Predicting wellbore leakage in the Gulf of Mexico from experimental, numerical, and statistical models

Authors: Wise, Jarrett

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/7/2021
Publication Date: 10/14/2021
Citation: Wise, J.L. 2021. Predicting wellbore leakage in the Gulf of Mexico from experimental, numerical, and statistical models. Oklahoma State University Student Chapter American Association of Drilling Engineers (AADE), Oct. 14, 2021, Stillwater, Oklahoma. Meeting Presentation.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is home to more than 50,000 oil and gas wells with approximately 30,000 wells that are plugged and abandoned, leading to concerns of oil and gas leakage where currently, little to no monitoring is performed. The cement used when completing and eventually plugging wells are subject to harsh conditions leading to failure of the cement due to debonding of the cement to the formation and/or casing, shrinkage of the cement, and chemical degradation in the cement. Due to the complicated mechanical and chemical nature of cement, especially in offshore wells, researchers have turned to numerical simulations to predict failure mechanisms and estimate leakage rates. The goal of this study is to use these models to predict methane leakage from these wells. This is accomplished by using lab scale and field scale experiments to validate the numerical methodology. The leakage rates for the case study wells are ran through a Monte-Carlo model to predict the cumulative leakage. The results are compared to the annual global methane budget to show how offshore wells contribute to climate change.