Application of water requirement measurements to approximate specific surface area

A method of cementing comprising:

• measuring a water requirement of a solid particulate, wherein the measuring of the water requirement comprises measuring a consistency of an agitated mixture of water and the solid particulate and calculating the water requirement based on a ratio of an amount of water to an amount of solid particulate required to obtain a specified consistency;
• determining an approximation of specific surface area of the solid particulate from the water requirement;
• correlating a reactivity of the solid particulate to the water requirement and the specific surface area of the solid particulate giving an estimated reactivity of the solid particulate;
• designing a cement composition based on the estimated reactivity of the solid particulate;
• determining an approximation of compressive strength for the cement composition comprising the solid particulate;
• preparing the cement composition, wherein the cement composition comprises the solid particulate, one or more additional solid particulates, and water;
• and
• allowing the cement composition to set in a predetermined location.

A system comprising:

• a solid particulate;
• a blender configured to mix the solid particulate with water;
• an analytical equipment configured to measure a water requirement of the solid particulate;
• and
• a computer system configured to accept inputs of a water requirement for the solid particulate, wherein the water requirement is determined based on a ratio of an amount of water to an amount of solid particulate required to obtain a specified consistency, output an approximation of specific surface area and reactivity of the solid particulate, and design a cement which includes the solid particulate based in part on the approximation of the specific surface area and the reactivity of the solid particulate.