Overview: Coiled-Tubing Applications (June 2005)

Abstract

Having been involved in coiled-tubing (CT) technology for many more years than I care to admit, it is interesting to see how much has changed during the last quarter century. Improvements in CT manufacturing, materials, equipment design, and computerized monitoring, as well as a better understanding of CT mechanics, set the stage for rapid growth and acceptance of CT as a viable and versatile oilfield tool. I firmly believe that, following this initial technology surge, the advent of various knowledge-/experience-sharing conferences and joint-industry projects, focused solely on CT technology and needs, have accelerated this CT “revolution.” The first technology-transfer gatherings I recall attending were the HydraRig-sponsored forums beginning in 1989 through the World Oil CT conferences beginning in 1993. There also were several other public and intercompany events offering forums for CT pundits during the 1990s. In 1996, recognizing the need to share ideas on a larger scale, the Intl. Coiled Tubing Assn. (ICoTA) introduced its roundtable conferences. ICoTA soon teamed with SPE to bring us what is now considered the premier CT technology-transfer forum. This year, estimated attendance at the 2005 SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing Conference and Exhibition was 880—up 100 from last year—not including an additional 57 Texas A&M U. students we “graying” technologists were happy to welcome. As I was reviewing papers from recent SPE and SPE/ICoTA conferences for this month’s feature on CT technology, it became apparent to me just how much the focus of the CT conference papers has changed. It seems to me that most early-conference papers centered around CT mechanics—on why CT behaves the way it does and predicting when it will break—and around successful CT jobs for any number of applications. Recent offerings focus more on mainstream issues and what I call CT exploitation. - Reducing the cost and extending the market for CT drilling services. - Improving operational and safety efficiency. - Discussing successful CT programs. - Delivering solutions to complex problems in areas lacking economically viable alternatives. And, of course, there still are the ubiquitous novel and unique thought-provoking sub-jects the innovative CT community is known for. Additional Coiled-Tubing Applications Technical Papers Available at the SPE eLibrary: www.spe.org SPE 92513 Underbalanced Coiled-Tubing Drilling: Update on a Successful Campaign SPE 94058 Some New Developments Applicable to Coiled Tubulars SPE 94159 World’s First Utilization of Coiled Tubing to Dissolve Hydrate(s) in an FPSO Riser: Case History SPE 94102 An Effective Sweep-Cleaning of Large Deviated Wellbores Using Small Coiled-Tubing Systems SPE 90558 Effect of Coiled-Tubing Curvature on Friction-Pressure Loss of Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids—Experimental and Simulation Study