A Novel Method to Evaluate Cement-Shale Bond Strength

Abstract

Abstract The incompatibility of cement and shale and the subsequent failure of primary cementing jobs is a very significant concern in the oil & gas industry. On wells ranging from hydraulically fractured shale land wells to deepwater wells, this incompatibility leads to an increased risk in failing to isolate zones, which could possibly present a well control hazard and can lead to sustained casing pressure. The cement-shale interface presents a weak link that often becomes compromised by the loads incurred either during drilling, completion/stimulation or production phases. To formulate cements for effective zonal isolation, it is crucial to evaluate the bond strength of the cement-shale interface. Although several studies have focused on the interactions between cement and sandstone, very few studies have addressed the bonding behavior of cement with shale. The conventional push-out test protocol used to measure cement-to-sandstone shear bond strength has proven to be difficult to apply to shale due to its laminated and/or brittle nature that complicates sample preparation and can lead to shale or cement matrix failure instead of failure at the interface. In this paper, we present a novel, simple and versatile laboratory test procedure to measure the shear bond strength between cement and shale. The new procedure was used to develop cement formulations to improve the cement-to-shale bond. Various types of surfactants were added to cement slurry to evaluate their effects on cement bonding property. Our results indicate that bond strength of cement with shale can be enhanced by incorporating particular surfactants in cement slurries.