Enhancing Cementing Operations Efficiency and Reliability by Utilizing Fiberglass-Based Non-Metallic Pipes for Plugging and Abandonment of Long Open Hole Intervals and Severe Loss Zones

Abstract This paper introduces an innovative technique for placing long cement plugs to abandon multiple zones in open hole sections, using fiberglass-based non-metallic tail pipes. Traditionally, the length of cement plugs was limited by the risk of metallic pipes getting stuck, necessitating multiple plugs for long intervals to isolate and address losses during drilling. By adopting this cost-effective solution of replacing conventional tail pipes with non-metallic pipes, the length of the cement plugs can be significantly increased, thereby avoiding the operational risks previously associated with metallic pipes. This new approach provides a reliable and efficient solution for plug and abandonment operations, as well as curing losses using large volume cement plugs. Utilizing metallic pipe and conventional placement techniques limits the volume of the cement plugs due to constraints on plug length, often resulting in multiple, repeated attempts before losses are cured or minimized. The optimization of operational time by combining a P&A plug and kick-off plug (KOP) in a single attempt with a long cement plug placed across a highly deviated open hole using a fiberglass-based non-metallic tailpipe is discussed in this paper. Both pilot mother-bore abandonment and sidetracking into new laterals were achieved using conventional plug placement techniques, significantly improving well delivery objectives. Secondly, severe losses were cured across the reservoir section during drilling after pumping a large volume of cement plug. Finally, using non-metallic pipes to spot LCPs and/or P&A plugs showed a superior performance in a short period of time, which in turn will contribute towards reducing the associated non-productive time and further unwanted consequences of performing successive cement plugs. This paper explores the innovative use of sacrificial, fiberglass pipes to be able to pump long & large volumes of cement plugs. This technique has demonstrated significant advantages in preventing cement plug failures or the need for multiple plugs, ultimately optimizing rig time and reducing operational costs associated with drilling wells.