Product Evaluation, Application, and Testing of Stage Cementing Collars

API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 10G FIRST EDITION, AUGUST 2020

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Foreword

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Contents

Page

1. Scope 1

2. References 1

3. Terms, Definitions, and Abbreviations 1

   1. Terms and Definitions 1

   2. Abbreviations 3

4. Purpose and Applications of Stage Cementing Collars 4

   1. General 4

   2. Cementing Across a Potential Loss Zone 4

   3. Two-stage Cementing 5

   4. Three-stage Cementing or More Stages 7

   5. Discontinuous Cement Intervals 7

   6. Reducing Post-cementing Annular Flow Potential 7

   7. Off-bottom Cementing above Open Hole Completions 8

   8. Placing Specialty Fluids in the Top Section of the Annular Space 8

   9. Contingency Cementing 8

5. Operating Types of Stage Cementing Collars 8

   1. General 8

   2. Non-workstring Operated Tools 9

   3. Workstring Operated Tools 9

   4. Special Features or Performance Tools 9

   5. Purchasing Guidelines 12

6. Manufacturing and Quality Considerations 13

   1. Quality Management System Guidelines 13

   2. Design Verification 13

   3. Design Validation Considerations 14

   4. Field Operations 15

   5. Factors Affecting Stage Collar Life Span 15

7. Relationship to Well Integrity 16

8. Job Planning Considerations 17

   1. Simulations 17

   2. Cement Properties 18

   3. Tool inside Pass-through Geometries 18

   4. Tool installation 19

   5. Stage Collar Selection 21

   6. Operating Plugs Selection 21

   7. Cement Job Procedure 22

   8. Compatibility with Other Casing Equipment (If Present) 29

   9. Review Potential Failure Modes and Contingency Planning 30

9. Operational Considerations 30

   1. On-site Job Review 30

   2. Non-workstring Operated Cementing Stage Collars 32

   3. Additional Workstring Operated Stage Cementing Collar Considerations 36

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      Contents

      Page

10. Post-job Review for Multiple-stage Cementing Operations 37

11. Prevention and Investigation of Potential Tool Failures and Operational Issues 39

    1. Prevention and Investigation 39

    2. Non-workstring Operated Tools 39

    3. Additional Considerations for Workstring Operated Tools 46

Annex A (informative) Stage Cementing Collar Plug Set Options 49

Bibliography 53

Figures

1. Formation Fracture during Single-stage Primary Cement Job 5

2. Preventing Formation Fracture with Two-stage Primary Cement Job 6

3. Example of Off-bottom Cementing above an Uncemented Completion 8

1. Examples of Landing Seats 49

2. Examples of First-stage Top Plugs 50

3. Examples of Opening Devices 50

4. Examples of Second-stage Top Plugs 51

5. Examples of Stage Cementing Bottom Plugs 51

6. Example of Cancellation Plug 52

7. Example of Stage Cementing Sub-surface Release Plugs and Darts 52

Tables

1. Opening Device Not Landing, or Taking Excessive Volume or Time to Land 40

2. Leaking during Opening Operations 40

3. High Opening Pressure 41

4. Premature Opening or Low Opening Pressure 41

5. Failure to Open 42

6. Closing Device not Landing or Taking Excessive Volume to Land 43

7. Closing Device or Dart, or Both, Leaking 43

8. High Closing Pressure 43

9. Failure to Close 44

10. Pressure Leak (Casing to Annulus or Annulus to Casing) or Casing Pressure Build-up after Closing 45

11. Drillout Issues 45

12. Leaking after Drillout (Casing to Annulus or Annulus to Casing) 45

13. Fluid Bypassing Plugs 45

14. High Opening Force 46

15. Failure to Open 47

16. High Closing Force 47

17. Failure to Close 48

18. Pressure Leak (Casing to Annulus or Annulus to Casing) or Casing Pressure Build-up after Closing 48

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Product Evaluation, Application, and Testing of Stage Cementing Collars

1. Scope

   
   

   This document provides requirements, guidelines, and recommended practices for stage cementing collars used in cementing applications in the petroleum and natural gas industry. Information is included on the types, application, specification, validation, manufacturing, job planning and execution, and preventing and diagnosing problems. Use of stage cementing collars for non-cementing applications or annulus casing packers, or both, are outside the scope of this document.

   
   

   Products covered under another API or international specification are not included. This document does not

   cover the connections to the well conduit.

   
   

2. References

This document contains no normative references. For a listing of other articles associated with this publication, refer to the bibliography.

3 Terms, Definitions, and Abbreviations

3.1 Terms and Definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.

3.1.1

annulus

The space between the open hole and tubulars, or between tubulars, where fluid can flow.

NOTE The annulus designation between the production tubing and production casing is the “A” annulus. Outer annuli between other strings are designated B, C, D, etc. as the pipe sizes increase in diameter.

3.1.2

baffle plate

A landing seat wholly contained within a tubular string and placed at a predetermined location for the purpose of

landing a shutoff or bypass plug.

3.1.3

ball

A spherical device used to actuate downhole tools or release sub-surface darts or plugs.

3.1.4

bypass plug

Device designed to allow fluid to flow through or around itself once landed on a seat.

3.1.5

cancellation device cancellation plug

A device dropped through the casing to fully cycle the stage collar from the run-in position to the closed position in a single operation.

3.1.6

cementing plug plug

A device used to separate fluids and wipe the internal surface of the pipes as it is pumped from one location in

the pipe to another or to operate downhole tools, or both.

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