Two-part set-delayed cement compositions

• US 9,255,031 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Pisklak, Thomas Jason, Agapiou, Kyriacos, Boul, Peter James, Otieno, Pauline Akinyi, Brothers, Lance Everett
• Primary Examiner(s): DiTrani, Angela M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahuja, Anuradha
• Application Number:
  US14/067,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20140048267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/04 Silica-rich materials; Silicates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/062 Microsilica, e.g. colloïdal silica preparing microsilica slurries or suspensions C04B18/148
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/106 Kaolin
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 14/16 porous, e.g. pumice
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/08 Flue dust , i.e. fly ash
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/146 Silica fume
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/12 Set accelerators
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/22 Set retarders
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/408 Dispersants
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/0013 Boron compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/06 Oxides, Hydroxides C04B22/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/16 containing phosphorus in the anion, e.g. phosphates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/003 Phosphorus-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/04 Carboxylic acids; Salts, anhydrides or esters thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/12 Nitrogen containing compounds organic derivatives of hydrazine hydrazine C04B22/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/163 obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/18 Lignin sulfonic acid or derivatives thereof, e.g. sulfite lye
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/223 Sulfonated melamine-formaldehyde condensation products
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/2641 Polyacrylates; Polymethacrylates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/383 Cellulose or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/18 : containing mixtures of the silica-lime type
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/065 : Two or more component mortars
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0658 : Retarder inhibited mortars activated by the addition of accelerators or retarder-neutralising agents
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 7/34 : Hydraulic lime cements; Roman cements ; natural cements
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/467 : containing additives for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/13 : Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/138 : Plastering the borehole wall; Injecting into the formation
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/14 : for cementing casings into boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/91 : Use of waste materials as fillers for mortars or concrete

Abstract

A variety of methods and compositions are disclosed, including, in one embodiment a method of cementing comprising: providing a pozzolan slurry comprising a pozzolan and water; providing a lime slurry comprising hydrated lime and water; allowing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to remain separate for about one day or longer; mixing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to form a cement composition; and allowing the cement composition to set.

Claims

1. A method of cementing in a subterranean formation comprising:

providing a pozzolan slurry comprising a pozzolan and water;

wherein the water is present in the pozzolan slurry in an amount of about 33% to about 200% by weight of the pozzolan;

providing a lime slurry comprising hydrated lime and water;

wherein the lime is present in the lime slurry in an amount of about 10% to about 100% by weight of the amount of pozzolan present in the pozzolan slurry;

wherein the water is present in the lime slurry in an amount of about 33% to about 200% by weight of the lime;

allowing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to remain separate for about one day or longer;

mixing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to form a cement composition on a surface not within a subterranean formation or mixing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to form a cement composition within a subterranean formation;

placing the cement composition into a subterranean formation; and

allowing the cement composition to set in the subterranean formation in which the cement composition was placed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pozzolan is selected from the group consisting of fly ash, silica fume, metakaolin, pumice, and any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the pozzolan slurry, the lime slurry, or the cement composition further comprises a dispersant.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the dispersant comprises at least one dispersant selected from the group consisting of a sulfonated-formaldehyde-based dispersant, a polycarboxylated ether dispersant, and any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the pozzolan slurry, the lime slurry, or the cement composition further comprises a cement set retarder.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the cement set retarder is selected from the group consisting of a phosphonic acid, a phosphonic acid derivative, a lignosulfonate, a salt, an organic acid, a carboxymethylated hydroxyethylated cellulose, a synthetic co- or ter-polymer comprising sulfonate and carboxylic acid groups, a borate compound, and any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the pozzolan slurry, the lime slurry, or the cement composition further comprises a cement set activator;

wherein the cement set activator comprises at least one cement set activator selected from the group consisting of an amine, a silicate, zinc formate, calcium acetate, a Group IA hydroxide;

a Group IIA hydroxide, a monovalent salt, a divalent salt, nanosilica, a polyphosphate, and any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing at least one of the pozzolan slurry or the lime slurry for a time period of about 7 days or longer prior to the step of mixing.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising pumping the cement composition through a feed pipe and into a wellbore annulus that is penetrating the subterranean formation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry are mixed on the surface to form the cement composition.

11. A method of displacing a fluid in a subterranean formation comprising:

providing a pozzolan slurry comprising a pozzolan and water;

wherein the water is present in the pozzolan slurry in an amount of about 33% to about 200% by weight of the pozzolan;

providing a lime slurry comprising hydrated lime and water;

wherein the lime is present in the lime slurry in an amount of about 10% to about 100% by weight of the amount of pozzolan present in the pozzolan slurry;

wherein the water is present in the lime slurry in an amount of about 33% to about 200% by weight of the lime;

introducing a first portion of the pozzolan slurry into a wellbore that penetrates a subterranean formation such that the first portion of the pozzolan slurry displaces at least one fluid from the wellbore;

mixing a second portion of the pozzolan slurry and at least a portion of the lime slurry to form a cement composition, wherein the second portion of the pozzolan slurry and the portion of the lime slurry are mixed on a surface not within the subterranean formation or mixing the second portion of the pozzolan slurry and the portion of the lime slurry to form a cement composition within a subterranean formation;

placing the cement composition into a subterranean formation; and

allowing the cement composition to set in the subterranean formation in which the cement composition was placed.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the pozzolan is selected from the group consisting of fly ash, silica fume, metakaolin, pumice, and any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first portion of the pozzolan slurry that displaces at least one fluid from the wellbore is foamed prior to displacing at least one fluid from the wellbore.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the pozzolan slurry, the lime slurry, or the cement composition further comprises a dispersant.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the pozzolan slurry, the lime slurry, or the cement composition further comprises a cement set retarder.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising pumping the cement composition through a feed pipe and into a wellbore annulus that is penetrating the subterranean formation.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the second portion of the pozzolan slurry and the portion of the lime slurry are mixed on the surface to form the cement composition.

18. A system for cementing in a subterranean formation comprising:

a pozzolan slurry comprising a pozzolan and water;

wherein the water is present in the pozzolan slurry in an amount of about 33% to about 200% by weight of the pozzolan;

a lime slurry for combination with the pozzolan slurry to form a cement composition, wherein the lime slurry comprises hydrated lime and water;

wherein the lime is present in the lime slurry in an amount of about 10% to about 100% by weight of the amount of pozzolan present in the pozzolan slurry;

wherein the water is present in the lime slurry in an amount of about 33% to about 200% by weight of the lime; and

mixing equipment capable of mixing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the mixing equipment comprises a jet mixer capable of continuously mixing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to form a composition as the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry are pumped into the subterranean formation or a batch mixer capable of mixing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to form a cement composition on a surface not within the subterranean formation;

and wherein the system further comprises pumping equipment for delivering the cement composition into a wellbore.

20. A method of cementing in a subterranean formation comprising:

providing a pozzolan slurry comprising a pozzolan and water;

providing a lime slurry comprising hydrated lime and water;

allowing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to remain separate for about one day or longer;

mixing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to form a cement composition on a surface not within a subterranean formation or mixing the pozzolan slurry and the lime slurry to form a cement composition within a subterranean formation;

wherein the cement composition comprises a cement set retarder comprising a phosphonic acid derivative, and wherein the cement composition further comprises a dispersant comprising a polycarboxylated ether dispersant;

placing the cement composition into a subterranean formation; and

allowing the cement composition to set in the subterranean formation in which the cement composition was placed.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the pozzolan is selected from the group consisting of fly ash, silica fume, metakaolin, pumice, and any combination thereof.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein at least one of the pozzolan slurry, the lime slurry, or the cement composition further comprises a cement set activator;

wherein the cement set activator comprises at least one cement set activator selected from the group consisting of an amine, a silicate, zinc formate, calcium acetate, a Group IA hydroxide;

a Group IIA hydroxide, a monovalent salt, a divalent salt, nanosilica, a polyphosphate, and any combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising storing at least one of the pozzolan slurry or the lime slurry for a time period of about 7 days or longer prior to the step of mixing.