Development of New Inhibited Spacer for Cementing Operation

Spacers are a very important element to have good cement bonding and to ensure well integrity. Spacers are used to prevent the contamination of the cement slurry by removing such materials and pushing them ahead toward the surface to separate the drilling fluid from the cement slurry. During the cement displacement process, and once the clay formation is in contact with the water present in the cement slurry, shales will be swelled or cracked due to the hydration reaction or water adsorption. Therefore, it is very helpful to make a spacer with efficient properties that help in protecting the clay formation from the water and prevent or minimize the hydration process by adding shale inhibiter to the spacer mixture formula. In this study, we will investigate the impact of KCL and a novel amine-based shale inhibitor on clay formation and investigate how these chemicals work to enhance spacer functions. The spacer has to be compatible with the drilling fluid and the cement slurry at the same time. Our study includes the compatibility test, rheology, thickening time test, as well as dispersion test for both KCl and novel amine based shale inhibitors.