Theoretical Analysis of the Micro Annulus of an Oil-Well Cement Sheath Formed via Cooling under Acid-Fracturing Conditions

Abstract

The plastic deformation and interface micro annulus of oil-well cement during acid fracturing are key reasons for the failure of the wellbore seal and sustained casing pressure. However, most of the existing research ignores the influence of the wellbore cooling effect during acid fracturing, owing to which, the design conditions in the theoretical analysis may be inconsistent with those of the actual wellbore, and the calculation results may be biased. In this study, a novel elastoplastic mechanical model of the cement sheath was established. This model can analyze the yield state of the cement sheath under the influence of three-dimensional principal stress and consider the effect of the differential temperature stress on the interface debonding of the cement sheath from the beginning to the end of acid fracturing. Moreover, the generation mechanism and development law of the interface micro annulus were clarified. The findings indicated that the influence of the intermediate principal stress cannot be ignored; otherwise, the elastoplastic analysis results of the cement sheath may be conservative. During acid fracturing, the casing–cement sheath interface is influenced by the differential temperature stress, and the interface is debonded; however, a micro annulus is not generated. The debonding of the cement sheath–formation interface and micro annulus occurs only when the cement sheath is completely plastic. After acid fracturing, the interface micro annulus is likely to be generated at the casing–cement sheath interface, and the presence of the differential temperature stress may increase the formation risk of the interface micro annulus. The research results can provide theoretical guidance for the prediction of oil-well cement sheath interface seals under acid-fracturing conditions.