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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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