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Remedial cementing requires as much technical, engineering, and operational experience, as primary cementing but is often done when wellbore conditions are unknown or out of control, and when wasted rig time and escalating costs force poor decisions and high risk. Squeeze cementing is a "correction" process that is usually only necessary to correct a problem in the wellbore. Before using a squeeze application, a series of decisions must be made to determine (1) if a problem exists, (2) the magnitude of the problem, (3) if squeeze cementing will correct it, (4) the risk factors present, and (5) if economics will support it. Most squeeze applications are unnecessary because they result from poor primary-cement-job evaluations or job diagnostics. Squeeze cementing is a dehydration process. A cement slurry is prepared and pumped down a wellbore to the problem area or squeeze target. The area is isolated, and pressure is applied from the surface to effectively force the slurry into all voids. The slurry is designed specifically to fill the type of void in the wellbore, whether it is a small crack or micro-annuli, casing split or large vug, formation rock or another kind of cavity. Thus, the slurry design and rate of dehydration or fluid loss designed into the slurry is critical, and a poor design may not provide a complete fill and seal of the voids.
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