Environmental control of well integrity

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2008

Abstract

Productivity performance requires petroleum wells to provide a sealed high-pressure conduit for reservoir fluids production to the surface. The installation typically includes well completion, production casing, packer and tubing string. Absence of possible leaks in the installation is often referred to as internal integrity of the wells. Environmental performance requires petroleum wells to maintain external integrity to prevent pollution. Figure 3.1 shows the pollution mechanism due to the loss of external integrity of injection or production wells resulting in upwards migration of fluids outside cemented wellbores. Pollution of air, surface waters or groundwater aquifers may result from the migration of produced petroleum hydrocarbons, injected brines or other toxic waste fluids. The migration takes place in the annular space between the well casing string and borehole walls. This phenomenon has long been known in petroleum terminology as flow behind cement, gas migration, flow after cementing or annular migration, or - more recently, sustained casinghead pressure. Most of these terms refer to the failure of well cements. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Environmental Technology in the Oil Industry

First Page

53

Last Page

75

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