Principles and applications of cement slurries

The basic principles of oil well cementing are first described together with the main critical engineering constraints encountered during a primary cementing operation, that is, wellbore control, mud displacement, fluid loss control, and gas migration. Then cement slurry properties that are relevant to the process are reviewed and the procedures used to measure these properties are discussed. Particular attention is given to rheological measurements that can be affected by wall slip when using coaxial cylinder or pipe flow viscometers. This is followed by an overview of the additives that are used to obtained the required cement slurry or set cement properties, like weighting agents/extenders, retarders, dispersants, fluid loss agents, and antisettling agents. Some typical mechanisms of action of these additives are briefly discussed.