CEMENTIFORMATION lNTERACTl0N.

l Duri17g WOC, becausebridging may occur. Bridging 6-9 CONSEQUENCES OF LOST

is a local process,and is more likely to occur in a nar- CIRCULATION
row annulus.The cement-cakepermeability required Lost circulation can be an expensive and time-
to limit cement-cake thickness varies slowly with consumingproblem. During drilling, this loss may vary
mud-cake resistance.It does not make much differ- from a graduallowering of the mud level in the pits to a
encewhether the mud cakehaslow or high permeabil- complete lossof returns.
ity. This is especially true for narrow annuli or long The majorconsequencesof lost circulation include the
thickening times. Thus, impervious cement cakesare following.
always needed. The possibility of a blowout becauseof a drop in the
In the above discussion, maximum values for the ce- mud level.
ment-cakepermeability have beendetermined.This pa- The possibility of sticking the drillpipe becauseof
rameter is not routinely determined at present. A clear poor cuttings removal.
relationship between the cement-cakepermeability and No zonal isolation due to insufficient cement fill-up.
the required API fluid-loss rate hasnot beendeveloped; Excessive cost becauseof lossof mud, increasedrig
consequently,field experiencein a particular areais still time, and remedial cementing operations.
the bestguide. However, there arerules of thumb regard-
Lossesto the producing zone resulting in extensive
ing certain critical situations.
formation damage.
l If there is a gas zone below a permeableformation,
The lossof the well.
bridging is likely to favor gasmigration. In this case,
the cementslurry shouldyield very low API fluid-loss To effectively solve lost circulation with the correct tech-
values, in the range of 20 to 40 mL/30 min. nique, it is necessaryto know the severity of the losses,
the type of lost-circulation zone, and the drilling history
l With high-density slurries,any decreasein water con-
of the well just before the lossesoccurred.
tent may critically impair the placementoperation, es-
pecially at low pump rates.Here again, API fluid loss
6-10 CLASSIFICATION OF LOST-
hasto be very low (lessthan 50 mL/30 min).
CIRCULATION ZONES
6-8 LOST CIRCULATION-INTRODUCTION A standard severity classification for lost circulation is
Lost circulation (or lost returns) is defined asthe total or shownin Table 6-l. In addition, it iscommonto classify
partial loss of drilling fluids or cement slurries into lost-circulation zones into four categories.
highly permeablezones,cavernousformations, andnatu- l Unconsolidatedor highly permeableformations.
ral or induced fractures during drilling or cementing op- l Natural fractures or fissures.
erations(Goins, 1952). Lost circulation must not be con- l Induced vertical or horizontal fractures.
fused with fluid loss, which has been previously l Cavernousand vugular formations.
described.Figure 6-7 depictshow the fluid-loss process
is more related to primary porosity, whereaslost circula-
Severity
tion can occur in formations with both primary and sec-
ondary porosities.Lost circulation is a problem which is < 10 bbl (1.5 m3)/hr
best attacked before the cementing processis initiated. 10 to 500 bbl
Therefore, the treatment of lost circulation during drill- (1.5 to 75 m3)/hr
ing is included in the following discussion. Complete (severe) Total, unable to keep
the hole full.

r
Prmary
Porosity
Dlametar oI> 3 x Pore Diameter = CakelSuildmg
Solids in the
Ddlling Mud
and Fluid Loss
Table 6-l--Severity classificationfor lost circulation.

Seepinglossescan occur with any type oflost-circula-

-L Pore Diameter > 3 x Diameter ai= Seeping/Mud tion zone, when the solidsin the mud are not sufficiently

i”
Solids Invasion
Porosity fine to sealthe formation face. Partial lossesfrequently
Secondary - Void Diameter > 3 x Dlametar 01 = Lost Circulation
occur in highly permeablegravels, small natural l’rac-
POrO511y Solids tures,or asa result of fracture initiation. Complete losses
I arc usually confined to long gravel sections,large naturnl
Figure 6-7-Fluid lossvs lost circulation. fractures, wide induced fractures, or cavernous forma-

6-7