Selective zonal isolation during cementing jobs using water-swellable cup packer

UDK: 622.245.44

Key words: well cementing quality, casing packer, zonal isolation, cementing job, swellable packer

Authors: R.I. Kateev, T.M. Gabbasov, A.R. Iskhakov, I.M. Zaripov, A.M. Zaripov (TatNIPIneft, RF, Bugulma), R.M. Minnullin (Oil and Gas Production Department Almetyevneft, RF, Almetyevsk)

Tatneft PJSC aims at improving the efficiency of well casing and cementing operations. Efforts are under way to improve cement quality, along with various wellbore interventions being carried out, including casing string centering, formation treatment with soluble silicate solutions, wellbore mudding off, selective zonal isolation with chemicals, application of casing packers, and others. To isolate a borehole section being cemented the authors propose using a self-sealing casing cup packer which is installed above the formation top to eliminate loss of water phase from the lead slurry into permeable zones, to prevent cement channeling during waiting-on-cement (WOC) time, and to prevent water flow into pay zones from an overlying aquifer, if any. Two cup packers can also be set in the producing reservoir, above and below the perforated interval, to protect the cement sheath from damaging during perforating jobs, or they can be used in case of planning pressure drawdown increase. The self-sealing cup packer effectively protects pay zones during well cementing, testing, and production operations, keeping various fluids from moving upward or downward the annulus in case of cement sheath integrity loss. It is a good alternative to expensive open-hole packers due to its low cost, design simplicity, and ease of use.
References
1. Gabbasov T.M., Kateev R.I., Nuriev I.A. et al., Formation isolation upgrading
with application of the full-hole cementing device (In Russ.), Neftyanoe
khozyaystvo = Oil Industry, 2008, no. 7, pp. 40–44.
2. Patent no. 2488685 RF MPK7 E21B 33/12, Behind-casing self-sealing cup
packer, Inventors: Gabbasov T.M., Kateev R.I.