Mitigating Lost Circulation Across Permeable Formations of the Gunashli Field in the Caspian Sea with a New Tailored Spacer System

Abstract

Abstract Cementing operations seek to minimize non-productive time (NPT) as part of the broad effort to optimize costs. A commonly encountered event that contributes to NPT is lost circulation. Lost circulation may often be associated, and treated, during drilling operations, but can occur during cementing practices, e.g. while running casing in the wellbore and/or circulating cement and treatment fluids. When fluids are lost to the formation and not appropriately cured, cementing objectives may not be met and, ultimately, zonal isolation can be compromised. Additional costs may be incurred to remediate the well construction and achieve a dependable barrier. It is, therefore, of great interest to develop and implement solutions which can facilitate the prevention and treatment of lost circulation. Described herein is the evaluation and use of a new tailored spacer system (TSS) engineered to effectively prevent lost circulation and maintain wellbore stability. The TSS was designed for use in cementing shallow water Caspian Sea wells with permeable formations and a history of losses. The spacer was subjected to conventional spacer tests and simulations including rheological measurements, compatibility assessments and fluid modeling to ensure job requirements would be met. Loss control tests were performed to verify the efficacy of the TSS to effectively prevent losses. All screenings demonstrated the TSS would be well-suited for the intended field application. The spacer system was successfully deployed in Caspian Sea wells and helped meet cementing objectives where conventional treatments failed.