Engineered bead slurries for use in lightweight cement slurries and methods relating thereto

A method comprising:

• calculating a shelf-life for a bead slurry, wherein the shelf-life is about 1 month or longer;
• mixing a gelled base fluid and a plurality of lightweight beads at 300 rotations per minute to produce the bead slurry, wherein the bead slurry has an initial viscosity, wherein the gelled base fluid has a viscosity of about 10 cP to about 1000 cP, wherein the plurality of lightweight beads has a specific gravity of about 0.8 or less, wherein the gelled base fluid comprises water and a gelling agent of about 0.1% to about 5% by volume of the bead slurry, and wherein the shelf-life is the time it takes for the lightweight bead in the gelled fluid to move 1 inch;
• storing the bead slurry for about 1 month or longer, wherein the viscosity of the head slurry is at least twice the initial viscosity for 1 to 2 months;
• transporting the bead slurry to a well-site;
• mixing at the well-site the bead slurry and a cement slurry to yield a lightweight cement slurry;
• introducing the lightweight cement slurry into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation;
• and
• allowing the lightweight cement slurry to set within a portion of the wellbore, a portion of the subterranean formation, or both;
• wherein calculating the shelf-life comprises calculating a velocity of the lightweight beads in the bead slurry.

A method comprising:

• calculating a shelf-life for a bead slurry, wherein the shelf-life is about 2 months or longer;
• mixing a gelled base fluid and a plurality of lightweight beads at 300 rotations per minute to produce the head slurry, wherein the bead slurry has an initial viscosity, wherein the gelled base fluid has a viscosity of about 10 cP to about 200 cP, wherein the plurality of lightweight beads has an average diameter of about 1 micron to about 20 microns;
• wherein the gelled base fluid comprises water and a gelling agent of about 0.1% to about 5% by volume of the bead slurry, and
• wherein the shelf-life is the time it takes for the lightweight bead in the gelled base fluid to move 1 inch;
• storing the bead slurry for about 2 months or longer, wherein the viscosity of the bead slurry is at least twice the initial viscosity for 2 months;
• mixing the bead slurry and a cement slurry to yield a lightweight cement slurry;
• introducing the lightweight cement slurry into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation;
• and
• allowing the lightweight cement slurry to set within a portion of the wellbore, a portion of the subterranean formation, or both;
• wherein calculating the shelf-life comprises calculating a velocity of the lightweight beads in the bead slurry.