Improvement of Well Cementing Properties Using Perlite Particles

Various additives had been used to improve the properties of oil well cement. Perlite is a material that occurs naturally and abundantly as a result of cooling the volcanic lava. The aim of this study is to examine the prospect of applying perlite particles (PP) for oil well cement. Two cement formulations (with and without perlite particles) were prepared under high temperature and high pressure. The impacts of PP on the properties of well cement such as density variation, viscosity, gel strength, compressive strength, Young's modulus and permeability were examined. The results showed an enhancement in the rheological properties when PP was added. For instance, viscosity was reduced by 29.7% and gel strength was enhanced by 41.1% compared to the base cement. PP was able to reduce the variation of cement density to very low percentage of 0.9%. Addition of Perlite particles reduced the Young's modulus of the cement by 40% in comparison with the 0% PP. Incorporating 3% PP improved the compressive strength of cement by 15.8% in comparison with the base cement. However, there is a slight increase in the permeability because of using PP, but it is still in the recommended value.