The crystalline composition of Portland cement clinker is commonly established by Bogue's equations, which are based on a series of assumptions that seldom apply to oilwell cements. This is probably due to the presence of additional oxides and phase reconversion upon cooling of the clinker from the calcination temperature. Important differences are therefore observed between the numerical values yielded by the mathematical equations and image analysis quantification. In this study, the concentration of crystalline phases in oilwell cement was determined using Taylor's procedure, which consists in a system of linear equations corresponding to each one of the four main clinker phases. The results revealed an adequate relationship between this method and phase quantification by optical micrography, especially concerning the contents of aluminate and ferrite.
characterization; crystal structure; clinker; oil well cement
