Schlumberger's new cementing system for coalbed methane production
Posted: 8 October 2003
LiteCRETE CBM Delivers Better Performance than Conventional
Lightweight Cementing Systems
Schlumberger Oilfield Services announced today the availability
of its new LiteCRETE CBM system, which enables the successful cementing
of coalbed methane wells.
LiteCRETE CBM is a new lightweight high performance cementing system
that provides production-quality cement properties and prevents
loss circulation in coal seams during cementing operations.
Schlumberger is working with Tom Brown Inc. to improve production
from the White River Dome field in northwestern Colorado. The field
is a gas field with production coming primary from coals and sandstones.
“Improving cementing practices using a lightweight cementing
system, including a more effective lost circulation additive increased
cementing success from 40 percent to 75 percent,” said Adam
Sayers, senior operations engineer for the Piceance Basin, Tom Brown
Inc. “This complemented improvements in hole gauge and eliminated
the additional costs from two-stage cement.”
Coalbeds typically are brittle and contain natural fractures, which
make cementing of wells difficult because cement slurry flows into
the natural fractures. This results in a poor cement bond around
the casing so that the coalbeds are not hydraulically isolated and
requiring the need to pump large volumes of cement, which increases
well costs. In addition, there can be a loss of formation permeability
as the fractures are cemented.
LiteCRETE CBM exerts lower pressure on the coalbed—preventing
breakdown. It also prevents flow into fractures and fissures because
it contains special fibers that bridge against these openings and
prevents slurry losses.
In the United States, coalbed methane plays are very much in focus
due to the strain on natural gas supplies. According to a study
by the Gas Technology Institute, the coalbed methane resource potential
represents about 12 percent of the total resource potential in the
U.S. As a result, Schlumberger is targeting research and development
resources to meet the technology needs of this growing marketplace.
“Schlumberger is committed to developing new technologies
that help clients enhance efficiency and effectiveness by preventing
costly problems, such as loss circulation,” said Mark Corrigan,
president, Well Services, Schlumberger Oilfield Services. “LiteCRETE
CBM is just one of the new technologies we have developed through
our ongoing research and development efforts.”
About Schlumberger
Schlumberger is a global oilfield and information services company
with major activity in the energy industry.
The company employs 78,000 people of more than 140 nationalities
working in 100 countries and comprises three primary business segments.
Schlumberger Oilfield Services is the world's premier oilfield services
company supplying a wide range of technology services and solutions
to the international oil and gas industry.
WesternGeco, jointly owned with Baker Hughes, is the world's largest
and most advanced surface seismic company. SchlumbergerSema is a
leading supplier of IT consulting, systems integration, and network
and infrastructure services to the energy industry, as well as to
the public sector, telecommunications and finance markets.
In 2002, Schlumberger operating revenue was $13.2 billion. For
more information, visit www.slb.com.
Posted by Richard Price,
Editor Pipeline Magazine
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