Acoustic Smart Cement for Well Integrity Diagnostics

Cementing is an integral part of well construction, providing the seal, protection, and support for the casing to maintain barriers that isolate the well.Wells can experience integrity failure due to structural instability in cemented regions due to subsidence and compaction caused by reservoir depletion over the lifetime of the well.Increased knowledge of cement placement, integrity, and condition will help to better guide well construction and operation.A solution to well integrity monitoring would address these issues to improve HSSE, enhance the economics of production, mitigate costs of catastrophic failure, and support commitments to improving environmental sustainability.Oceanit has developed an acoustic smart cement material designed to provide critical well monitoring information not currently available.The well diagnostics technology allows improved determination of cement placement, integrity, and mechanical stress state using common sonic logging tools.The chief objective of the project is to develop the novel acoustic smart cement for use in advanced well integrity and zonal isolation monitoring.Phase I of the project included materials design and fabrication, laboratory acoustic testing with simultaneous mechanical loading, and a pilot field study for demonstration of the capabilities of the acoustic smart cement.Simulation results led to production of acoustic metamaterial particles with a strong acoustic band gap effect.Laboratory testing of cement composites supported modeling results and indicated an acoustic band gap effect that depended on metamaterial type and concentration.Furthermore, the acoustic signature of the smart cement gave a strong indication of mechanical stress.Pilot field studies using a monopole full waveform sonic logging tool showed the ability to map the experimental pipe section with mechanical stress along the length of the wellbore that was not possible with the control pipe section.Advanced data processing and analysis provided the ability to produce such mapping of mechanical stress based on the acoustic band gap effect.In Phase II of the project, Oceanit will advance the technological and manufacturing readiness levels of its smart well cement diagnostics technology.The goal is to provide the oil and gas industry with enhanced capabilities in determining and understanding well and formation geomechanics.At the end of the project, Oceanit will be positioned to conduct a full-scale trial of its smart cement technology and detection system.Development will involve scaled up production of the acoustic metamaterial filler, lab testing of composite cement samples for acoustic and mechanical performance optimization, as well as API cement testing and acoustic tool selection in preparation for field trials.Commercialization efforts will include partnering with manufacturing experts, cementing and evaluation services, and operators in preparation for industry deployment.