Paper: Modification Of Whites Squeeze Injection Scale For Use With Class C Cement And Ultra-Low Fracture Gradients

Over a number of years, the reference tool developed by Grant, White, Smith & Miller" and commonly referred to as "White's Injection Scale" has been widely accepted as a useful mechanism for planning and execution of cement squeeze processes in shallow and low pressure formations worldwide. In early 2001, refinements to the injection scale were developed that focused on applying many of the same concepts to two Permian Basin peculiarities: 1) The nearly exclusive usage of API Class C cement in squeeze operations shallower than 10,000 feet, and, 2) the high incidence of fracture gradients so excessively low that a full column of nearly any liquid is not supportable by the formation being squeezed. The modified injection scale is presented and explained. Incremental improvements provided by the modified scale are examined, and application case histories are described.