Overview
EN ISO 10426-2:2003 (CEN adoption of ISO 10426-2:2003) defines requirements and recommendations for the testing of well cements and cement slurries under simulated well conditions. Intended for the petroleum and natural gas industries, this standard specifies laboratory and field sampling, preparation, and a wide range of test procedures used to evaluate cement performance before and after placement in wellbores.
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard covers practical test methods and guidelines, including:
- Sampling and sample handling - procedures for collecting cement, cement blends, additives and mixing water at field locations and preparing samples for testing.
- Slurry preparation and density measurement - apparatus, calibration and procedures for preparing representative cement slurries and determining slurry density.
- Well-simulation compressive strength tests - methods to determine cement compressive strength in simulated well environments and long cement column evaluations.
- Non‑destructive sonic testing - sonic methods for monitoring cement integrity and strength development.
- Thickening-time (set time) tests - rotational viscometer procedures and schedules for thickening-time determination.
- Fluid-loss and permeability tests - static fluid-loss cells, liquid and gas permeability measurements and calculation methods.
- Rheology and gel strength - use of rotational viscometers to characterize slurry rheology, gel strength and flow modelling.
- Pressure drop and flow regime calculations - guidance for computing flow behavior of slurries in pipes and annuli (Newtonian, Power Law, Bingham Plastic).
- Special conditions - procedures for high‑temperature testing and arctic cementing slurries including freeze–thaw cycling.
The standard also includes calibration, safety, curing schedules and data reporting requirements to ensure repeatable, comparable test results.
Practical applications and users
EN ISO 10426-2 is used to support:
- Cement slurry design and validation - optimizing blend composition and performance prior to well application.
- Quality control and acceptance testing - laboratory verification of supplied cement and additives.
- Well integrity assessment - laboratory simulation of downhole conditions to predict cement behaviour (set time, strength, permeability).
- Research and product development - formulation of specialty cements (high-temperature, arctic).
Typical users: well cementing engineers, laboratory technicians, drilling contractors, oil & gas service companies, materials suppliers, and regulatory bodies.
Related standards
This part is part of the ISO 10426 series and aligns with work from ISO/TC 67 and CEN/TC 12. For complete implementation, use alongside other parts of ISO 10426 and applicable national or industry standards for well cementing.
Keywords: EN ISO 10426-2:2003, well cement testing, cement slurries, thickening time, fluid-loss, permeability, rheology, petroleum and natural gas industries.
