Analyzing mixibility of well cement slurries

• US 10,450,830 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Goel, Vivek S., Otieno, Pauline Akinyi, Pang, Xueyu, Sodhi, Thomas Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Anshu
• Application Number:
  US15/324,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20170198547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/024 by measuring properties of the mixture, e.g. moisture, electrical resistivity, density
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/026 by measuring data of the driving system, e.g. rotational speed, torque, consumed power
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/02 containing hydraulic cements other than calcium sulfates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0032 Controlling the process of mixing, e.g. adding ingredients in a quantity depending on a measured or desired value B28C7/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/42 Compositions for cementing, e.g. for cementing casings into boreholes; Compositions for plugging, e.g. for killing wells compositions for plastering C09K8/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/388 Ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/34 by using elements moving through the fluid, e.g. vane

Abstract

Some aspects of what is described here relate to analyzing a well cement slurry. In some aspects, a well cement slurry is mixed in a mixer under a plurality of conditions. The plurality of conditions correspond to a plurality of distinct Reynolds number values for the well cement slurry in the mixer. Power number values associated with mixing the well cement slurry in the mixer under the plurality of conditions are identified. Each power number value is based on an amount of energy used to mix the well cement slurry under a respective one of the plurality of conditions. Values for parameters of a functional relationship between power number and Reynolds number are identified based on the power number values and the Reynolds number values for the plurality of conditions.

Claims

1. A method of analyzing a well cement slurry, the method comprising:

mixing a dry cement blend with mix water to form a well cement slurry in a mixer under a plurality of conditions, the plurality of conditions corresponding to a plurality of distinct Reynolds number values for the well cement slurry in the mixer;

identifying power number values associated with the mixing of the well cement slurry in the mixer under the plurality of conditions, each power number value based on an amount of energy used to mix the well cement slurry under a respective one of the plurality of conditions; and

identifying values for parameters of a functional relationship between power number and Reynolds number based on the power number values and the Reynolds number values for the plurality of conditions, wherein;

the power number is dependent upon a time-varying fluid density measured from when the dry cement blend is mixed with the mix water until the well cement slurry is homogenous as confirmed by static or dynamic light scattering,

the Reynolds number is dependent upon a time-varying apparent fluid viscosity measured from when the dry cement blend is mixed with the mix water until the well cement slurry is homogenous as confirmed by static or dynamic light scattering, and

the functional relationship with the identified values for the parameters is used to determine a mixability index associated with the mixing to form another well cement slurry.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional relationship comprises N_p=C(Re)^x, and identifying values for the parameters of the functional relationship comprises identifying values for C and x, where C and x are constants, N_p represents the power number, and Re represents the Reynolds number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mixer comprises an impeller that agitates the well cement slurry to mix the well cement slurry, and at least a subset of the plurality of conditions correspond to a plurality of distinct rotational speeds of the impeller.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of conditions correspond to a plurality of distinct densities of the well cement slurry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of conditions correspond to a plurality of distinct viscosities of the well cement slurry.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the functional relationship and the identified values for the parameters to compute a predicted power number value associated with mixing the well cement slurry under another distinct condition.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising using the predicted power number value to estimate the energy to mix the well cement slurry under the other distinct condition.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the functional relationship with the identified values for the parameters to compute a predicted power number value associated with mixing the other well cement slurry.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising using the predicted power number value to estimate the energy to mix the other well cement slurry.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

mixing the other well cement slurry; and

after mixing the other well cement slurry, communicating the other well cement slurry in a wellbore in a subterranean region.