A new approach to improve mechanical properties and durability of low-density oil well cement composite reinforced by cellulose fibres in microstructural scale

In this research, a new approach was carried out to investigate the effect of incorporating cellulose fibres and silica fume into low-density oil well cement. Mechanical properties, durability and microstructure of the specimens were studied through various tests including; triaxial, flexural, tensile and compressive strength, cement sheath equivalent, permeability, mercury intrusion Porosimetry, ATR-FTIR analysis, degree of hydration and scanning electron microscopy. Twelve groups of the fibre-cement composite, with different amounts of silica fume and fibre content, were made and tested. The results show that the best performance belongs to the specimen reinforced by 8% fibre content and 15% silica fume in terms of mechanical properties and durability.