ANALYZING MIXABILITY OF WELL CEMENT SLURRIES

• US 20170198547A1
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Published: 07/13/2017
• 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., Pang, Xueyu, Sodhi, Thomas Singh, Otieno, Pauline Akinyi
• Granted Patent: US 10,450,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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 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 mixing 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.

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 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 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 another well cement slurry.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising using the predicted power number 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.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the functional relationship with the identified values for the parameters to determine a mixability index associated with mixing another well cement slurry.

12. A system for analyzing well cement slurry mixing, the system comprising:

a mixer to mix a well cement slurry 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;

a measurement device to measure an amount of energy used to mix the well cement slurry in the mixer; and

a data analysis system comprising;

data-processing apparatus; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the data-processing apparatus, cause the data-processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

identifying power number values associated with mixing under the plurality of conditions, each power number value based on the 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.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the functional relationship comprises N_p=C(Re)^x, and identifying values for the parameters comprises identifying values for C and x, where N_p represents the power number, and Re represents the Reynolds number.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the mixer comprises an impeller that agitates the well cement slurry, at least a subset of the plurality of conditions correspond to a plurality of distinct rotational speeds of the impeller, at least a subset of the plurality of conditions correspond to a plurality of distinct densities of the well cement slurry, and at least a subset of the plurality of conditions correspond to a plurality of distinct viscosities of the well cement slurry.

15. The system of claim 12, the operations 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; and

using the predicted power number to estimate the energy to mix the well cement slurry under the other distinct condition.

16. The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising using the functional relationship with the identified values for the parameters to compute a predicted power number value associated with mixing another well cement slurry.

17. The system of claim 16, the operations further comprising using the predicted power number to estimate the energy to mix the other well cement slurry.

18. The system of claim 12, the operations further comprising using the functional relationship with the identified values for the parameters to determine a mixability index associated with mixing another well cement slurry.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising a pump to communicate the well cement slurry into a wellbore in a subterranean region.

20. A method of analyzing well cement slurry mixing, the method comprising:

identifying a Reynolds number value for mixing a well cement slurry in a mixer;

identifying, from the identified Reynolds number value and based on a functional relationship between power number and Reynolds number, a power number value associated with mixing the well cement slurry in a mixer; and

determining mixability of the well cement slurry based on the identified power number.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the mixer comprises a field mixer to prepare the well cement slurry for a wellbore, and determining mixability of the well cement slurry comprises determining mixability of the well cement slurry in the field mixer.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

using the mixer to mix a well cement slurry for the wellbore; and

communicating the mixed well cement slurry into the wellbore.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the mixer comprises a laboratory mixer to test the well cement slurry, and determining mixability of the well cement slurry comprises determining mixability of the well cement slurry in the laboratory mixer.