250.428—What must I do in certain cementing and casing situations?
The table in this section describes actions that lessees must take when certain situations occur during casing and cementing activities.
| If you encounter the followingsituation: | Then you must . . . |
|---|---|
| (a) Have unexpected formation pressures or conditions that warrant revising your casing design | Submit a revised casing program to the District Manager for approval. |
| (b) Need to increase casing setting depths more than 100 feet true vertical depth (TVD) from the approved APD due to conditions encountered during drilling operations | Submit those changes to the District Manager for approval. |
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| (c) Have indication of inadequate cement job (such as lost returns, cement channeling, or failure of equipment) | (1) Pressure test the casing shoe; (2) Run a temperature survey; (3) Run a cement bond log; or (4) Use a combination of these techniques. |
| (d) Inadequate cement job | Re-cement or take other remedial actions as approved by the District Manager. |
| (e) Primary cement job that did not isolate abnormal pressure intervals | Isolate those intervals from normal pressures by squeeze cementing before you complete; suspend operations; or abandon the well, whichever occurs first. |
| (f) Decide to produce a well that was not originally contemplated for production | Have at least two cemented casing strings (does not include liners) in the well. Note: All producing wells must have at least two cemented casing strings. |
| (g) Want to drill a well without setting conductor casing | Submit geologic data and information to the District Manager that demonstrates the absence of shallow hydrocarbons or hazards. This information must include logging and drilling fluid-monitoring from wells previously drilled within 500 feet of the proposed well path down to the next casing point. |
| (h) Need to use less than required cement for the surface casing during floating drilling operations to provide protection from burst and collapse pressures | Submit information to the District Manager that demonstrates the use of less cement is necessary. |
| (i) Cement across a permafrost zone | Use cement that sets before it freezes and has a low heat of hydration. |
| (j) Leave the annulus opposite a permafrost zone uncemented | Fill the annulus with a liquid that has a freezing point below the minimum permafrost temperature and minimizes opposite a corrosion. |