Glossary
Absolute Volume. Volume a solid occupies or displaces
when added to water divided by its weight: the volume
per unit mass. Units are gallons per pound or cubic
meters per kilogram.
American Petroleum Institute (API). Organization
which standardizes materials and procedures for use in
oilfield.
API Cement. One of several classes of cement manufac-
tured to the specifications of API Specification 10A.
Classes of API cement are A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H.
API Recommended Practice 10B. Recommended
Practice for Testing Well Cements. The standard which
gives guidelines for testing methods for cements and
cement formulations for use in well cementing.
Procedures are intended to be modified to conditions of
the well.
API Specification 10A. Specification for Cements and
Materials for Well Cementing. The standard which spec-
ifies requirements for API well cements and specifica-
tion testing methods.
API Water. The amount of mixing water specified in API
Specification 10A for specification testing of cement to
meet API requirements. This amount in not intended to
be a guide for mix water requirements in field applica-
tions.
Base Slurry. Conventional cement slurry used as the
cementitious component of a foamed cement slurry.
Bc. See Bearden Units of Consistency.
Bearden Units of Consistency (Bc). The pumpability or
consistency of a slurry is measured in Bearden units of
consistency (Bc), a dimensionless quantity with no
direct conversion factor to more common units of vis-
cosity.
BHCT. See Bottomhole Circulating Temperature.
BHST. See Bottomhole Static Temperature.
Blaine Fineness. The particle size or fineness of a
cement in cm2/g or m2/kg as determined from air per-
meability tests using a Blaine permeameter.
Cementing Services and Products Glossary
Bond Log. See Cement Bond Log.
Bottomhole Circulating Temperature (BHCT). The
temperature that occurs at the bottom of a well while
fluid is being circulated. The temperature used for most
tests of cement slurry in a liquid state (thickening time,
fluid loss, etc.). In most cases, is lower than the BHST,
but in some cases, such as in deepwater or in the arctic,
may be higher than BHST.
Bottomhole Static Temperature (BHST). The undis-
turbed temperature at the bottom of a well. After circu-
lation and the well is shut in, this temperature will be
approached after about 2436 hr, depending on condi-
tions. The temperature used in most tests in which the
cement slurry is required to set or is set.
Bulk Volume. The volume per unit mass of a dry mater-
ial plus the volume of the air between its particles.
BWOB. See By Weight of Blend.
BWOC. See By Weight of Cement.
BWOW. See By Weight of Water.
By Weight of Blend (BWOB). Used to define the
amount (in percent) of a material added to cement
when the material is added based on the total amount of
a specific blend.
By Weight of Cement (BWOC). Used to define the
amount (in percent) of a material added to cement. The
method used for most additives in the dry form.
By Weight of Water (BWOW). Used to define the
amount (in percent) of a material added to a cement
slurry based on the weight of water used to mix the
slurry. Normally used only for salt.
Cement Bond Log (CBL). An acoustic log used to mea-
sure the attenuation rate of a sound wave propagating
along the casing. Can be used as an indication of the
quality of cement in the annulus.
Consistometer. Laboratory apparatus used to determine
the thickening time of a cement slurry as described in
API Specification 10A and API Recommended Practice
10B.
97
Consistency. A rheological property of matter which is
related to the cohesion of the individual particles of a
given material, its ability to deform and its resistance to
flow. The consistency of cement slurries is determined
by thickening time tests in accordance with API
Recommended Practice 10B and is expressed in
Bearden units of consistency (Bc).
Contact Time. The elapsed time required for a specific
fluid to pass a designated depth in the annulus during
pumping operations.
Critical Rate. The minimum rate required to achieve
turbulent flow.
Curing. The ageing of cement under specified conditions
of temperature and pressure.
Dehydration. Loss of water from cement slurries or
drilling fluid by the process of filtration. Results in the
deposition of a filter cake and loss of the slurrys internal
fluid into a porous matrix. The cement is not completely
dehydrated (sufficient water remains to allow setting of
the cement).
Difficult-to-Disperse (DTD). Cement which is not
easily dispersed by a material known as a dispersant.
Difficult-to-Disperse in Salt (DTDS). Cement which is
not easily dispersed by a material known as a dispersant
when the slurry is mixed with water containing a high
concentration of salt.
DTD. See Difficult-to-Disperse.
DTDS. See Difficult-to-Disperse in Salt.
Easy-to-Disperse (ETD). Cement which is highly sensi-
tive to the concentration of dispersant, often leading to
slurry stability problems.
Easy-to-Disperse in Salt (ETDS). Cement which is
highly sensitive to the concentration of dispersant when
the slurry is mixed with water containing a high concen-
tration of salt. Overdispersion often leads to slurry sta-
bility problems.
Effective Laminar Flow. A technique for effectively dis-
placing drilling mud from the annulus using a laminar
flow regime.
Equivalent Sack. The weight of any cementitious mate-
rial or blend based on the absolute volume of the
cement. Normally used to define a sack of cement
blend in which part of the cement has been replaced, on
an absolute volume basis, by a pozzolanic material such
as fly ash.
ETD. See Easy-to-Disperse.
98
ETDS. See Easy-to-Disperse in Salt.
Expanding Cement. Cement system exhibiting a bulk
volumetric increase after setting.
Fill Cement. A cement system used to provide zonal iso-
lation across generally nonproductive zones located
above the zones of interest. May also be called lead
cement.
Fly Ash. The noncombustible residue from the burning
of pulverized coal. Fly ash is pozzolanic and is frequently
used to replace a portion of the cement and reduce its
density.
Foamed Cement. A homogeneous, ultralightweight
cement system consisting of base cement slurry, gas
(usually nitrogen) and surfactants.
Free Fluid. The volume of fluid (expressed in percent)
separating from a cement slurry when left static.
Measured as specified in API Recommended Practice
10B. Once called free water.
Gas Migration. A generic term which covers all possible
routes for annular gas entry and propagation through
and around the cement sheath. Also known as annular
gas flow.
Gel Strength. The degree to which a fluid behaves as a
solid when left static.
Gilsonite. An asphaltinic material frequently used as
LCM for drilling fluid and cement.
Grind. The fineness to which cement is ground. Also may
refer to a specific production of cement (e.g., lot
number).
Hydraulic Cement. A substance which, when mixed
with water, becomes hard like stone because of a chem-
ical reaction with the water. Hydraulic cement will set
under water.
Lead Cement. See Fill Cement.
Liquid Additive. A material used in a liquid form to
modify the properties of cement for use in oil- or gaswell
cementing.
LITEPOZ. A term used by Schlumberger for certain
materials added to cement that are lightweight and have
pozzolanic properties.
Microannulus. Small gap between the casing and
cement sheath resulting from downhole stresses (pres-
sure or temperature).
Neat Cement. Cement containing no additives.
POD. See Point of departure.
Cementing Services and Products
Point of departure (POD). A term used to describe the
beginning of thickening of a cement slurry during the
thickening time test. For some slurries, the POD is used
as the thickening time.
Portland Cement. The product obtained by pulverizing
clinker consisting essentially of hydraulic calcium sili-
cates.
Portland Cement Clinker. Hard granular nodules com-
posed essentially of hydraulic calcium silicates, with
smaller quantities of calcium aluminates and ferrites. It
is produced by the heat treatment of cement raw mate-
rials in a kiln. Clinker is pulverized with gypsum in the
manufacture of Portland cement.
Pozzolan. A siliceous or siliceous and aluminous mater-
ial which in itself possesses little or no cementitious
value but will, in finely divided form and in the presence
of moisture, chemically react with calcium hydroxide at
ordinary temperatures to form compounds possessing
cementitious properties. (ASTM C340)
Pozzolanic. Possessing little or no cementitious value
but capable of chemically reacting with calcium hydrox-
ide at ordinary temperatures to form compounds pos-
sessing cementitious properties. (ASTM C340)
Prehydrate. To mix with water and allow to react or
yield in the water before use. Common technique for
bentonite. May also be done for convenience in cement-
ing operation to allow mixing of water containing the
additives with powdered neat cement.
Primary Cementing. The first cementing operation per-
formed to place a cement sheath around a casing or
liner. The main objectives include zonal isolation to pre-
vent fluids migration in the annulus, support for the
casing or liner and protection of the casing from corro-
sive fluids.
Pumpability. The ability of the slurry to be pumped.
Measured by the API thickening time test.
Pumping Time. Loosely, the total time required for
pumping the cement slurry into the well, plus a safety
factor. Pumping time can also be the time to reach a con-
sistency deemed to be unpumpable (generally 70 Bc)
during an API thickening time test.
Reduced Water Slurries. A cement slurry having a
water content less than would normally be used without
modifying additives.
Right Angle Set. The characteristic of a cement slurry in
which its consistency increases from the point of depar-
ture or 30 Bc to 100 Bc in a very short time.
Cementing Services and Products Glossary
Sack. A unit of measure of Portland cement. In the
United States the amount which occupies a bulk volume
of 1.0 ft3. For most Portland cement, including API
classes of cement, a sack is 94 lbm. The sack is the basis
for slurry design calculations.
Sedimentation. Separation of the components of a
cement slurry in which the solids settle. One of charac-
terizations used to define slurry stability.
Slurry Density. The weight per unit volume of a cement
slurry (usually kg/m3 or lbm/gal).
Slurry Yield. The volume of slurry obtained when one
sack of cement is mixed with the desired amount of
water and other additives (usually m3/kg or ft3/sk).
Slurry Stability. The ability of a cement slurry to main-
tain homogeneity. Two tests are used as a measure of
slurry stability; the free fluid and sedimentation.
Squeeze Cementing. The forcing, by pressure, of cement
slurry into a specified location in a well, such as chan-
nels or perforations, for the purpose of achieving isola-
tion.
Strength Retrogression. A decline of cement strength
at elevated temperatures. This decline is pronounced at
temperatures above 110C [230F]. It is controlled by
the addition of silica to the cement.
Sulfate Resistance. The ability of set cement to resist
deterioration in the presence of sulfate ions.
Sulfate-Resistant Cement. Cement in which the
amount of tricalcium aluminate is controlled as speci-
fied by API Specification 10A.
Tail Cement. The last cement system pumped during
primary cementing. It is the cement which covers the
lower sections of the well, especially planned comple-
tion intervals.
Tensile Strength. The force per unit cross-sectional area
required to pull a substance apart.
Thickening Time. A measurement of the time during
which a cement slurry remains in a fluid state and is
capable of being pumped. Thickening time is assessed
under simulated downhole conditions using a consis-
tometer that plots the consistency of a slurry over time
at the anticipated temperature and pressure conditions.
The end of the thickening time is considered to be 50 or
70 Bc for most applications. (API RP10B)
99
Thixotropy. The characteristic of a fluid, such as
cement or drilling mud, to develop gel strength over time
when not subject to shearing and then to liquefy when
agitated.
Turbulent Flow. Flow of a fluid characterized by
swirling or chaotic motion as the fluid moves along the
flow path. This is a preferred flow regime for mud
removal during primary cementing.
Water-to-Cement Ratio. In a cement slurry, the ratio of
water to cement expressed as percent; the parts of water
used to mix with 100 parts of cement.
Wait on Cement (WOC). The time necessary to wait for
cement to develop required strength for the next opera-
tion.
WOC. See Wait on Cement.

100 Cementing Services and Products

 Marks of Schlumberger

Mark Identier
ARCTICSET cement system for use through permafrost

CemCADE cementing design and evaluation software

CemCAT cementing computer-aided treatment

CemCRETE concrete-based oilwell cementing technology

CemNET advanced ber cement to control losses

CemSTONE advanced cement technology

CemSTREAK rapid deployment cementer

CPS cement pumping skid

DeepCEM deepwater cementing solution

DeepCRETE deepwater cementing solution

DeepSea EXPRES offshore plug launching system

DensCRETE slurry system

DESC design and evaluation services for clients

DuraSTONE advanced durable cement technology

EXPRES extrusion plug release system (cementing head)

EZEFLO surfactant

FLAC uid-loss additives for cement

FlexSTONE advanced exible cement technology

GASBLOK gas migration control cement system

i-Handbook oileld data handbook

InterACT wellsite monitoring and control system

KOLITE cement additive for low-density slurries

LAS liquid additive system

LiteCRETE slurry system

LITEFIL cement additive for low-density slurries

MudCLEAN chemical wash for removal of drilling mud

MUDPUSH spacer family for cementing

PERMABLOK uid system to permanently plug a zone

PipeView multinger caliper tool for PS Platform tool string

PS Platform new-generation production services platform

Cementing Services and Products Marks of Schlumberger 101

Mark Identier
RFC regulated ll-up cement

RST Reservoir Saturation Tool

SALTBOND cement system for cementing across salt zones

SCMT Slim Cement Mapping Tool

SELFSTRESS expanding cement system

SFM Solids Fraction Monitor

SFM-C Process control for cement slurry mixing

ShearSEAL shear-activated, high-temperature lost circulation uid

SlimAccess wireline logging tool for slim and complex geometry boreholes

SlimXtreme slimhole, high-pressure, high-temperature well logging platform

SLURRY CHIEF cement mixing equipment

SOS slurry/oil squeeze

SqueezeCRETE remedial cementing solutions

ThermaSTONE chemically stabilized cement for ultrahigh-temperature applications

THIXOLITE thixotropic low-density cement

TIC turbulence inducer for cement

TORNADO cement mixing equipment

UNIFLAC unied uid-loss additive

UniMIX cement slurry system

UNISET unied retarder

UniSLURRY cement systems

USI UltraSonic Imager

Variable Density cement bond quality

WELBOND improved bonding cement system

WELLCLEAN optimal mud removal service

WELLCLEAN II Engineering Solution

ZONELOCK permanent zone sealing uid system

102 Cementing Services and Products

TSL-4274