• Energy Research

Admixtures of mineral or waste filling materials are used to reduce slurry density. However, the sheath made of lightweight cement slurry has low mechanical performance at the initial bonding time. The required strength is achieved later. This is the main problem when evaluating the cement bond logging. The waiting time for geophysical measurements after injecting and bonding of cement is nowadays increasingly shortened. This is forced by economic factors. Too early geophysical measurements may result in obtaining a false indication of the cement bond logging. The lack of cement or partial bonding, despite the presence of slurry in the annular space is then found. The slurry developed by the author achieves high compressive strength after a short bonding time. Reducing the amount of water in the slurry resulted in a lowered filtration value. This is important in preventing gas migration after the cementing. The designed slurry also reaches the value of 3.5 MPa in a short time. This allows for an earlier commencement of a well drilling. The use of said slurry improves the effectiveness of the well sealing and makes it possible to obtain a reliable knowledge of the bond logging.

Drilling ever deeper, and thus in increasingly difficult conditions, is associated with restrictive requirements that must be met by cement slurries. This implies the need to use advanced, innovative measures that will significantly improve the performance parameters of the cement slurry and cement stone. Due to its unique properties, an admixture of nanosilica improves the properties of the cement stone and allows for appropriate zone insulation. The article presents the results of strength tests of cement stone samples with the addition of silica nanoparticles deposited in an environment of increased temperature of 90 °C. In all three cases of modification with an admixture of nanosilica (type 1, 2 and 3, concentration 0.5%, 1% and 5%), the cement stone shows an improvement in mechanical properties, which is manifested by an increase in compressive strength. The most homogeneous results of strength measurements are for cement slurries with an admixture of type 3 nanosilica (the highest average strength: 132–149% in relation to the base sample). They show the smallest stretch marks and deviations from the average. The highest average increase in strength is for the sample with the addition of 1% nanosilica (on average 124% in relation to the base sample). This amount causes the greatest increase in strength with no significant deterioration of rheological parameters.

Every year, the number of exploited mine workings necessary to seal the exploited mines increases in the world. As a result of experiments, technologies are developed that allow slurry to be pumped to fill free rock spaces or to liquidate rock mass discontinuities. The slurry preparation technologies can be divided into: subsurface and surface preparation and injection. Due to the pressure that forces the sealing slurry to move, the following can be distinguished: pressure technologies and technologies of gravity injection. The effectiveness of the work is determined by the correct selection of the technique and technology of the treatment and the selection of the optimal cement slurry recipe. The type of sealing liquid is especially important during works related to filling the exploited mine workings in salt mines. Therefore, this article presents the criteria for the selection of slurry recipes and their technological parameters, used for sealing and strengthening the salt rock mass. For this purpose, laboratory tests are carried out on various formulas of sealing slurries, prepared on the basis of full saturated brine and CEM I 32.5R Portland cement, ground granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash, and silt. The proposed concept for the selection of sealing slurry formulas has been positively verified during the performed works on sealing and strengthening the salt rock mass.

The tightness of a borehole is essential for its long-term durability. For this purpose, the column of the pipe is sealed with cement slurry. After contacting the slurry, mud in the borehole is removed. However, the slurry does not effectively remove the remaining drilling mud. Therefore, the annular space is cleaned with a wash. Effectively cleaning the borehole presents quite a problem, as many variables that affect the stability of the borehole need to be considered. The time of contact between the borehole and the wash is very important. On the one hand, insufficient contact time does not guarantee proper removal of the mud. On the other hand, a long contact time may destroy the wall of the borehole. To address these problems, studies were carried out to assess the effect of the wash contact time on annular space cleaning. When determining the time of washing, a compromise between effective cleaning and the stability of the borehole wall is required. In the research presented in this publication, the simplest wash was used, i.e., water. This choice was based on the objective of observing the influence of the wash time on cleaning, i.e., the preparation of the borehole for cementing. By using water, the physicochemical action of surfactants can be ignored. In order to capture changes in cleaning due to differences in contact time, a control test was performed using a pure sandstone core without mud. The effect of the wash contact time on the cleaning of the annular space was investigated by determining the adhesion of the cement sheath to the rock core. First, mud was formed on the core, and then it was removed. By comparing the obtained adhesion to the reference sample, the effectiveness of the deposit removal was determined. On the basis of this research, the optimal wash contact time was determined.

This article presents the results on the basis of which a new hybrid drilling washer fluid was designed. The use of fluid from such a drilling washer increases the mud-cake removal efficiency. Its operation is based on both chemical and mechanical removal of the mud cake. This article presents a group of agents and admixtures of various solid fractions, the appropriate selection of which enabled the design of a hybrid drilling washer fluid. The liquid has much better washing parameters than the drilling washers used so far. The tests were carried out in a drilling fluid flow simulator. A significant improvement in the scrubbing mud-cake removal efficiency resulted from the action of surfactants and fine-grained abrasive additives. Their proper concentration was also very important. The hybrid drilling washer fluid was designed on the basis of tests measuring the adhesion of the hardened cement slurry to the rock from which the previously produced mud was removed. In this way, the effectiveness of the washing liquids was determined. Upon analyzing the obtained results and correlating them with the reference samples, one can see a significant improvement in the efficiency of the removal of the drilling sediment by the hybrid drilling washer fluid. The hybrid drilling washer fluid is an innovative solution because it combines chemical and mechanical action in the removal of drilling fluid. Additionally, such a washing liquid has not been used so far.

In Poland, there are low-temperature geothermal reservoirs that can be used for various purposes in many regions of the country. Low-temperature deposits of geothermal waters are common and occur much more frequently than high-temperature deposits. They contain water with temperatures lower than 150 °C. Their temperature normally ranges from 20 to 90 °C. Achieving a state of equilibrium depends on many factors, including the kinetics of reactions between the individual components of the system, temperature, reactivity of reservoir rock, concentration of chemical components in the water and the time the water remains in contact with the rock. Therefore, this article presents the possibility of checking the conditions of precipitation of inorganic sediments in geothermal waters with the use of PVT equipment. Tests were carried out with the use of geothermal waters under given dynamic conditions (pressure, temperature and flow). This paper confirms the suitability of using the equipment for PVT (device for the study of phase changes) testing in order to determine the conditions for the precipitation of inorganic sediments in geothermal projects. Tests on the precipitation of solid sediments in geothermal waters were carried out. A result of the research is the adaptation of the equipment for PVT testing in order to determine the conditions for the precipitation of inorganic deposits in geothermal waters. As a result, different capillary blocking times were obtained depending on the measurement conditions (e.g., for P = 40 bar, T = 120 °C and q = 1 cm3/min, the blocking start time was 10.8 min). The authors found that solid sludge inhibitors, as well as other chemicals used, including paraffin inhibitors, must be periodically adjusted to prevent precipitation in geothermal waters.

In recent years, graphene-based nanomaterials have been increasingly and widely used in numerous industrial sectors. In the drilling industry, graphene oxide in cement slurry has significantly improved the mechanical parameters of cement composites and is a future-proof solution. However, prior to placing it in a borehole ring space, cement slurry must feature appropriate fluidity. Graphene oxide has a significant influence on rheological parameters. Therefore, it is necessary to study graphene oxide’s influence on the rheological parameters of cement slurries. Thus, this paper presents rheological models and the results of studies on rheological parameters. A basic cement slurry and a slurry with a latex addition were used. The latex admixture was applied at concentrations of 0.1%, 0.03%, and 0.06%. In total, studies were carried out for six slurries with graphene oxide and two basic slurries. The obtained results of studies on the slurries with graphene oxide were compared with the control slurry. It was found that the smallest graphene oxide concentration increased slurry value, some rheological parameter values, plastic viscosity, and the flow limit. Surprisingly, a concentration up to 0.03% was an acceptable value, since the increase in plastic viscosity was not excessively high, which allowed the use of cement slurry to seal the hole. Once this value was exceeded, the slurry caused problems at its injection to the borehole.

Gas migration through fresh and hardened cement slurry is an ongoing problem in the oil industry. In order to eliminate this unfavourable phenomenon, research is being conducted on new compositions of slurries for gas wells. The article presents the results of research for slurries with low and high resistance to gas migration. The proper selection of the quantity and quality of components makes it possible to design slurry with the required static structural strength values. In addition, the cement sheath of such anti-migration slurry has low porosity and a very low proportion of large pore spaces. Additionally, the mechanical parameters do not decrease during long-term deposition in borehole-like conditions. By obtaining these results, it was possible to design slurry whose cement sheath has high corrosion resistance. The new slurry has a lower water-cement ratio. Additionally, GS anti-migration copolymer, anti-filter additive and latex are used. The presence of n-SiO2 aqueous solution and microcement allows for sealing the microstructure of the hardened cement slurry. Such modifications significantly improve the technological parameters of the cement slurry and the cement coat formed from it.