CHARACTERIZATION OF WELLBORE CEMENT FOR WELL CAPPING APPLICATIONS: RESEARCH SUPPORTING MULTIPLE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Both abandoned/orphaned and producing wells are known to present a risk of fluid migration into surrounding formations, aquifers, and up to the surface, which causes groundwater contamination, methane emissions, human health risks, and other damages. Cementing is often used to establish zonal isolation that prevents fluid migration, but safe and effective cementing requires detailed understanding of cement rheology. This study investigates how cement slurry viscosity, measured as the rate of change of a shear stress vs. shear rate curve, changes over time. It also evaluates various mathematical models for these dynamics and will use these findings to improve simulation accuracy. Scientists and engineers will use these simulations to test, evaluate, and refine well plugging plans in order to increase the safety and efficacy of cementing operations and thus protect communities from the dangers of leaks.

Improving well integrity through cement characterization supports multiple U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), and Climate Action (SDG 13). Efforts to address climate change in the oil and gas industry exist at a unique intersection of generating the resources that currently power people’s lives around the world while mitigating environmental impacts from those same resources. The oil and gas industry’s essential role in powering the technologies that power modern life amplifies their responsibility to protect the communities in which they extract these resources. This responsibility ranges from maintaining clean water to providing decent work for local communities to ensuring long-term sustainability through emissions reduction. Achieving these overarching goals requires innovation and collaboration between industry, government, and the public. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management as part of their goals of a net zero U.S. energy sector by 2035 and net zero U.S. economy by 2050, this project advances the SDGs mission by developing the technology necessary for an equitable clean energy future not only in the U.S. but also around the world.