Tunable control of pozzolan-lime cement compositions

• US 10,047,270 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Loikith, Catherine A
• Application Number:
  US15/113,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20170001911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 12/04 Alkali metal or ammonium silicate cements ; Alkyl silicate cements; Silica sol cements; Soluble silicate cements alkali metal silicates per se, their preparation C01B33/32; ammonium silicates per se, their preparation C01C1/00
• 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 2103/10 Accelerators; Activators
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/12 Set accelerators
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/20 Retarders
• 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 22/062 of the alkali or alkaline-earth metals
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/124 Chlorides of ammonium or of the alkali or alkaline earth metals, e.g. calcium chloride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/147 Alkali-metal sulfates; Ammonium sulfate
• 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 24/08 Fats; Fatty oils; Ester type waxes; Higher fatty acids, i.e. having at least seven carbon atoms in an unbroken chain bound to a carboxyl group; Oxidised oils or fats
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/122 Hydroxy amines
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/161 : Macromolecular compounds comprising sulfonate or sulfate groups
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/18 : Lignin sulfonic acid or derivatives thereof, e.g. sulfite lye
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/20 : Sulfonated aromatic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/22 : Condensation or polymerisation products thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/26 : obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds C04B24/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/2647 : containing polyether side chains
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/2688 : Copolymers containing at least three different monomers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/32 : Polyethers, e.g. alkylphenol polyglycolether
• 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 28/188 : the Ca-silicates being present in the starting mixture
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0658 : Retarder inhibited mortars activated by the addition of accelerators or retarder-neutralising agents
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/46 : containing inorganic binders, e.g. Portland cement
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/467 : containing additives for specific purposes
• 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 cement compositions and methods of using cement compositions in subterranean formations. A method of formulating a cement composition may comprise: measuring surface area of a group of pozzolans, wherein the smallest measured surface area of the group of pozzolans and the largest measured surface area of the group of pozzolans vary by about 50% or greater. The method may further comprise selecting one or more pozzolans from the group of pozzolans. The method may further comprise adding components comprising lime and water to the selected one or more pozzolans to faun a cement composition.

Claims

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

providing a first pozzolan;

providing a second pozzolan, wherein the second pozzolan comprises pozzolan particles having a surface area that varies by about 50% or more from pozzolan particles of the first pozzolan;

blending the first pozzolan and the second pozzolan to form a blended pozzolan;

adding components comprising lime and water to the blended pozzolan to form a cement composition, wherein cementitious components present in the cement composition comprise pozzolans comprising the first pozzolan and the second pozzolan without any additional cementitious components other than the pozzolans that hydraulically set in the presence of the water;

introducing the cement composition into the subterranean formation; and

allowing the cement composition to set in the subterranean formation.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the first pozzolan and the second pozzolan are individually selected from the group consisting of:

fly ash, silica fume, metakaolin, pumice, and any combination thereof.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the cement composition further comprises a set retarder, wherein the set retarder comprises at least one retarder selected from the group consisting of a phosphonic acid, a phosphonic acid derivative, a lignosulfonate, a salt, an organic acid, a cellulose derivate, a synthetic co- or ter-polymer comprising sulfonate and carboxylic acid groups, a borate compound, and any combination thereof.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the cement composition further comprises at least one dispersant selected from the group consisting of a sulfonated-formaldehyde-based dispersant, a polycarboxylated ether dispersant, and a combination thereof.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the cement composition further comprises a cement set activator selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride, triethanolamine, sodium silicate, zinc formate, calcium acetate, sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfate, nanosilica, sodium hexametaphosphate, and any combinations thereof.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the cement composition remains in a pumpable fluid state for at least about 7 days prior to introducing the cement composition into the subterranean formation.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the cement composition is introduced into the subterranean formation by a process comprising pumping the cement composition through a conduit and into a wellbore annulus.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein a ratio of the first pozzolan to the second pozzolan in the blended pozzolan is from about 80:

20 to about 20;

80.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the second pozzolan has a particle size that varies by about 10% or less than a particle size of the first pozzolan.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the first pozzolan and the second pozzolan each individually have a particle size of from about 10 microns to about 25 microns.

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

a first pozzolan,

a second pozzolan;

wherein the second pozzolan comprises pozzolan particles having a surface area that varies by about 50% or more from pozzolan particles of the first pozzolan,

lime; and

water;

mixing equipment capable of mixing a cement composition, wherein the cement composition comprises the first pozzolan, the second pozzolan, the lime, and the water, wherein cementitious components present in the cement composition comprise pozzolans comprising the first pozzolan and the second pozzolan without any additional cementitious components other than the pozzolans that hydraulically set in the presence of water; and

pumping equipment capable of pumping the cement composition formed by mixing the first pozzolan, the second pozzolan, the lime, and the water.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the first pozzolan and the second pozzolan are individually selected from the group consisting of:

fly ash, silica fume, metakaolin, pumice, and any combination thereof.

13. The system according to claim 11 further comprising a set retarder, wherein the set retarder comprises at least one retarder selected from the group consisting of a phosphonic acid, a phosphonic acid derivative, a lignosulfonate, a salt, an organic acid, a cellulose derivate, a synthetic co- or ter-polymer comprising sulfonate and carboxylic acid groups, a borate compound, and any combination thereof.

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

providing a first pozzolan;

providing a second pozzolan, wherein the second pozzolan comprises pozzolan particles having a surface area that varies by about 50% or more from pozzolan particles of the first pozzolan;

blending the first pozzolan and the second pozzolan to form a blended pozzolan;

adding components comprising lime and water to the blended pozzolan to form a cement composition, wherein cementitious components present in the cement composition comprise pozzolans comprising the first pozzolan and the second pozzolan without any additional cementitious components other than the pozzolans that hydraulically set in the presence of the water;

storing the cement composition in a pumpable fluid state for about a day or longer;

introducing the cement composition into the subterranean formation; and

allowing the cement composition to set in the subterranean formation.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the first pozzolan and the second pozzolan are individually selected from the group consisting of:

fly ash, silica fume, metakaolin, pumice, and any combination thereof.

16. A method according to claim 14 wherein the cement composition further comprises a set retarder, wherein the set retarder comprises at least one retarder selected from the group consisting of a phosphonic acid, a phosphonic acid derivative, a lignosulfonate, a salt, an organic acid, a cellulose derivate, a synthetic co- or ter-polymer comprising sulfonate and carboxylic acid groups, a borate compound, and any combination thereof.

17. A method according to claim 14 wherein the cement composition further comprises at least one dispersant selected from the group consisting of a sulfonated-formaldehyde-based dispersant, a polycarboxylated ether dispersant, and a combination thereof.

18. A method according to claim 14 further comprising added at least on cement set activator to the cement composition after the step of storing, wherein the cement set activator is selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride, triethanolamine, sodium silicate, zinc formate, calcium acetate, sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfate, nanosilica, sodium hexametaphosphate, and any combinations thereof.

19. A method according to claim 14 wherein the cement composition is stored in the pumpable fluid state for at least about 7 days prior to introducing the cement composition into the subterranean formation.

20. A method according to claim 14 wherein a ratio of the first pozzolan to the second pozzolan in the blended pozzolan is from about 80:

20 to about 20;

80.

21. A method according to claim 14 wherein the second pozzolan has a particle size that varies by about 10% or less than a particle size of the first pozzolan.