Remedial Squeeze Cementing

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

FPP-FOR00753 page 1 -
Remedial Cementing

 Repair primary cement job  Production/ injection profile

– Shoe – Improve GOR
– Liner top – Oil/water ratio
– Block squeeze
 Abandon zone
 Increase cement height
 Plug and abandon
 Correct hole problems
– Lost circulation
– Fluid flow

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

– Repair damaged casing

FPP-FOR00753 page 2 -
Squeeze Cementing Outline

• Fundamentals Packer

• Squeeze techniques
Tubing
• Preparation
FORMATION
– Planning
casing
Slurry
– Slurry design Dehydrated Cement

– Laboratory testing
– Squeeze Pressure
• Tools
Primary
• Applications Cementing
points
Cement

Channel

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

behind casing

FPP-FOR00753 page 3 -
Squeeze Process & Objective

• Process
Application of hydraulic pressure to force
or squeeze cement into a void

Differential pressure applied to a cement slurry in

front of a permeable zone is building a filter cake
Proper placement is the key to successful
squeeze cementing

• Objective
Place filter cake in all void spaces

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

This is indicated when squeeze pressure is obtained
Development of high strength in short time

FPP-FOR00753 page 4 -
SqueezeTechniques

Running or Hesitation Squeeze

Squeeze Techniques

Placement Pumping Application

Pressure
Low High Continuous Hesitation Bradenhead Squeeze Tools

• Low pressure Tools

 Pressure < Frac

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

• Bradenhead (Tubing)
 Small slurry volume • Packer with tail pipe
• High pressure • Packer without tail pipe
• Cement Retainer
 Pressure > Frac
• Coiled tubing
 Large slurry volume
FPP-FOR00753 page 5 -
Running Squeeze

• Continuous pumping until squeeze pressure is

obtained
• Requires:
– Clean fluids in hole
– No fractures or interconnected voids
– Below fracture pressure
– Injection start above formation pressure
• Applications
– Water flow
– Abandon perforations

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

– Production perforations (if short interval)
– Raise cement top
• Depending on conditions, hesitation squeeze
may be best
FPP-FOR00753 page 6 -
Running Squeeze

• Avantages :
– Simple to apply
– Simple slurry design
• Sufficient pumping time
• No fluid-loss control (unless production perforations or
long interval)
– Good chance of getting final squeeze pressure

• Disavantages:
– Squeeze pressure is not good indicator of success
– Cannot be relied on to fill all void spaces

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

– Done only with clean fluids in hole

FPP-FOR00753 page 7 -
Hesitation Squeeze

• Cement is squeezed into the interval by alternately pumping

and hesitating.
– Injection start above formation pressure

MASP : Maximum Allowable Surface Pressure

Surface pressure

Pumping rate

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

Time
Squeeze pressure  500 psi
MASP or
Maximum Squeeze Pressure < Frac Pressure
FPP-FOR00753 page 8 -
Hesitation Squeeze Purpose

• Form a complete hydraulic seal

• Cement is slowly dehydrated into the void

– Low differential pressure (500psi)

• Technique is self-diverting

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

FPP-FOR00753 page 9 -
Applications for Hesitation Squeeze

• Channel repair • Any fractured situation

• Long perforated interval - Natural
• Long splits in casing - Manmade
• Lost circulation - Caused during breakdown
• Block squeeze • Casing shoe
• Liner top

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

FPP-FOR00753 page 10 -
Disadvantages of Hesitation Squeeze

• May require several batches to get final squeeze pressure

• More complicated job:
– Longer job and WOC time
– Squeeze tool placement is more critical
– Skill of cement supervisor - Job execution
• Cement volume
• Pump rate
• Stage volume
• Hesitation time
• Slurry design
– Pumping time

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

– Low gel strength during static times
– Moderate fluid-loss control

FPP-FOR00753 page 11 -
Advantages of Hesitation Squeeze

• Better chance to fill all voids and make a

complete hydraulic seal

• Achieving a "squeeze pressure" is a

relatively good measure of the success of
the squeeze

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

FPP-FOR00753 page 12 -
Procedure for Hesitation Squeeze

• Clear tool
• Continuously pump 1/4 to 1/2 of
slurry volume
• Begin hesitating
– Hesitate 1 to 15 minutes
MASP
– Pump additional small volume (1/4

Surface pressure
to 2 bbl)
– Pump at 1/4 to 1/2 bpm

Pumping rate
– Tailor based on pressure
response

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

• Continue until squeeze pressure
(500 psi) is achieved Time
– Don’t achieve a pressure above
frac

FPP-FOR00753 page 13 -
Fracture Squeeze

• Sometimes Fracturing can be required to place cement

in the void
• Applications
– Mud in hole
– Small, single zone
– No void to fill
• Typical for shoe, liner top, block squeeze, etc.
• Requires the placement of a larger volume of slurry
• May make getting "squeeze pressure" difficult

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

• Hesitation technique below frac pressure is best

FPP-FOR00753 page 14 -
Low Pressure Squeeze

• Avoid fracturing, if possible

• Best for squeezing the pay
• Uses a smaller volume of slurry
• Other applications
– Low BHP wells
– Naturally fractured formations
• These are likely to be hesitation squeeze

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

FPP-FOR00753 page 15 -
Preparing for Squeeze (1)

Planning is the single most important step

• Determine the problem (in depth)
– Tracer survey
– Noise log
– Temperature log
– CBL/USIT/IST
– Water-flow log
• Well conditions
– Frac pressure

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

– Pore pressure (reservoir)

• Fluid in well : preferably a clean brine or water (pill)

FPP-FOR00753 page 16 -
Preparing for Squeeze (2)

• Select tools and location

– Casing integrity
– Type squeeze
– Volume of slurry
– Economics

• Perforations type (if required)

• Type squeeze
• Pre-squeeze clean out (water + acid wash)
• Slurry design and amount (preliminary - actual

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

based on injection rate)
• Pressures versus tubular goods and tools
• Method of test

FPP-FOR00753 page 17 -
Slurry Properties

Important properties of the cement slurry are:

• Fluid loss
• Filter cake development
• Viscosity/friction pressure
• Gel strength
• Free water - not critical
• Thickening time
• Compressive strength

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

• Acid resistance

FPP-FOR00753 page 19 -
Other Slurries

Other slurries that have applications in squeeze cementing:

• Bridging agent - in any slurry
• Thixotropic
• Expanding
• Gas migration control
• Acid resistant
• Microfine cement

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

FPP-FOR00753 page 24 -
Microfine Cement

Used for squeezing small voids

• Liner top
• Small channels
• Gravel pack
• Fractures
• Micro-annuli
• Matrix (?)

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

FPP-FOR00753 page 25 -
Small Gap Penetration

• Other factors: fluid loss, yield stress, plastic viscosity,

sensitivity to dehydration.

• Limitations
– Microcement average size: 2 to 6 ,
coarser particles: 8 to 30 
– Conventional, well dispersed microcement penetration in a
160 slot: 40 mm.

– Trinodal microcement system :

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

Schlumberger SqueezeCRETE*
slurry penetration in 120 slot: >230 mm

* Mark of Schlumberger
FPP-FOR00753 page 29 -
Bradenhead Squeeze

BOP

• Low cost job

• No downhole tool
50'

• Exposure of Casing as
Cement
WellHead/BOP
3 m Sand

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

BRIDGE PLUG

FPP-FOR00753 page 30 -
Packer with Tail Pipe Squeeze

• Packer to isolate ssqueeze

zone Packer

Tail Pipe
• Casing, Wellhead
protected
• Tail Pipe for placement Cement

• Longs intervals

• Packer Multi Setting

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

Positions

FPP-FOR00753 page 32 -
Packer Without Tail Pipe Squeeze

• Packer to isolate Bottom Hole

• Casing, Wellhead protected

Packer
• Short intervals

Cement
• No tail Pipe

• Suicide squeeze

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

FPP-FOR00753 page 33 -
Cement Retainer Squeeze

• Drillable Isolation Tool

• Similar to Paker without Tail Pipe

Squeeze
CEMENT
RETAINER
• Squeeze pressure kept below
CEMENT
retainer
10' Sand

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

BRIDGE PLUG

FPP-FOR00753 page 34 -
Summary

• Squeeze cementing is hydraulic injection of slurry by

application of differential pressure
• Acid is best method of insuring that all perforations are
open
• Placement pressure is a valuable indication of entry of
the slurry into the zone of interest
• Hesitation squeeze is the best method to ensure that
slurry enters all intervals during a single stage
• The chance of success is better if the formation is not

© 2008 ENSPM Formation Industrie - IFP Training

fractured during the squeeze
• Each squeeze operation must be designed individually

FPP-FOR00753 page 54 -