Correlating variationsin chemical and nanoscale components of oil-field cements to hydration, water transport, and macroscopic flow characteristics

固井是任何油井建设项目的关键阶段。一旦钻井完成，水泥浆就被泵送到钢衬管的环空周围，以在井筒和岩层之间提供不可渗透的屏障。水泥封层对于确保井的稳定性和防止地下含水层被碳氢化合物污染是必要的。井完整性的灾难性故障（例如最近在墨西哥湾发生的）归因于水泥性能差或在放置期间钻井液的不完全去除。在井周围泵送水泥所需的大量时间是额外的复杂性，因为水泥化学和纳米结构不断发展。水泥的宏观性能（作为浆料的流变性;增稠时间;水化时的渗透性和抗压强度）由化学配方和颗粒添加剂控制。然而，目前对可调配方参数与使用性能之间的详细关系的理解还不完全。该项目的目的是通过多方面的实验方法来了解管理相关长度和时间尺度的层次结构的关系。斯伦贝谢是一家业务遍及全球的油田服务公司。剑桥中心的活动重点是开发新的钻井科学和技术，重点是钻井过程和自动化。可用于该拟议项目的设施包括一套低场磁共振仪器、傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）和X射线荧光（XRF）光谱仪、传统流变仪和流体动力学流动系统。该项目将由Débora Campos de Faria博士（化学）和Jonathan Mitchell博士（磁共振）监督。斯伦贝谢剑桥研究所的其他科学家和工程师将为该项目的高温/高压特性、流体流动和建模/模拟方面提供支持。

Cementing is a critical stage in any petroleum well construction project. Once a well has been drilled, a cement slurry is pumped around the annulus of the steel liner to provide an impermeable barrier between the well bore and the rock formation. The cement seal is necessary to ensure well stability and prevent contamination of subsurface water aquifers with hydrocarbons. Catastrophic failures in well integrity (such as occurred recently in the Gulf of Mexico) have been attributed to poor cement performance or incomplete removal of drilling fluid during placement. The significant time required to pump cement around a well is an additional complication, as the cement chemistry and nanostructure is constantly evolving. The macroscopic properties of the cement (rheology as a slurry; thickening time; permeability and compressive strength when hydrated) are controlled by the chemical formulation and particulate additives. However, there is presently incomplete understanding of the detailed relationship between the tuneable formulation parameters and the in-service performance. The aim of this project is to understand relationships governing the hierarchy of relevant length and time-scales using a multifaceted experimental approach.Schlumberger is an oilfield services company with a global footprint. Activities at the Cambridge centre focus on the development of new science and technology for well construction, with an emphasis on well construction processes and automation. The facilities available for this proposed project include a suite of low field magnetic resonance instruments, Fourier transform Infra-red (FTIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers, conventional rheometers, and hydrodynamic flow systems. The project will be supervised by Dr Débora Campos de Faria (chemistry) and Dr Jonathan Mitchell (magnetic resonance). Support for aspects of the project related to high temperature / high pressure characterisation, fluid flow, and modelling / simulation will be provided by other scientists and engineers at Schlumberger Cambridge Research.