In this work, we have developed a methodology to model the stress evolution in cement plugs during hydration. The model begins with the slurry state of cement and calculates the water consumption and void creation over time as the hydration reactions progress. The void volume change due to chemical shrinkage is imported into a coupled mechanical model that calculates the pore pressure drop and the resulting change in stresses. The results of the proposed modelling methodology are verified using lab experiments from the literature. The results provide new insights in understanding cement behavior under lab and field conditions. Under most scenarios, cement’s pore pressure drops to saturation pressure of water which leads to partial evaporation of the remaining pore water. This pore pressure drop controls the radial stress change, according to the theory of poroelasticity. For a plug set under an initial pressure of 5 MPa, the radial stress drops to 1.6 MPa after 20 hours of curing. This stress drop can cause the cement to debond from the casing, if the fluid pressure above the plug exceeds the final radial stress. This methodology can be extended to annular cements and initial cement stress after placement can be readily calculated.
Zonal isolation in active and abandoned wells is paramount to ensure minimal fugitive methane emissions and to protect shallow freshwater aquifers. Wells penetrate different strata and can create a leakage pathway in case of a damaged cement sheath. This has been linked to methane emissions to the atmosphere (Schout et al., 2019), and aquifers (Osborn et al., 2011). Historically, oil and gas wells have been the main culprit in providing the leakage pathway for unwanted fluids. As more geothermal, energy, and carbon storage wells are drilled as part of the energy transition, zonal isolation challenges require more attention due to the long expected lifetime for these wells and unique operating conditions.
