1、Environmental Guidance Document: Well Abandonment and Inactive Well Practices for U.S. Exploration and Production Operations API BULLETIN 3 FIRST EDITION, JANUARY 31,1993 I Reaffirmed 1 June 2000 #b Strategies for Toi “3rv dayi Environmental Partnership American Petroleum Institute Helping You Get T
2、he Job me mmi -3- b- days Environmental Partnership API ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH AND SAFETY MISSION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES The members of the American Petroleum Institute are dedicated to continuous efforts to improve the compatibility of our operations with the environment while economically developin
3、g energy resources and supplying high quality products and services to consum- ers. We recognize our responsibility to work with the public, the government, and others to develop and to use natural resources in an environmentally sound manner while protecting the health and safety of our employees a
4、nd the public. To meet these responsibilities, API members pledge to manage our businesses according to the following principles using sound science to prioritize risks and to implement cost-effective management practices: o To recognize and to respond to community concerns about our raw materials,
5、prod- ucts and operations. o To operate our plants and facilities, and to handle our raw materials and products in a manner that protects the environment, and the safety and health of our employees and the public. o To make safety, health and environmental considerations a priority in our planning,
6、and our development of new products and processes. o To advise promptly, appropriate officials, employees, customers and the public of information on significant industry-related safety, health and environmental hazards, and to recommend protective measures. o To counsel customers, transporters and
7、others in the safe use, transportation and dis- posal of our raw materials, products and waste materials. o To economically develop and produce natural resources and to conserve those resources by using energy efficiently. o To extend knowledge by conducting or supporting research on the safety, hea
8、lth and environmental effects of our raw materials, products, processes and waste materials. o To commit to reduce overall emissions and waste generation. o To work with others to resolve problems created by handling and disposal of hazard- ous substances from our operations. o To participate with g
9、overnment and others in creating responsible laws, regulations and standards to safeguard the community, workplace and environment. o To promote these principles and practices by sharing experiences and offering assis- tance to others who produce, handle, use, transport or dispose of similar raw mat
10、en- als, petroleum products and wastes. Environmental Guidance Document: Well Abandonment and Inactive Well Practices for US. Exploration and Production Operations Exploration and Production Department API BULLETIN E3 FIRST EDITION, JANUARY 31,1993 American Petroleum Institute Helping You Get The Jo
11、b oneRigt.M 2 American Petroleum institute TABLE OF CONTENTS POLICY . 3 FOREWORD . 4 SECTION 1: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR PLUGGED AND ABANDONED WELLS 1.1 GENERAL . 5 1.2 PLUGGING PURPOSE . 5 1.3 INJECTION AND PRODUCTION WELL CONSTRUCTION 5 1.4 ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS . 6 1.5 ENVIRONMENTAL RI
12、SK SUMMARY 7 2.1 GENERAL . 8 2.2 ISOLATING OPEN HOLE COMPLETIONS 10 2.3 ISOLATING UNCASED HOLE 11 2.4 CASED HOLE ABANDONMENT METHODS . 11 2.5 PLUG PLACEMENT VERIFICATION . 14 2.6 SURFACE RECLAMATION 15 2.7 WELL ABANDON ME RECORDS 15 2.8 SPECIAL ABANDONMENT ISSUES . 15 3.1 INTRODUCTION 17 3.2 DEFINIT
13、IONS . 17 3.3 INAm WELL PROGRAM CONCEPTS . 17 3.4 INACTIVE WELL PROGRAM METHODOLOGY 19 3.5 SUMMARY 22 SECTION 2: PLUGGING AND ABANDONMENT OPERATIONS SECTION 3: INACTIVE WELL PRACTICES APPENDIX k. PROCEDURE FOR DEXEIDPING AN INACTIVE WELL PROGRAM Al PURPOSE . 23 A2 INACTIVE WELL PROGRAM METHODOLOGY .
14、 23 A3 EXAMPLES OF METHODOLOGY APPLICATION 24 A.5 SURFACE PROTECTION METHODOLOGY 26 A6 RECOMMENDATIONS 27 TABLES . 28 ILLUSTRATIONS 34 BLANK WORKSHEET 44 A4 FOLLOW-UP TO MONITORING PROGRAM . 26 APPENDIX B: SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS B.1 SAFE DFU“G WATER ACT (SDWA) 46 B.2 PL
15、UGGING REGULATIONS FOR PRODUCTION AND INJECTION WELLS . 46 B.3 CLEAN WATER ACT (CWA) . 46 B.4 FEDERAL OIL AND GAS ROYALTY MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1982 (FOGRMA) . 47 GLOSSARY . 48 REFERENCES 51 Environmental Guidance Document: WeU Abandonment and Inactive Well Practices for US. Exploration and Production O
16、peratin 3 POLICY API PUBLICATIONS NECESSARILY ADDRESS PROB- IJ3MS OF A GENERAL NATURE. WITH RESPECT TO PARTICULARCIRCUMSTANCES,LQCAL, SATX,AND FEDERAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS SHOULD BE REVIEWED. API IS NOT UNDERTAKING TO MEET DUTIES OF EMPLOYERS, MA“A(X“RERS OR SUPPLIERS TO WARN AND PROPERLY TRAIN AND
17、EQUIP THEIR EMPLOYEES, AND OTHERS EXPOSED, CONCERN- ING HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS AND PRECAU- TIONS, NOR UNDERTAKING THEIR OBLIGATIONS UNDER LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL LAWS. NOTHING CONTAINED IN ANY API PUBLICATION IS TO BE CONSTRUED AS GRA“G ANY RIGHT, BY IMPLICATION OR OTHERWISE, FOR THE MANU- FACTURE
18、, SALE, OR USE OF ANY METHOD, APPA- RATUS, OR PRODUCT COVERED BY LETTERS PATENTl“HERSHOULDA“INGC0NTAINED IN THE PUBLICATION BE CONSTRUED AS INSUR- ING ANYONE AGAINST LIABILITY FOR I“GE- MENT OF LETERS PATENT. GENJ3FUILY, API STANDARDS ARE FLEVEWED AND REVISED, REAFFIRMED, OR WITHDRAWN AT LEAST TENSI
19、ON FOR UP TO TWO YEARS WILL BE ADDED TO THIS REVIEW CYCLE. THIS PUBLICATION WILL NO LONGER BE IN EFFECT FIVE YEARS AFTER ITS DARD OR, WHERE AN EXTENSION HAS BEEN GRANTED, UPON REPUBLICATION. STATUS OF THE PUBLICATION CAN BE ASCERTAINED FROM THE EVERY FIVE YEARS. SOMETIMES A ONE-TIME EX- PUBLICATION
20、DATE AS AN OPERATIVE API STAN- API AUTHORING DEPARTMENT (TEL. 202-682-8000). A CATALOG OF API PUBLICATIONS AND MATERI- QUARTERLY BY API, 122OL. STREET, NW, WASH- ALS IS PUBLISHED ANNUACLY AND UPDATED INGTON, D.C. 20005. 4 American Petroleum Inatiute FOREWORD This document, prepared by the API Underg
21、round injec- tion Control Issue Group (UICIG), provides guidance on environmentally-sound abandonment practices for wellbores drilled for oil and gas exploration and produc- tion 2. surface water seeps into the wellbore and migrates into a esh water aquifer. Conversely, fluid migration could be prev
22、ented by prop- erly plugging a well. Not only could the plugging opera- tions prevent a wellbore from becoming a conduit for iuid migration, but well construction methods and various natural phenomena could also contribute to preventing fluid migration. STRUCTION States were concerned with the prote
23、ction of usable qual- ity waters long before the Safe Drinking Water Act was enacted by Congress in 1974. All of the major oil and gas producing states have had injection and production well programs in place since the mid-1940s. The state pro- grams regulated the construction, operation, monitorng,
24、 and plugging of these wells. Most injection and production wells constructed after the late 1930s were required to have multiple barriers to prevent the migration of injected water, formation fluids, or produced fluids into fresh water aquifers. The barriers most effective in preventing fluid migra
25、tion are shown in the following: 1. surface casing that is set below all known 2. production casing (long string casing) extending from the surface to the injection or production zone and is cemented to prevent vertical migration of injected or produced fluids behind pipe. These modern well construc
26、tion safeguards helped pro- tect fresh water aquifers, surface soils, and surface wa- ters from contamination during injection and production operations over the life of these wells. Just as important, the construction safeguards enhanced the success of plug- ging operations, upon well abandonment,
27、by improving the effectiveness of the cement plugs (placed during the plugging operation) to permanently prevent soil and water resources contamination. Modern cementing materials and methods can effectively achieve an annular wellbore seal and casing support/ protection as long as controllable prob
28、lems are properly addressed. As Brooks established, the time frame for modern cementing began in the mid-1940s. Since that time, over 65 percent of existing wells were drilled nationwide? Also, during the modern cementing period, various indus- try groups, such as the American Petroleum Institute, h
29、ave studied oil well cements and cementing practices. 1.3 INJECTION AND PRODUCTION WELL CON- 6 American Petroleum Institute API adopted standards in 1952 for the manufacture of six ciasses of oil well cements generally used in casing string cementing and in plugging operations. In 1953, API pub- lis
30、hed “MI Specification for Oil-Well Cements“. API has reviewed oil well cement standards annually since 1953; and some revisions have been made. The cementing stan- dard is now known as “API Spec 10 A, Specification for Materials and Testing for Well Cements,“ and the speci- fication now covers manuf
31、acturing requirements for eight cement classes. It has been demonstrated that when the appropriate cement is selected and properly placed, the durability of the cement and the cement job is indefi- nite? 1.4 ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS The literature and research review also revealed that PU wells have
32、 safeguards that protect natural resources. Proper plugging procedures yielded the primary safe- guards in a P this practice continues to be a significant factor in prevent- ing fluid migration. The evolution of regdatory controls, beginning in the 1930s, on well construction and well plugging is a
33、major element in the prevention of fluid migration. Construction practices, such as setting and cementing surface casing below all known fresh water aquifers, and the setting and cementing production cas- ing to the productiodijection zone, provide multiple barriers to fluid migration. These barrier
34、s also enhance the effectiveness of the plugging procedures in prevent- ing fluid migration. Plugging practices that confine for- mation fluids and protect fresh water aquifers are the critical factors in preventing fluid migration. Finally, natural factors, such as welibore impediments, subsur- fac
35、e formation effeds, and formation pressure equaliza- tion, may also prevent fluid migration into a fresh water aquifer. Operators should consider these factors as well as the presence of pressured formations and esh water aqui- fers in developing a methodology for assessing the fluid migration poten
36、tial within existing wells. The use of such a methodology should enable operators to identify those existing wells that have a potential for fluid migration. For those wells identifed as having a potential for fluid migration, further evaluation should be done to deter- mine if fresh water aquifers
37、or the surface are threat- ened. UICIG research indicates that wells drilled or P the estimated time to pump the slurry to the desired depth; and an allowance for mechanical problems. 2. 3. Water loss control additives may be needed for an effective squeeze slurry. Volume extending additives or gel
38、cements should not be used in isolation plugs. However, they may have application in controlling fluid influx to the wellbore so that a subsequent isolation plug may be set. 2.1.2.2 Plugging Methods Plugging and abandonment operations generally com- mence in the lowermost formation interval in a wel
39、lbore. Successive interval isolation operations pro- ceed sequentially up the wellbore to the surface to achieve the abandonment objectives. Interval isola- tion may be achieved by either cement or mechanical plugs. Following are descriptions of methods commonly used to isolate formation intervals.
40、The method used should be appropriate for the wellbore conditions in the interval being isolated. The SPE Monograph, Cementing, edited by Dwight K. Smith: and 10 Amena Petroleum Institute edited by Erik B. Nelson: are references providing Mer discussions of cementing materials and placement techniqu
41、es. 1. Balanced Plug Method The baland plug method involves pumping the cement slurry through drill pipe, coiled tubing, workstring, or production tub- ing until the level of cement outside is equal to that inside the drill pipeltubing string. Fluid spac- era may be used both ahead of and behind the
42、 slurry to minimize cement contamination by the wellbore fluid, ifthe wellbore fluid is incompatible with the cement slurry. The pipe is then pulled slowly hm the slurry, leaving the plug in place. The method is simple and requires no special equip- ment, other than a cementing unit to mix and pump
43、the slurry downhole. Knowing the charac- teristics of the wellbore fluid is important in plac- ing a cement plug, particularly in achieving circu- lation during placement. The wellbore must be in a static state (neither flowing or losing returns) prior to and subsequent to plug placement. Move- ment
44、 of well fluids before the cement plug hardens wiU affect plug quaiity and placement. Proper cement slurry design and cement plug set- ting practices improve the success of achieving the abandonment objectives. One balanced plug method is discussed by R C. Smith, et al., in “Improved Method of Setti
45、ng Successful Whipstock Cement Plugs,” SPE 11415.1 The paper is about setting whipstock plugs, but the methods presented may have application to setting abandonment plugs. 2. Cement Squeeze Method The cement squeeze method involves pumping a cement slurry to the desired interval to be isolated, usua
46、lly through tubing, coiled tubing, or drill pipe. Sufficient hy- draulic pressure is then applied to the slurry such that the slurry dehydrates and a high strength filter cake is formed in the perforations, in open channels or hctures, or against the formation face. The cement becomes a bamier which
47、 pre- vents formation fluid movement into the wellbore. The cement squeeze method is often used in iso- lating wellbore intervals or repairing casing leaks. The cement squeeze method is also useful when wellbore conditions preclude achieving static equi- librium. Cement is generally squeezed through
48、 a cement retainer or packer set in the casing. The cement retainer and packer are mechanical tools that seal the casing, protecting the casing above those tools from the pressures associated with squeezing. Alternatively, in the bradenhead squeeze, cement may be squeezed down casing, workstring, tu
49、bing, or coiled tubing in which no downhole tools isolate the casing hm the squeeze pressure. However, the bradenhead squeeze method IS not appropriate if a casing leak, repaired casing, or other problem with the casing exists such that the placement of the cement is in doubt or the casing may fail under squeeze pressure. 3. Mechanical Plugs. Mechanical isolation tools such as bridge plugs, retainers, permanent packers with plugs, etc. can be effectively used in casing to isolate sections of the wellbore. These plugs may be set at prescribed depths by wireline, tubing
