Optimizing Well Integrity for Geothermal District Heating | SLB

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

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Netherlands, Europe, 陆上

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.

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