Correlating Energy to Mix Cement Slurry under Different Mixing Conditions

• US 20160271834A1
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Sodhi, Thomas Singh, Iverson, Benjamin John, Otieno, Pauline Akinyi, Goel, Vivek S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,782,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/212 of the driving system data, e.g. torque, speed or power data
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/026 by measuring data of the driving system, e.g. rotational speed, torque, consumed power
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 9/004 Making slurries, e.g. with discharging means for injecting in a well or projecting against a wall
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/062 by mixing components
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/13 Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/14 for cementing casings into boreholes

Abstract

One example of correlating energy to mix well cement slurry under laboratory conditions to field conditions can be implemented as a method to determine energy to mix cement slurry. Electrical power supplied to an electric mixer in mixing a specified well cement slurry is measured. An energy to mix the specified well cement slurry is determined from the measuring. The determined energy to mix the specified well cement slurry and specifications of field equipment for use in mixing the specified well cement slurry at a well site are compared. The field equipment is a different configuration than the electric mixer. Based on the comparing, it is determined whether the well cement slurry needs redesigning according to capabilities of the field equipment.

Claims

1. A method to determine energy to mix cement slurry, the method comprising:

measuring electrical power supplied to an electric mixer in mixing a specified well cement slurry and determining an energy to mix the specified well cement slurry from the measuring;

comparing the determined energy to mix the specified well cement slurry and specifications of field equipment for use in mixing the specified well cement slurry at a well site, the field equipment being of a different configuration than the electric mixer; and

based on the comparing, determining whether the well cement slurry needs redesigning according to capabilities of the field equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the electrical power supplied to the electric mixer comprises measuring the electrical power in a laboratory environment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a mechanical energy input (MEI) to mix the specified well cement slurry based, at least in part, on the electrical power.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the determined energy to mix the specified well cement slurry and the specifications of the field equipment comprises:

determining, based at least in part on the specifications of the field equipment, a maximum energy that the field equipment can output to prepare the specified well cement slurry in the field; and

comparing the determined energy to mix the specified well cement slurry and the maximum energy that the field equipment can output.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, based on the comparing, determining whether the well cement slurry needs redesigning comprises determining that the well cement slurry does not need redesigning and that the well cement slurry is mixable using the field equipment.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the field equipment is a hydraulic mixer and wherein the specifications of the hydraulic mixer comprise at least one of a maximum pressure drop across the hydraulic mixer, a maximum volumetric flow rate of the hydraulic mixer, or a maximum rotational speed of the hydraulic mixer.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein, based on the comparing, whether the well cement slurry needs redesigning comprises determining that the well cement slurry needs redesigning to be mixable using the field equipment.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, in response to determining that the well cement slurry needs redesigning, determining a well cement slurry specification at which the field equipment is operable to mix the specified well cement slurry.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the well cement slurry specification comprises a different time to mix the plurality of cement slurry components relative to a time to mix the well cement slurry in the electric mixer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a well cement slurry specification to mix the specified well cement slurry in the electric mixer, the well cement slurry specification comprising at least one of a speed and a time of mixing, a quantity of each well cement slurry component to be mixed to prepare the well cement slurry, or a quantity of water to be added.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified well cement slurry is defined by at least one of a quantity of wetness and a quantity of homogeneity of the well cement slurry.

12. A system comprising:

an electric mixer to mix a specified well cement slurry;

a measurement device connected to the electric mixer to directly measure electrical power supplied to the mixer in mixing the specified well cement slurry; and

a computer system comprising;

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

determining an energy to mix the specified well cement slurry from the measuring;

comparing the determined energy to mix the specified well cement slurry and specifications of field equipment for use in mixing the specified well cement slurry at a well site, the field equipment being of a different configuration than the electric mixer; and

based on the comparing, determining whether the well cement slurry needs redesigning according to capabilities of the field equipment.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the measurement device measures the electrical power supplied to the mixer in a laboratory environment, and wherein determining the energy to mix the specified well cement slurry comprises determining the energy to mix in the laboratory environment.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise determining a mechanical energy input (MEI) to mix the specified well cement slurry based, at least in part, on the electrical power.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein comparing the determined energy to mix the specified well cement slurry and the specifications of the field equipment comprises:

determining, based at least in part on the specifications of the field equipment, a maximum energy that the field equipment can output to prepare the specified well cement slurry in the field; and

comparing the determined energy to mix the specified well cement slurry and the maximum energy that the field equipment can output.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the field equipment is a hydraulic mixer and wherein the specifications of the hydraulic mixer comprise at least one of a maximum pressure drop across the hydraulic mixer, a maximum volumetric flow rate of the hydraulic mixer, or a maximum rotational speed of the hydraulic mixer.

17. The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising receiving a cement slurry specification to mix the specified well cement slurry in the electric mixer, the cement slurry specification comprising at least one of a speed and a time of mixing, a quantity of each cement slurry component to be mixed to prepare the cement slurry, or a quantity of water to be added.

18. A method to determine energy to mix cement slurry, the method comprising:

measuring electrical power supplied to an electric mixer in mixing a specified well cement slurry and determining an energy to mix the specified well cement slurry from the measuring;

comparing the determined energy to mix the specified well cement slurry and specifications of field equipment for use in mixing the specified well cement slurry at a well site, the field equipment being of a different configuration than the electric mixer; and

based on the comparing, determining that the well cement slurry is mixable using the field equipment.

19. The method of claim 19, wherein measuring the electrical power supplied to the electric mixer comprises measuring the electrical power in a laboratory environment, the method further comprising determining a mechanical energy input (MEI) to mix the specified well cement slurry based, at least in part, on the electrical power.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining, instead, that the well cement slurry needs to be redesigned according to capabilities of the field equipment; and

in response to determining that the well cement slurry needs to be redesigned according to capabilities of the field equipment, determining a cement slurry specification at which the field equipment is operable to mix the specified well cement slurry, the cement slurry specification comprising a different time to mix the plurality of cement slurry components relative to a time to mix the well cement slurry in the electric mixer.