Simulação numérica do comportamento mecânico da bainha de cimento em estado confinado em poços submetidos à injeção cíclica de vapor

Abstract

Exposure of oil wells to extreme conditions has led to numerous integrity issues, even when designed properly. The use of recovery techniques, such as the cyclic steam injection, submits the materials to severe temperature variations, reducing the oil well lifespan; and may lead to failure of the steel casing and cement sheath. The loss of integrity of the cement sheath may lead to leakage of the fluids present in the formation and, in some cases, causing significant environmental and economic damages. In the case of wells subjected to the cyclic steam injection, resistance, flexibility and thermal properties have been identified as the key to the problem. In the present work, thermomechanical analyzes were performed using the finite element method in transient mode. The steel casing, the cement sheath and the formation were modeled using an axisymmetric 2D model with 8-node quadrilateral elements. The mechanical behavior of the cement sheath was analyzed, being three formulations of pastes studied: reference paste and two other paste with latex additives in concentrations of 125 and 250 ml / kg of cement. The influence of the cement sheath thickness and the heating rate were observed as well as six different coefficient values of thermal expansion for cement paste. It was analyzed the temperature gradients of 150 oC, 200 oC, 250 oC, 300 oC and 350 oC, typical temperatures encountered during the steam injection process, as well as between formations with various levels of rigidity. The study revealed that one of the problems of cement sheath integrity due to steam injection is associated with the heating phase of the well and located in the region of the sheath near the formation. It has been found that linking the use of the more flexible and expansive formulation to an extending temperature gradient period application may prevent damage to the cement sheath by avoiding recementing maneuvers. Such a procedure proved to be effective for more rigid rock media as well as for higher target temperatures.