WINDOW MILLING TOOL DEVELOPMENT FOR COILED

TUBING DRILLING
R.TURLEY B.BOGIC

this article begins on the next page

THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY

PAPER
97-74
Window Milling Tool Development
for Coiled Tubing Drilling'
R. Turley, B. Bogic
Canadian Fracmaster
Ltd.
This paper is to be presented at the 48th Annual Technical Meeting of The Petroleum Society in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 8 - 11,
1997. Discussion of this paper is invited and may be presented at the meeting if filed in writing with the technical program chairman prior
to the conclusion of the meeting. This paper and any discussion filed will be considered for publication in CIM journals. Publication rights
are reserved. This is a pre-print
and is subject to correction.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
In order to optimize production from existing wells, it is
often desirable to re-enter the wells and, after milling a
Re-entering existing wells to drill a side track out of the
window in the well casing, sidetrack the well into
better
original
wellbore
is
often
an
effective
technique
for
reservoir rock.
Combining
these
re-entry
techniques
with
revitalizing older producing wells and fields. Frequently, the
the industry's growing interest in underbalanced and
coiled
side-tracked
well
may
be
drilled
in
an
underbalanced
tubing drilling
necessitated
the
development
of
an
condition to minimize the impact of the drilling operation on
improved window milling system for use on coiled tubing.
partially depleted or sensitive reservoirs. The
use of coiled
tubing, rather than conventional drilling or
servicing
rigs
to
An
evaluation
was
completed
on
the
conventional
drill the underbalanced section of the re-entry, has several
window milling tools available. The
evaluation
revealed
a
advantages
which
have
been
well
documented
in
other
number of obstacles for coiled tubing drilling applications.
papers.
It was decided that afresh approach to window milling
was
required and the development of tools to be run specifically
Even where it is desirable to use a coiled tubing unit to
on coiled tubing was initiated.
drill
the
underbalanced
section,
however,
it
has
been
common practice
to
use
a
conventional
rig
to
set
a
This paper will discuss the
successful
development
of
whipstock and n-till a window in the wen casing for the recoiled tubing window milling tools for use in 114.3 mm
and
entry. The potential to use the coiled tubing drilling rig to do
139.7 mm casing. It will also discuss bench tests and field
all of the workover operations on a re-entry well is quite
trials of the window milling system which
demonstrate
the
attractive, particularly where the remoteness of the well site
viability of the tools and methodology.
would require a large expenditure to move on a conventional
service rig solely to cut the window.
74-1

PAPER 9774

Window Milling Tool Development

for Coiled Tubing Drilling'

R. Turley, B. Bogie
Canadian Fracmaster Ltd.

This paper is to be presented at the 48th Annual Technical Meeting of The Petroleum Society in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 8 - 11,
1997. Discussion of this paper is invited and may be presented at the meeting if filed in writing with the technical program chairman prior
to the conclusion of the meeting. This paper and any discussion filed will be considered for publication in elM journals. Publication rights
are reserved. This is a pre-print and is subject to correction.

ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION

In order to optimize production from existing wells, it is

often desirable to re-enter the wells and, after milling a
window in the well casing, sidetrack the well into better
reservoir rock. Combining these re-entry techniques with
the industry's growing interest in underbalanced and coiled
tubing drilling
necessitated the development of an
improved window milling system for use on coiled tubing.

Re-entering existing wells to drill a side track out of the

original wellbore is often an effective technique for
revitalizing older producing wells and fields. Frequently, the
side-tracked well may be drilled in an underbalanced
condition to minimize the impact of the drilling operation on
partially depleted or sensitive reservoirs. The use of coiled
tubing, rather than conventional drilling or servicing rigs to
drill the underbalanced section of the re-entry, has several
advantages which have been well documented in other
papers. 1,2,3

An evaluation was completed on the conventional

window milling tools available. The evaluation revealed a
number of obstacles for coiled tubing drilling applications.
It was decided that a fresh approach to window milling was
required and the development of tools to be run specifically
on coiled tubing was initiated.

Even where it is desirable to use a coiled tubing unit to

drill the underbalanced section, however, it has been
common practice to use a conventional rig to set a
whipstock and mill a window in the well casing for the reentry. The potential to use the coiled tubing drilling rig to do
all of the workover operations on a re-entry well is quite
attractive, particularly where the remoteness of the well site
would require a large expenditure to move on a conventional
service rig solely to cut the window.

This paper will discuss the successful development of

coiled tubing window milling tools for use in 114.3 mm and
139.7 mm casing. It will also discuss bench tests and field
trials of the window milling system which demonstrate the
viability ofthe tools and methodology.

74-1

~------_.-

A common approach to window milling with a

conventional rotary drilling or servicing rig is to first set a
whipstock anchor packer, orient and land the whipstock on
the packer and mill a window by running a sequence of
casing mills. The milling sequence will begin with a tapered
starter mill which kicks off the whipstock to initiate an
opening in the casing. The starter mill is then followed with
a window opening mill and possibly a reamer mill to polish
the window opening. This process includes up to four runs
in and out of the well.

The initial project design parameters were to:

a) develop a system capable of milling a slot
approximately 2.5 m to 3.0 m in length in 139.7
mm well casing, using yard tests and field trials.
b) minimize tripping time by developing a coil tubing
window milling system that would require no more
than two trips into the well.
c) develop milling capabilities for 139.7 mm OD
casing weights of 20.83 kg/m, 23.07 kg/m, and
25.30kg/m.
d) following tests in uncemented casing, run the final
milling tests on cemented casing in all 3 weights.

The design of the CT window milling system included

plans to restrict the number of trips into the well. On the
first trip, the whipstock is carried and seated in the packer
with the starter mill, on the second trip, a window opening
mill is run in combination with a reaming mill.

Further project goals were to be capable of completing

a window in 139.7 mm OD casing in early 1996 as part of
an actual re-entry program, and to adapt the milling system
to 114.3 rom OD and ultimately 177.8 rom OD casings.

Another variable that differentiates rotary and coiled

tubing drilling is the torque available at the bit in the casing
sizes of 114.3 and 139.7 mm casings. For example, a
commonly available low speed I high torque downhole
motor that would be used for milling in 139.7 mm OD
casing is an 95.3 mm OD, 7 - 8 lobe, 3 stage motor which
develops a maximum torque of 1211 Nm and 126 rpm at a
maximum circulation rate of 0.58 m3/min. In comparison,
the practical planned torque limitation for a mill run on 73
mm 9.5 kg/m EUB tubing is the recommended make up
torque for the tubing: 2235 Nm, and higher torque can be
tolerated at the expense of over torquing the tubing
connections. The coiled tubing system therefore had to be
designed to minimize the potential for stalling out the motor.

The project identified the following components for

design review to confirm their compatibility and the
requirements for a coiled tubing conveyed system:
a) whipstock
b) starter mill guide block
c) starter mill
d) window mill
e) window reamer
f) whipstock retrieving tool
In order to minimize the number of trips into the well, it
was desirable to continue the common rotary rig practice of
carrying the whipstock into the well on the starter mill to
seat on a previously set packer. Rather than relying on the
coiled tubing to absorb sufficient rotation to allow the
whipstock to fall into the seating slot on the packer, a
swiveling nose had to be developed for the starter mill to
permit free rotation of the whipstock as it is seated.

Conventional milling systems were used as a starting

point for developing a coiled tubing conveyed system.
Adapting the available whipstock and milling systems for
use with coiled tubing, which can not be rotated however,
required slight modifications of the whipstock running tools
and widow cutting mills.

One of the project goals was to develop a less

aggressive, lower torque creating, cutting structure for
coiled tubing conveyed window mills, and to bench test the
mills to confirm their torque creation characteristics before
the system was implemented in the field.

WINDOW MILLING TOOL DEVELOPMENT

PROJECT

In 1995, in order to better serve the petroleum

industry's growing interest in the re-entry of existing
wellbores using coiled tubing short radius drilling
techniques and to meet the need for underbalanced drilling,
Canadian Fracmaster Ltd. established a milling tool
development project. The express goal of that project was to
develop a reliable, cost effective and commercially
available, coiled tubing retrievable window milling system
for 139.7 rom OD casing by the end of 1995.

MILLING TOOLS DESIGN

While coiled tubing is relatively easy to trip in and out

of a well, it is none the less desirable to minimize the
number of trips required for a milling operation. It was
decided to stick with a two trip system consisting of a
combination whipstock landing I starter mill run followed by
a single window milling I reaming run.
After a series of tests and revisions that lasted from
August through December 1995, the tool string ultimately

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