Optimizing well integrity for hot water district heating wells with minimal carbon footprint

An operator in Western Europe needed to extract geothermal water for a district heating project while avoiding poorly cemented zones. A cost-effective solution, EcoLibrium™ reduced carbon footprint cement systems, helped to achieve the desired zonal isolation, prevented lost circulation, and reduced CO₂ emissions by 67% compared with conventional portland cement. More than 10 jobs were successfully completed, meeting the operator's well integrity objectives and cost expectations.

The customer operating in the Netherlands required a cost-effective solution to extract geothermal water while avoiding poorly cemented zones due to lost circulation. The project required a method that could provide effective zonal isolation at a reasonable cost. To achieve this, a combination of lead and tail cement from a family of reduced carbon footprint cement systems was selected. The lead cement was selected as it could be prepared at a very low density of 1.35 sg to limit hydrostatic pressure in weak formations, while the tail cement provided compressive strength development of more than 2,700 psi after 45 hours with a 67% reduction in CO₂e versus conventional portland cement.

The cement system effectively achieved the desired zonal isolation in more than 10 jobs, preventing lost circulation and ensuring full cement coverage. By using this carbon-reduction technology, the customer's well integrity objectives were met, while Scope 3 CO₂ emissions were nominally reduced by 38% across these geothermal wells in comparison to portland cement systems. Furthermore, the cost expectations of the customer were met as this solution proved to be more cost-effective versus other premium options that were considered over-engineered for the wells worked.

Dive deeper into how we have helped customers develop district heating projects around the world.