DOWNHOLE CONTROL: The key to CTD efficiency

1. Staying on track

Coiled Tubing Drilling (CTD) requires greater down-hole depth accuracy. Two goals must be attained
so that it can reach utmost (correlated) depth accuracy in drilling:

a. Errors in tubing measurement must be minimised.

b. Discrepancies in target depth must be eliminated.

Based on the famous wire line company, Schlumberger, they suggest that, drillers can minimize the
depth discrepancies using gamma ray and casing collar locator sensors. The depth discrepancies are
usually caused by buckling of Coiled tubing as it is pushed into the wellbore. The Gamma ray sensors
of the VIPER system can recognize the formations or horizons within them, for reliable depth
correlation. As for the casing collar locator sensor, it is useful during re-entry drilling for accurate
depth control.

The VIPER system uses gamma ray and casing collar sensors to check its position within the well.

The natural Gamma ray module measures the amount of gamma radiations occurring naturally within
the formations crossed by a borehole. The tools gamma ray sensor can be used for geological
correlation. This will allows a simple form of geosteering to increase the accuracy of the well path.
The gamma ray sensor also can be used to recognize marker formations and aid depth correlation.

The casing collar locator (CCL) is a magnetic device sensitive to changes of metal thickness at casing
or tubing collar. It is always run in steel cased boreholes to detect the position of casing collars. It is
mainly used for depth control and depth correlation.
BUILT-IN BENEFITS OF CTD

Model of CTD

1. Underbalanced drilling

The most important benefit to CTD is the ability to work with surface pressure while flowing
the produced fluids and continuously pumping when tripping in and out of the hole. This will
maintain underbalanced conditions on the formation, thus reducing the formation damage and
increase drilling penetration rate.

2. Quicker trip times

CT drilled boreholes have been shown to be less expensive than rotary-drilled wells, both
from a cost per well and cost per barrel perspective. This can be proved by the CTD program in
Alaska which is the most successful continuous CTD program in the world to date. The quicker trip
times allow for lower cost-penetrations when multiple trips and encountering unexpected geological
formation changes need operational flexibility and increase the potential for changing the target.

3. Fully contained well pressure

CTD operations are usually performed with fully contained well pressure via the well control
stack, including a lubricator and upper stripper of hydraulic pack off.

4. Managed pressure drilling

The ability to work with surface pressure gives a unique advantage to the CTD process. Once
the BHA is pressure utilized, there is no need to strip connection through a rotary BOP stripper. This
capability, together with reduced pipe handling, helps increase the operations safety and reduces the
risk of spills.

5. Potentially fewer service personnel are needed.

Generally speaking, CTD operations need fewer service personnel because of the reduction in
pipe-handling requirements. This helps lower the cost of the well on a daily basis, which is really
needed in this downturn era.

*the benefits of VIPER system.

The VIPER system is an integral part of the CTD system. It can work in a wide range of
temperatures and pressures, its sensors can resist the high shock environment encountered at the bit.

The orienting tool will bring the highest benefits to the CTD process. The orientation of the
tool can be continuously adjusted to allow well paths to be drilled to closer distances. Continuous
rotation of the VIPER BHA (VIPER bottomhole assembly) adds a rotary capability to improve
drilling operation and the control over the well path. By integrating the BHA into the CTD process,
the efficiency of the whole drilling operations has been optimized.
CONCLUSION

Coiled Tubing drilling has been used effectively for over 20 years in the oil industry and in
order to meet changing industry demands, the technology itself has been improving. The most
important factor of CTD, depth accuracy, has been improved from time to time and has allowed more
depth critical jobs to perform with grater operator and client confidence. Without the right
combination of drilling, logging, well engineering, testing and software skills, no Coiled Tubing
operation could succeed. For under balanced or just-balanced drilling, through tubing drilling or
conventional slimhole re-entry, the CTD technique can be the alternative to conventional drilling.
CTD is known for its speed and ability to drill reservoirs in an underbalanced condition and reducing
drilling times between 30% to 60% compared with conventional jointed pipe drilling rigs.

As CTD technology improves and its benefits are more widely recognized, the range of drilling
operations conducted with CTD look certain to increase.

Coiled tubing drilling machine

REFERENCES

Websites/ internet:

1. www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/mearr/wer21/coiled_oil.pdf
2. http://energyresources.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/article.aspx?articleid=1694204
3. https://www.onepetro.org/download/conference-paper/SPE-74833-MS?id=conference-paper
%2FSPE-74833-MS
4. http://petrowiki.org/Coiled_tubing_drilling
5. https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/SPE-74833-MS

Books:

6. Hatala, R., Olanson, M., and Davis, P. 1995. Canadian Coiled Tubing Horizontal Drilling:
Technology And Applications. J Can Pet Technol 34 (6). PETSOC-95-06-
01. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/95-06-01.

7. Coiled Tubing Technology: Changing Well-Servicing Techniques and Economics. 1994. Morgan
Stanley U.S. Investment Research, 6.