementary relationship of flexural attenuation and acoustic impedance is illustrated as a theoretical curve in Fig. 4. The
integration of these two measurements results in the final output: a solid-liquid-gas (SLG) map (Fig. 5). Because the SLG
map can be generated in real time when performing the logging operation, it becomes much quicker and easier to evaluate the
cement quality on wellsite and it simplifies the interpretation, with highly reliable results.
The effect of a water-filled microannulus is showed in Fig.6. For cement impedance lower than the critical impedance,
there is a reduction of attenuation of about 15%, as soon as the casing and cement are debonded. This effect is similar to what
is observed with the ultrasonic imaging tool, where the reduction in apparent impedance is of the order of 30%. The
attenuation reading is not affected by the microannulus width up to ~ 250 m. Above the critical impedance, a large increase
in attenuation is observed as soon as the cement is debonded, and this attenuation increases approximately with the cement
impedance, again without significant effect from the microannulus thickness up to ~ 250 m. This behavior is notably
different from the ultrasonic imaging tool and reduces the possible confusion between a good cement with microannulus and
mud. A gas-filled microannulus prevents acoustic coupling between casing and cement, and blocks propagation within the
cement sheath.

Fig.4The relationship of flexural attenuation and

acoustic impedance. Liquid, gas, and fast cements
have low flexural attenuation.

Fig. 5Solidliquidgas domain.

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Fig. 6Water-filled microannulus effect on flexural attenuation. The cement has a fixed density of 1500 kg/m and a fixed Poisson
ratio of 0.30.

Depending on the nature of the material behind the pipe, compressional, shear, or both modes can propagate in the
annulus. Under favorable conditions, this energy reflects at the third interface (the formation or the outer casing wall) and
propagates back through the casing to be received by the receivers as events that follow the flexural arrival. The difference in
the time between the flexural arrival and the TIE depends only on the annular velocity and thickness. From this time
difference between the reflection echoes and the casing arrivalprovided enough echo azimuthal presence is available in the
datait is straightforward to determine how well the casing is centered within the borehole. This is presented as a
percentage: 100% represents perfect centering and 0% is casing in contact with the formation wall. Alternatively, if the outer
wall inside diameter is known, then the time difference provides a velocity map of the annulus (Hamawi et al. 2007; Guillot
et al. 2008). It is important to note that the velocity estimated could be compressional or shear or, in some cases, both can be
observed. The use of the velocity information to infer the material behind pipe should be carried out judiciously.
The ability to complement the traditional ultrasonic measurement with the flexural attenuationtwo independent
measurementsimproves the differentiation of low-density solids from liquids. The tools azimuthal coverage provides an
answer on the circumferential placement of cement, pinpointing any channels in the cement and confirming the effectiveness
of a cement job for zonal isolation. The unique ability to detect the third-interface echoes (TIE)cement/borehole or
cement/second casing interfacesallows the ability to evaluate casing centralization as well as to interpret cement quality
through the unique ability to investigate annular velocities. Additionally, the new imaging tool can identify casing corrosion
(internal or external) or drilling-induced wear through measurements of the internal diameter and thickness of the casing by
the pulse-echo transducer.
Logging Examples
In the following section we present two cases of the several wells in which the new ultrasonic imager tool was deployed in
different conditions in Xinjiang oil field. We had the benefit of being able to compare measurements from this tool with those
from CBL-VDL.
Well 1
This well is a key exploration well in the northwest margin of Junggar basin. To ensure the cement quality, both CBL-VDL
and the new-generation ultrasonic tool were run. The details of the well and the cement placed are given below:

Borehole size: 8.5 in.

Casing size: 5.5 in.
Casing weight: 23 lbm/ft
Cement density: Class G, 1.9 g/cm3
Drilling mud density: 1.6 g/cm3
Borehole fluid while logging: fresh water, 1.0 g/cm3

SPE 157976

Composite logs are shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The tracks are as follows:

Track 1 is used to display channels such as tool eccentering (ECCE), azimuth of eccentering (AZEC) and image
rotation (RB), and gamma ray (GR).
Track 2 displays the process flags (UFLG) with caliper information While white flags (or lack of dark color) are
normally representative of good data quality, progressively darker colors, if any, would imply increasing level of
data quality issues. We notice that data quality is not affected.
Track is 3 is used to display the amplitude of echo minus maximum (AWBK) from the ultrasonic transducer.
These amplitudes are generally used to indicate the condition of the inside surface of the pipe. A pipe in good
shape will result in high amplitudes and light shading. Any distortion of pipe or any debris on the pipe (such as
improperly cleaned surface) would lead to lower amplitudes and dark shading.
Track 4 displays minimum acoustic impedance (AIMN), average acoustic impedance (AIAV), and maximum
acoustic impedance (AIMX); all are measured in MRayl.
Track 5 is used to display raw acoustic impedance (AIBK in MRayl). Darker shading indicates higher acoustic
impedance.
Track 6 displays minimum flexural attenuation (UFAN), average flexural attenuation (UFAV), and maximum
flexural attenuation (UFAX); all are measured in dB/m.
Track 7 displays the flexural attenuation (UFAK) image dB/m. High attenuation is shaded in red whereas low
attenuation is shaded blue.
Track 8 is used to display the solid-liquid-gas map (SLG) image (USLG).
Track 9 displays the CBL amplitude.
Track 10 is the VDL display.

In general, the data are of good quality, and this observation is supported by the lack of dark-colored flags in track 2.
However, the amplitude image in track 3 brings out striped patterns observed on the inside of the pipe. This could be
attributed to centralizer marks on the uncleaned surface of the casing or possible pipe manufacturing effects (as the stripes do
show a tendency to be offset at the collars). While we observe the residual presence of the pipe behavior on the acoustic
impedance (track 5) and flexural image (track 6) maps, it is evident that this does not impair our ability to evaluate the
cement in the annulus as we clearly see the variations in the annular behavior that is not correlated to the pipe behavior.
Having established this, we can make reliable inference of the annular behavior based on the ultrasonic acoustic impedance
and flexural attenuation behavior.
Top of Cement. Cement top is important in a high-pressure gas well for long-term isolation. Based on the CBL amplitude
profile, one can expect to place the top of cement at 3360 m (Fig. 7) below which the CBL amplitude reads 15 mV.
However, the expected CBL amplitude for free pipe should be 71 mV in 5.5-in 23-lbm/ft casing, and this depth is at 3294 m.
But between 3294 m and 3360 m, the CBL reads 60mV, which is not a free-pipe reading. It is unclear how one would treat
this interval; therefore, a level of uncertainty in the depth to top of cement (TOC) is introduced based just on the CBL
measurement.
According to the SLG (track 8), which is based on the integration of the acoustic impedance information (track 5) and
flexural attenuation (track 7), TOC is clearly shown at 3294 m; above this depth, the annulus is interpreted to be fluid (blue
color). This placement of TOC is consistent with the CBL amplitude in free pipe as well as the VDL behavior of persistent
casing reverberation through the entire length of the waveform. Between 3294 m and 3360 m, unlike the free-pipe section,
the VDL information does indicate the presence of formation arrivals; the signal is dominated by strong casing reverberation.
The azimuthal behavior of the flexural attenuation (track 7, Fig. 7) dispels any notion of an eccentered/reclining pipe and
indicates the presence of a uniform material. Considering that this interval is in the proximity of TOC, it is likely that this is
indicative a highly contaminated cement or drill mud solid sag. The distinction is possible only because the annulus material
has a lower average acoustic impedance 3.8 MRayl (tracks 4 and 5) and higher flexural attenuation (tracks 6 and 7).
Below 3360 m, both the acoustic impedance and the flexural attenuation indicate the presence of well-set cement in the
annulus (acoustic impedance of 5 MRayl, which is clearly that of cement). The flexural attenuation changes significantly,
indicating that the solid material is not homogeneous in this transition zone.
Annulus velocity from TIE confirmed the above observations. At 3280.79 m, in free-pipe section, the velocity of annulus
material is 1555 m/s (Fig. 8, left); this represents the drilling fluid, and casing is well centered here. At 3299.92 m, a velocity
of 2213 m/s is higher than that of drilling fluid and lower than that of well-bonded Class G cement (Fig. 8, right), indicating
that the annulus material is different here. Annulus velocity information helps validating the S-L-G map and improves the
confidence in evaluating the annulus barrier.

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Top of cement
(SLG)

Top of cement
(CBL)

Fig. 7Well1: TOC from SLG and CBL.

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Fig.8Velocity at 3280.92 m is 1555 m/s which represents drilling fluid. Velocity at 3299.92 m is 2213 m/s, which represents
contaminated cement or drill mud solid sag.

Microannulus. Because the drilling mud was displaced with fresh water, a microannulus was expected, and this would affect
the CBL readings. In the interval from 3797 m to 3865 m (Fig. 9, upper section), the average acoustic impedance and flexural
attenuation keep consistent, at 7 MRayl and 90 dB/m, respectively, and the SLG map shows good cement for this interval.
However, the CBL responds differently: it shows the high amplitude (between 20 mV and 45 mV) indicating a poor cement
placement. Because the 1.6g/cm3 density of drilling mud was displaced with 1.0-g/cm3 fresh water before logging operation,
a 48.6-m wide microannulus is expected at 3850 m; it will affect the CBL readings. Such a microannulus will not
significantly affect the ultrasonic measurement and the SLG map will still see the presence of cement behind pipe. The
microannulus would be the only reason why CBL is not consistent with SLG. The presence of micorannulus is confirmed
from the acoustic impedance and flexural attenuation response in this interval with respect to the neighboring intervals the
acoustic impedance decreases and the flexural attenuation increases (as shown in fig.6).
Channel Identification. Cementing gas zones has been a challenge for a long time; the gas can easily enter the annulus and
into cement before it sets. Such channels occupy very narrow volumes in the annulus and are not detected by the CBL
amplitude readings which remain low. In Fig. 9 (bottom), the CBL shows very good cement with amplitude of just 2 to 3
mV; however, the SLG shows that there are two narrow and long channels symmetrically developed. Fluid and gas fill the
channels. The acoustic impedance of these channels is lower. A caliper curve reads maximum diameter 10.6in, while the drill
bit outer diameter is only 8.5 in. (2nd track). It shows that the wellbore is seriously washed out. The CBL, because of its low
resolution, cannot resolve such narrow channels. These channels would harm the cement integrity and allow potential
corrosion of the casing in the future. This also highlights the importance of borehole quality and cement design (gas control)
in ensuring good hydraulic isolation.
Well 2
The second well is located in the Ke-Bai area of northwest Junggar basin. The formation pressure gradient is as low as 1.13
g/cm3 with a very narrow safe drilling mud window of 0.06 g/cm3. Mud loss has frequently happened during drilling
operations. A 2108-m long openhole interval was required for cementing in one operation. Hollow glass microspheres were
used to reduce the cement density to 1.1-1.3 g/cm3. The borehole is 8.5 in., with a 5.5-in. casing completion. Cement was
allowed to set for 96 hours before logging with the new ultrasonic tool. The cement displaced a 1.2 g/cc water based mud
(estimated acoustic impedance of 1.9-2.0 MRayl)
Details of well 2 and the cement are listed below:
Casing: 5.5 in., 20 lbm/ft
Outer casing: 9.625 in., 43.5 lbm/ft, casing shoe at 3277 m
Openhole size: 8.5 in.
Cement density: 1.1 -1.3 g/cm3
Drilling mud density: 1.2 g/ cm3
Borehole fluid during logging: fresh water, 1.0 g/cm3
Although this kind of ultralight cement has been used for several wells in this area, because CBL cannot tell the quality of
the cement, it is hard to draw a conclusion about whether this kind of cement is suitable for the formation. And traditional
CBL-VDL could not properly evaluate the quality of cement placement in the dual-casing section.

SPE 157976

CBL affected
by microannulus

Fig. 9Well 1 Upper section: A microannulus effect is interpreted because SLG showed good cement, and CBL readings were much
higher. Bottom section: SLG found fluid- and-gas-filled channels; however, CBL showed good cement.

SPE 157976

The logging operation went smoothly because of good well preparation, which included a proper pre-job design for
logging parameter selection. The cement quality evaluation results are described as follows. For easier comparison, a
composite of the different quality cement logs is shown in Fig. 10. Track 9 displays the internal casing, external casing, and
third interface radius for opposite axis. Track 10 displays the internal casing, external casing, and third interface radius for the
short axis. It is the direction with the shortest TIE transit time. Track 11 is used to display the waveform from the far receiver
of flexural wave with shortest transit time and the waveform from the far receiver directly opposite the shortest transit time.
The color scale of acoustic impedance imaging in track 5 is set to 0 to 4 MRayl to better fit the low impedance of the
ultralight cement.
Top of Cement. The composite log contains information for both cement quality and annulus map. The cement quality can
be directly evaluated from the SLG map (track 8, Fig. 10). Brown represents solid in the annulus, blue is liquid, and red is
gas. TOC is clearly shown at a depth of 2946 m. Above that depth is a short transition zone, then free pipe, with 100% fluid
(blue) in annulus. Annulus appearance velocity at 2917.09 m is 1636 m/s (Fig.11, left), which confirms that the fluid in the
annulus is drilling fluid.
Between 2946 m to 3040 m, some narrow channels are seen in the SLG track. This is also verified by very low
attenuationblue shade in the image of flexural attenuation (track 7, Fig.10) and galaxy patterns in the acoustic impedance
image (track 5, Fig.10). This is caused by pipe eccentering and contact as shown in the annulus map (tracks 9 and 10, Fig
10), and VDL images (tracks 11 and 12, Fig. 10), confirming the casing position in annulus. Such a narrow annuli and pipe
contact could compromise isolation across this interval. The acoustic impedance in this interval is 3MRayl and indicates that
the cement in annulus is possibly contaminated.
The interval between 3040 m 3057 m in Fig. 10 is fully filled with solid material in the annulus with very good cement
quality. The cement is well bonded, the flexural attenuation (track 7, Fig.10) shows a higher attenuation, and the average
acoustic impedance (track 4, Fig 10) is about 34 MRayl that indicates a lightweight cement. The white lines every 10 m are
the casing collars. Annulus apparent velocity at 3050.29 m is 2083 m/s (Fig.11, right), which confirms that there is wellbonded light cement in annulus.
The acoustic impedance below 3057 m increases significantly (5-7 MRayl between 3057 m 3100 m and >9 MRayl
below 3100 m). Although the cement slurry density that pumped was between 1.11.3 g/cm3, it appears that the actual
cement placed has the acoustic impedance of heavier cement. It should be noted that loss circulation prevention material was
used during drilling and the cementing of the entire section was attempted with light slurry. Any issues in density control
during pumping or solids setting during the setting period could result in such high acoustic impedance. The flexural
attenuation increases as well between 3057 m 3100 m and this is attributed to presence of microannulus (ref fig.6 curves
with microannulus when acoustic impedance exceeds the evanescence point). Below 3100 m, the flexural attenuation is low
(blue in the flexural attenuation image in track 7) and acoustic impedance exceeds 9 MRayl. This is indicative of the
presence of good shear coupling which causes a low flexural attenuation (no microannlus as per Fig. 6 - bonded curve) and
also boost the acoustic impedance by at least 20% (refer A. J. Hayman et al, SPWLA KK, 1991).

Fig. 11Velocity at 2917.09 m is 1636 m/s, which indicates drilling fluid in annulus. Velocity at 3050.29 m is 2083 m/s, which
represents well-bonded ultralight cement.

10

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Top of cement

Good cement

Fig. 10Well 2: SLG clearly shows the cement top of ultralight cement. Annulus map shows the casing is seriously eccentered.

SPE 157976

11

Casing Eccentering. In the acoustic impedance imaging (track 5, Fig.10), there are some galaxy patterns; this indicates that
casing is in contact with the outer 9.625-in casing in this double-casing interval. The casing eccentralization inside a borehole
or dual casing as well as the annulus thickness can be measured through processing flexural wave TIE. The annulus map
(Fig. 10, tracks 9 and 10) reveals the 5.5-in. casing is seriously eccentralized in the 9.625-in. casing; the outer casing echoes
are very clear in VDL in track 11. 3D displays (Figs. 12 and 13) and slices help to intuitively show the casing position and
cement sheath thickness. The use of TIE helps provide useful input for the planning of pipe centralization in future wells.

Fig. 123D display and slices in free pipe.

Fig. 133D display and slices in good cement.

Conclusion
1. The new ultrasonic imager cement evaluation tool addressed the challenge of cement in a complex environment and
obtained high-quality data in Xinjiang oil field. It provided cement density-independent evaluation.
2. The azimuthal measurements help characterize channels in the annulus including channel width and implications to
hydraulic communication. A high-confidence cement evaluation can be conducted in a quick and visualized way.
3. The new ultrasonic tool provides casing centralization measurement inside boreholes or second casing to help improve
the engineering of operations. Using annulus velocity provides a new way to look at cement quality.
4. Through proper and accurate cement evaluation, cementing operations can be improved.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank PetroChina Xinjiang Oilfield Company and Schlumberger for permission to publish this paper.
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