Coiled tubing

Coiled tubing rig up

www.nov.com www.slb.com

Use of coiled tubing

From ICoTA International Coiled Tubing Assosiation Around 1000 units

Coiled tubing
Able to run a flexible tubing (without connections) in and out of the well to perform different types of operations Possible to circulate fluids, but not rotate however check reel revolution on You Tube Intervene in live wells
Pressure below wellhead Need an injector to move in/out

Some vendors
Halliburton Schlumberger BJ (now Baker Hughes) National Oilwell ++

Forces in a live well

Applied force from the injector to be able to push pipe into the well Friction in rubber sealing elements

F = PWH x A A Area of pipe Pwh closed in wellhead pressure

Injector

Chains that drives the coil either in or out of the well. Driven by hydraulic power HR 660 National Oilwell

Gooseneck - guides the coil into the injector.

Injector

K-Coil

Injector

Injector
The injectors can have different lifting capabilities
Middle size coils ( 1 2)
60 000 80 000 lbf

Larger coils
120 000 lbf

Load cell measure the forces that is acting on the coiled tubing

Gooseneck
Guides the coil into the injector Dimension depend on type of coil.
1 coil (radius 1.8m) 1 rr ( radius 2.15 m) Why ?

National Oilwell

Coiled tubing sizes

History
First used during the allied invasion in 1944 operation PLUTO

Coil sizes
Before 1960 < = 1,0 Today 0,75 4 Often used: 2 3/8 and 2 7/8

Coiled tubing manufacturing

Coiled tubing is an electric welded pipe manufactured with one longitudinal seam formed by high frequency induction welding without filler material
Form a long continuous steel sheet
Bias welding of smaller sheets

Rollers are used to form a pipe Induction welding, + water cooling Inspection (NDT e.g. ultrasonic), heat treatment + + Spooled onto a reel

Buttwelding & Connections

Connect two coiled tubings by welding or by a connection device

The number of butt welds have been reduced since it gives a weaker pipe Important to have few buttwelds However it might be neccessary to have a thicker pipe in the upper part is some cases Or splice coils due to lack of length, transportation or damage Repairs and Splicing A connection (without welding ) has been developed reached 8500 meter continues to evolve

Strength, Corrosion and other materials !

Usually made from low-alloy carbon steel Yield strengths ranging from 55 000 psi to 120 000 psi In CO2 and H2S environments > corrosion
Some new types, QT-16Cr, HS-80-CRA

Composite materials (e.g carbon)

Light, strong, corrosion resistent

Titanium
High cost, not common

The reel

The reel
Used for storage and transportation of coiled tubing The coil runs in/out on the reel during operation A hydraulic motor helps running the reel during operation Maintains also some tension between the reel and the injector

Reel back tension

Offshore weight and space limitations

The coiled tubing unit is heavy
The reel approx 40 tons Gooseneck 8-12 tons Fundament 15 tons + fluids etc

Lifting capacities of cranes, deck loading and space limitations ???

Disassembling the unit into the smallest poss pieces Cut the string into sections, spool the sections onto lightweight shipping reels, lift reels on platform , the reconnect often used Spool the CT from a reel on a vessel not successful See The paper from ICoTa for other options given in the Homework assignment

Barriers
We will first look at the equipments that seals against hydrocarbons/pressure Note that there can be some differences with respect to how barriers are classified.
NORSOK D10 gives the most detailed overview and provides the standard that is used on NCS

Strippers

Two door stripper packer NOV check www.nov.com

Strippers
Classified as a primary barrier The upper is active under operation The lower is in backup
For instance if we have to shift insert rubber elements in the upper.

BOPs
Double, tripple, quad number of rams (valves that can close)

National Oilwell/Texas Oil tools

Different types of rams

The different rams can close/hold in different ways. Pipe ram seals around the pipe Blind ram seals the whole wellbore when CT is out Shear ram (used to cut) Slip ram (can hold pipe /resist up and down movement
Outside coil Inside coil

BOP
Equalizing ports on each side of each sealing ram Side outlet between slip and shear ram -> Used as safety kill line See figures under
Additional Info ./CoiledTubing/coiltubing.pdf

Safety head
Last option / Cut and seal

ET Series, NORSOK standard, Texas Oil Tools, National Oil Well

Primary barrier inside coil tubing

Need a double check valve to prevent leakages inside coil

Barriers/NORSOK D10 (84-92)

We see that the body of the BOP is classified as primary. In other places the BOP is classified as a secondary barrier. The rams are only activated in case of emergency.

Quick latch
Tool that makes it easy to install the injector frame on top of the BOP stack without having personell to work under the load
Texas Oil Tools

Powerpack
Hydraulic power provided by a Diesel Driven Power Unit

National Oilwell

Controlunit
The operation is followed from the control unit

Technology has been developed to transfer real time data from downhole to the control cabin

Run the ACTive animation

www.slb.com CT Seas

Information on coil /DDHB

Mechanical damage
Coiled tubing is very sensitive to mechanical failure:
Bend cycle fatigue Internal pressure loading (high pump pressures small ID pipe) Compressive axial forces Corrosion Mechanical damage, cuts etc
IT IS COMPLEX TO PREDICT THE LIFETIME OF A COIL WHEN TAKING ALL THESE LOADS (factors) into account

Bend cycle fatigue

Yield strength exceeded implies plastic deformation and accumulation of fatigue

Bending and Yield limit (Coiled tubing yield 70000 psi)

Coil OD 1,25 1,5 1,75 2,0 Minimum bending radius 6,71 m 8,23 m 9,45 m 10,97 m

If the coil is bended more we are exceeding the yield limit, the radiuses shown are very large compared to the radiuses on the reel and the quide arch

Internal pressure loading

High internal pressures is caused during circulation in a small ID pipe The combination of bend cycling and internal tube pressure loads reduces the fatigue lifetime (worsens the situation) The combined effect of the loads with respect to fatigue lifetime requires complex modelling High flowrates, large inside pressures should be avoided to increase coil liftetime

Internal pressure loading

Large inside pressures can increase the diameter of the pipe (and make the pipewall thinner and possibly weaker) Can cause problems with respect to how the coil and the surface eq (injector and stripper) interacts

Compressive loads
The pipe is subject to compressive loads in order to overcome wellpressures, stripper friction and well friction

Compressive loads can again lead to buckling of the pipe, either surface buckling or downhole buckling

Friction forces, which depends on wellinclination, openhole roughness, type of fluid in well

Compressive loads & buckling

When the pipe goes into helical buckling the compressive load will increase rapdily and one will quickly move into a lockup situation

http://www.mms.gov/tarprojects/300/300AN.pdf

Reduce buckling tendencies

Increase tubing stiffness
For instance use spliced coils with different tubing wall thickness

Reduce well friction

Pumping fluids reduces well friction Use fluids with low viscosity if possible
The force required to induce buckling depends on material charactertistics, coiled tubing geometry (such as outside diameter, wall thickness and ovality)

Corrosion & Mechanical damage

The fluids in the well can be corrosive
Eg acidtreatment Reduces wall thickness Use coils that are resistent

Cuts at the surface of the coil

Injection equipment Contact with the well

Ovality & Collapse

The bend cycling will deform the pipe so that it becomes oval (high pump pressures worsens the situation) This reduces the collapse pressure of the tubing -> API 5C7 Added axial load reduces it even more
2-5%

API 5C7

Summarising fatigue life

Fatigue life increases with
Increasing wall thickness Decreasing OD of coil Increasing yield material strength Increasing the bend radii Decreasing internal pressures

CT Fatigue modelling

www.icota.com

How to predict coil lifetime

In general, the fatigue prediction is very complex and considered to be the main challenge within coiled tubing
Experience (running feet, old) Experiments Complex mechanical modelling Software packages combined with field data acquisition systems to track the operating history (loads, which sections is bent, etc)

CT String Design
Enough mechanical strength to safely withstand the combination of forces imposed by the job Adequate stiffness to RIH and reach target Light weight (transport & Cost) Maximum possible working life Requires:
Sophisiticated CT simulator & numerous iterations Possible multiple sections of differing wall thickness (tapered strings)

CT Inspection tools
Real time measurements of tubing geometry is important for
To ensure that it still fits the surface equipment Monitor stresses in the pipe (axial and pressure) Monitor accumulated fatigue

CT tools that can measure e.g wall thickness, diameter, ovality in a real time environment

Other equipment
There are two basic limitations with respect to coiled tubing
It cant be rotated from surface
But it is possible to install a device like e.g. a motor on bottom that provides rotation

It can be difficult to reach far out in the well

Buckling tendencies Well friction

Well Tractor

www.welltec.com

Well tractor
Extends the reach Hydraulically driven The number of wheel sections can be adjusted to adjust traction force Size: 2 , 2 1/8 , 3 1/8 OD Electric line Run the Welltec animation: Tandem Coiled tubing

Coiled tubing applications

Pumping applications
Removing sand or fill from wellbore Fracturing/Azidizing a formation Unloading a well with nitrogen Gravel packing Cutting tubulars with fluids Pumping slurry plugs Zone isolation Scale removal (hydraulic, e.g azid) Removal of wax, hydrocarbons or hydrate plugs

Coiled tubing applications

Mechanical
Setting a plug or a packer Fishing Perforating Logging Scale removal (mechanical) Sliding sleeve operations Running a completion Straddles for zonal isolation Drilling

Acidizing/ Fracturing of a formation

Matrix acid stimulation (below fracture pressure) Fracture acid stimulation (above fracture)
Differential etching

Fracturing and fill with proppants. Remove deposits (scale etc) Search i www.slb.com->oilfield glossary and you will find which acids that are applicable for different scale types

Animation
Animation of an acid stimulation job Note the communication of downhole real time data during the operation for further decision making -> Integrated operations www.slb.com - >ACTive live downhole coil tubing services

Removing sand or fill from wellbore

One of the most common operations Other names: sand washing, sand jetting, sand cleanout and fill removal (e.g. proppants, Cirulation + an appropriate jetting nozzle which may rotate

Removing sand or fill from wellbore

TornadoTM Nozzle (www.bjservices.com)
How to Efficiently Remove Sand From Deviated Wellbores With a Solids Transport Simulator and a Coiled Tubing Cleanout Tool AuthorsJ. Li, S. Walker, B. Aitken, BJ Services CompanySourceSPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 29 September2 October 2002, San Antonio, Texas Paper Number 77527-MS

Title Efficient Sand Cleanouts in Larger Wellbores Using Coiled Tubing: A New Approach Making an Old Problem Simple AuthorsMonica Ovesen, Manfred Sach, Lyle Laun, BJ Services; Gregory E. Gill, ConocoPhillips Norge; Henning Juel, Statoil ASA SourceSPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing Conference and Exhibition, 8-9 April 2003, Houston,
Paper Number 81727-MS

Removing sand or fill from wellbore

Cleanouts
A certain fluid velocity is needed to overcome particle settling,
Coiled tubing disadvantige with respect to solids transport: (can not have large flow rates, no rotation)

Tornado:
Upwards pointing jets Swirling flow (rotation always help on transport) Combined with advanced computer modelling for optimal solids transport

Removing sand or fill from wellbore

An alternative: Revers circulation vs normal circulation

Reverse ciruclation -> larger flow velocities upwards which helps on solids transport

Unloading a well with nitrogen

How to start production Nitrogen is pumped down the coil and reduces the BHP when it starts to enter the annulus. Oxygen not recommended since it is explosive

Logging
Check www.halliburton.com -> Search for coiled tubing logging Logging cable run inside the tubing Cement bond logging Production logging (find water entry points) Setting plugs and packers in deviated wells with pinpoint depth control (need to know where you are exactly)

Perforation
Possible to perforate live wells without need to kill the well Fire mechanism
Electric signals Pressure increase (drop ball mechanism)

After firing the gun string:

Can be retrived Dropped

Check www.slb.com

Stimulation/Perforations
www.halliburton.com->coiled tubing Cobra Frac Service Run animation (multimedia)

Coiled tubing drilling

Coiled tubing has been used for drilling wells Underbalanced wells (many of these in Canada)
Drilling with a bottomhole pressure lower than pore pressre => production during drilling Need addiotional barriers on surface + separation equipment

Overbalanced wells

Coiled tubing drilling - animation

Here a sidetrack is drilled by coiled tubing www.youtube.com-> coiled tubing drilling explanation For status on coiled tubing sidetracking:
Latest Developments and New Technology for Coiled-Tubing Sidetracking Applications IADC/SPE 112587 Garry Garfield and Gordon Mackenzie (Baker Hughes Incorporated) IADC/SPE Drilling Conference March 4-6, 2008

Coiled tubing drilling

Advantages:
Lower costs, Fast rig up/rig down Smaller footprint and weight Fast tripping time (no connections) Efficient pressure control -> for coiled tubing underbalanced drilling -> the flow and wellpressures are controlled by a choke and the hydrocarbons are sent for separation afterwards

Coiled tubing drilling

Challenges:
Low flowrates (cuttings transport)
This might not be a problem in an underbalanced well since production flow in the annulus will speed up cuttings transport

Not able to rotate

Not good for cuttings transport How should we steer ? How make hole (need rotation of bit)

Downhole Motor
A downhole motor which is driven by the flow rotates the bit. From conventional drilling
Motor Rotating steerable system

One rotary steerable system / Use of ribs

Use of Ribs, push the bit technology

BakerHughes

Moving ribs that controls the directional drilling during rotary drilling

Motor
Rotor/Stator Flow thorugh this enables rotation of the lower part

Possible to set a small angle for directional changes Two modes : X-treme pre-countoureded motor BakerHughes Rotary drilling (the whole string is rotated) Slide drilling (only the motor rotates, changing direction)

Downhole Motor
From JPT Online: 19 May 2009 in Drilling (DC) Baker Hughes Inteq won the 3rd Annual ICoTA Intervention Technology
Award for its Rib Steered Motor (RSM) for coiled-tubing directional drilling. The award, which recognizes the best and most innovative, value-adding applications of well intervention technology, was presented in April at the SPE/ICoTA 12th Well Intervention andCoiled Tubing Conference & Exhibition in The Woodlands,Texas.

Baker Hughes says that its RSM toolthe result of years of laboratory development and thousands of hours of drilling experience represents the next generation in coiled tubing and reentry drilling technology. The tool combines the proven borehole construction abilities of closed-loop rib steering technology with the drilling performance of the companys X-treme pre-contoured motors.

Potential growth areas!

From: An introduction to Coiled Tubing History, Applications and Benefits www.icota.com
CT Drilling Fracturing Subsea Deeper wells PipeLine/Flowline

Subsea - intervention
How to acess a subsea well:
Use a moving rig and connect with a riser Possible to enter subsea wells from boats with wireline (Riser less well interventions RLWI) A cooperation between AkerSolutions, Island Offshore & FMC

How to access subsea wells ?

New concept where small boats are used in combination with wireline

Future ??

Today

Coiled tubing for subsea intervention - development

Check out: www.slb.com -> Subsea->Rigless Subsea Well Intervention

Some references
www.slb.com www.halliburton.com www.bakerhughesdirect.com www.bjservices.com www.youtube.com www.icota.com www.welltec.com