Coiled Tubing

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Coiled Tubing
• Applications
• Equipment
• Operational Limits
• Pre-job planning
• Complications / Contingencies
• Nitrogen Applications

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Applications
• Paraffin and asphaltene cleanouts
• Sands and solid washing
• Formation stimulation (acidizing)
• Cementing
• Sand consolidation
• Milling
• Velocity strings
• Unloading wells and initiating production
• Underbalanced operations
• Fishing

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Coiled Tubing Equipment
• Tubing injector assembly
• Tubing guide arch
• Coiled tubing reel
• Hydraulic power drive unit
• Control console
• Well control equipment
• Bottom hole assembly
• Auxiliary equipment

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Equipment Lay Out

• Blind
• Shear
• Slip
• Pipe
• Stripper
assembly

• Quick connector

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Coiled Tubing Injector Assembly

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Injector assembly function
• Provide thrust to snub into the well against
wellbore pressure and friction
• Control tripping speed under various well
conditions
• Support tubing weight and acceleration loads
• Can be used to lock tubing in place
• Hydraulic pressure can be regulated to avoid
exceeding tubing limits

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Components
• Injector chain
– Two endless chains fitted with gripper blocks

• Gripper blocks
– Hold tubing on both sides
– Circumferential or V-block design

• Chain traction
– Hydraulically adjustable

• Load cell
– Hydraulic / electronic device at the bottom of
the injector
– Measures weight / thrust loads

Coiled tubing can be damaged if the gripper blocks are not

set properly
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Tubing Guide Arch
• Located directly above the injector assembly
• Guides coiled tubing from the reel into the injector
chains
• Controls the tubing bending radius
• Radius depends on the size of the coiled tubing
• Not designed to hold weight of the coiled tubing

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Coiled tubing reel
Coiled tubing storage and spooling device

Manual isolation
valve

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Coiled tubing reel
Coiled tubing storage and spooling device

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Coiled Tubing Reel
• Isolation valve allows pressure containment inside the reel / coil
• The high pressure swivel allows fluid to be pumped while the reel is being
rotated
• The level wind and spooler assembly ensures that that the tubing will leave the
spool in a straight line for the tubing guide arch and is retracted onto the reel
properly
• Depth measurement system (contained in the level wind unit) is typically a
wheel - drive counter device that measures the amount of coiled tubing
deployed or retrieved in the hole
• Hydraulic motor controls the reel rotation and tension to the guide arch

Coiled tubing and isolation valve are part of the well

control equipment
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Hydraulic Power Unit
• Operates all the coiled tubing unit components
• Typically equipped with diesel engines and
hydraulic pumps
• Designed for easy transport and rig up
• Typically contains well control closing unit
accumulator system

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Control Console

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Well Control Equipment Recommendations

• Use flanged connections between the tree and well

control equipment
• If threaded connections must be used, well control stack
and injector assembly should be secured to eliminate all
bending loads
• Elastomers should be compatible with fluid types and
temperature
• Always use OEM parts
• Ring joint gaskets should meet the requirements of API
Spec 6A and 16A

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Sour Environment
• Rams, stripper and riser must be NACE MR-01-75
certified if H2S or CO2 are present
• Service life of elastomers shortens rapidly as
temperature increases from 150oF to 200oF
• Elastomers should be changed out ASAP after exposure
to H2S under pressure

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Selection Criteria (Proposed API RP 16 ST)

Selection of well control equipment for a given Pressure Category (PC) is

based on
• MASP of the well
• Anticipated friction pressures thru the tubing if CT is sheared (in addition
to MASP)

• PC-0: MASP 0 psi

• PC-1: MASP range 1-1,500 psi
• PC-2: MASP range 1,501 – 3,500 psi
• PC-3: MASP range 3,501 – 7,500 psi
• PC-4: MASP range 7,501 – 12,500 psi

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Equipment Pressure Rating
PC MASP MAWP
0 0 3,000 psi
1 1 - 1,500 psi 3,000 psi

2 1,501 - 3,500 psi 5,000 psi

3 3,501 - 7,500 psi 10,000 psi

4 7,501 - 12,500 psi 15,000 psi

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Typical Components
• Stripper assembly
• Ram stack
– Blind rams
– Shear rams
– Kill line inlet
– Slip rams
– Pipe rams

• Flow cross (if taking returns through stack)

• Pipe rams (if taking returns through stack)
• Spacer spools and two - way sealing gate valve
• Flow check assembly
• Surface piping system
• Closing unit system

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Stripper Assembly
• Provides pressure seal around coiled
tubing during movement
• Seal achieved by applying regulated
pressure to the stripper packer inserts
• Max rated working pressure should be
equal to the rating of the ram stack
• Maximum clearance of 0.05” between
stripper ID and tubing OD

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Types Of Stripper Assembly
• Top entry stripper
• Side door stripper
• Radial stripper

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Top Entry Stripper
• Single circular or two semi-
circular elastomer seal
elements
• Wellbore pressure energized
assisting in effective seal
• Access to insert replacement is
from top
• Requires greater distance from
gripping chains compared to
other strippers
May increase risk of buckling
due to longer unsupported
length

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Side Door Stripper
• Easier access to the stripper packer
arrangement
• Top of stripper can be installed
closer to the injector head chains
• Less chances of buckling between
the chains and stripper
• In some models, hydraulic pressure
is applied from above the seal
elements resulting in minimal
wellbore pressure energizing
• In other models, hydraulic pressure
is applied from below and are
wellbore pressure energized

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Radial Stripper
• Similar in design to a pipe ram
• Visual indicator to indicate
piston’s position and to indicate
degree of wear
• Change of seal elements is
performed from the ram cavity
bore
• Typically used as backup in high
pressure applications

In higher pressure applications a tandem stripper

arrangement may be used. Upper stripper is used as
primary and lower stripper (radial) kept in reserve.
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Blind Rams
• Designed to seal off the wellbore at
surface with no coiled tubing in the
well.
• Holds pressure only from below
• Equalizing valves should be used
when opening the ram with differential
pressure to prevent damage to the
ram seal

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Shear Rams
• Mechanically cuts tubing
• Required shear pressure and shear
blade type should be known
• Blade design should be capable of
performing 2 or more cuts of the largest
OD and yield strength in use
• A test cut of the heaviest wall of the
specified size of coiled tubing in service
should be made prior to load out

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Shear Rams
• A test should also be performed when
running conductor cable and/or
concentric tube inside the coiled tubing
• Blades should be visually inspected
before each job and after each use
• The cut should leave the tubing ID as
close as possible to the original ID

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Slip Rams
• Used to support tubing weight to realign
injector chains or when shearing CT
• Unidirectional teeth accommodate both ‘pipe
light’ and ‘pipe heavy’ situations
• Slip rams are not pressure sealing rams
• Slips should be designed to minimize
damage to the coiled tubing

Closing the slip rams will damage the coiled tubing

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Pipe Rams
• Used to isolate wellbore annulus pressure
with a particular size of CT in the hole
• Intended to hold pressure from below
• Must hold differential pressure from above
with minimum leakage (caused by friction
while pumping down sheared CT)

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Surface piping system

• Surface piping system includes all piping, flow control

devices and connections subjected to well and / or
pump pressures
• Minimum surface piping should consist of a single
pump line and provisions for a kill line and a choke
line
• All components of the choke line and kill line piping
system should be as per API Spec 6A and Spec 16C
• All components of the pump line piping system should
be as per API Spec 6A

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Flow Cross

• Installed directly below ram

stack
• Flanged connections
• Pipe safety rams installed
directly below flow cross
• Riser (or spacer spools)
placed between flow cross
and X-mas tree, if necessary

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Choke Lines and Manifold
Proposed API 16ST
• For PC-1 conditions and above at
least 2 full opening valves are
recommended
• For PC-2 conditions and above at
least one valve should be remotely
controlled
• For PC-4 conditions, the adjustable
choke and adjacent valves should
be remotely controlled
• Line and valves should have
pressure rating at least equivalent to
the MAWP of ram stack
• No threaded connections allowed
• Minimum recommended size is 2” Chevron
Kill Line
Dual High
Press valves
BOP

Check
Valve
Bleed
Valve
PUMP

• Provides pumping path into sheared CT for circulation kill

• Flow cross should be used for taking returns from the well.
• Allows for pumping into annulus and keeps solids, debris, spent
acid out of ram stack

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BOP Arrangement for PC-0,1,2

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 BOP Arrangement for PC-3
• Should include shear-
blind safety rams
installed above tree
connections
• Consideration for
additional kill line
through flow cross

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 BOP Arrangement for PC-4
• Should include shear-
blind safety rams
installed above tree
connections
• Should include
additional kill line
through flow cross
• Consideration for using
tandem strippers

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Ram / Valve Pressure Test
• Recommended pressure test fluids – water and solids free liquids
• Low pressure test (200 – 300 psi) should be conducted prior to
high pressure test.
• Stable low pressure test should be maintained for at least 5
minutes
• Rams and valves should be tested to MASP (plus some safety
factor).
• Stable high test pressure should be maintained for at least 10
minutes
• Pressure testing should be performed upon initial rig up, following
any action that requires disconnecting a pressure seal or every 7
days.

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System Pressure Test
• Full body pressure integrity test
• Demonstrates the pressure integrity of the stripper
assembly, coiled tubing, stack connections and upper
barrier on the tree (2-way sealing valve)
• Does not require the actuation of rams
• Performed upon installation and following any action
that requires disconnecting a pressure seal in the well
control stack
• Low pressure and high pressure tests should be
performed as per the ram/valve pressure test guidelines

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Surface Piping System Pressure Test
• Recommended pressure test fluids – water and solids free liquids
• Low pressure test (200 – 300 psi) should be conducted prior to high
pressure test.
• Stable low pressure test should be maintained for at least 5 minutes
• Valves and flow control devices should be tested to MAOP or MASP
(plus some safety factor), whichever is greater
• Stable high test pressure should be maintained for at least 10
minutes
• Each valve in the choke line and kill line should be sequentially
function tested at each isolation point
• Pressure testing should be performed upon initial rig up, following
any action that requires disconnecting a pressure seal or every 7
days.

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Downhole Check Valve
• Flapper Type
• Ball Type

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Downhole Check-Valve Assembly
Recommended to install dual check valve sub
for redundancy except when operation
precludes its use (only identified exception is
reverse circulation)

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 Hydraulic Closing Unit
Typically mounted in the hydraulic power unit package

Components
• Control fluid reservoir
• Hydraulic charge pump
• Accumulator system for storage of fluid at
pressure
• Check valve maintains hydraulic pressure in
the event of HPU failure

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Accumulators
Accumulator bottles are pressure vessels
designed to store hydraulic fluid under pressure
for operation of the hydraulic system functions

Typical types of accumulators

• Bladder
• Piston

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Accumulator Design for CT
• Systems with a capacity of more than 11 gals shall be
designed so that the loss of an individual accumulator should
not result in more than 50% loss of total accumulator system
capacity
• Accumulator system consisting of a single accumulator with
capacity of 11 gal or less should have a manual hydraulic
supply as a backup

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Volumetric Requirement
The hydraulic system shall have a minimum accumulator
volume with pumps inoperative, so that there is enough
pressure to perform the close-open-close cycles and have
at least 200 psi above pre charge remaining in the system
– Close the slip rams
– Close the pipe rams
– Close the shear rams and shear the tubing
– Close all other well control stack rams
– Open all well control rams
– Close all well control stack rams

Detailed accumulator calculations must be done for every job.

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Accumulator pre-charge
• Pre-charge pressure serves to propel the hydraulic fluid stored
for operation of the hydraulic system functions
• Accumulators should only be pre-charged with nitrogen
because of combustible gases in hydraulic fluid
• Pre-charge should be checked and adjusted to within 100 psi
of the recommended pressure upon installation and should be
checked prior to start of operations on each well
• Pre-charge pressure test intervals should not exceed 60 days
• Accumulator pre-charge pressure can be checked only after
bleeding off the hydraulic system fluid
• Amount of pre-charge pressure depends on specific functional
requirements of the components and operating environment

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Accumulator Design
CT well control stack configuration and MASP may
change from job to job.

• CT vendor is responsible for confirming

accumulator performance for the specific stack
configuration and MASP

• Accumulator performance should be checked prior

to starting the operation

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Operational Loads and Limits

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Loads on Coiled Tubing
The coiled tubing string is exposed to different
loads that may include:
•Axial tension / Compression
•Burst
•Collapse
•Torque
•Buckling loads

Tubular integrity is critical for well control

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Factors Affecting CT Limits
• Coiled tubing dimensions
– Outside diameter
– Wall thickness(es)
– Ovality
o Ovality in the tubing greatly reduces the collapse pressure
rating.
o Tubing should be checked periodically (sometimes
continuously) to determine ovality.
o Tubing with ovality greater than 3% should be derated or
retired (API limit is 5%)
• Material yield strength
• Surface defects / accumulated damage

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CT Buckling Considerations
When applying thrust loads to CT, the tube geometry and
lateral support will determine whether buckling is likely to
happen
• Buckling concerns at surface
− Typically occurs between lowest fully supported
gripper block and the top of the stripper assembly
− Buckle failure will cause loss of pressure integrity and
mechanical control of the tubing string
− Typically requires emergency well control procedures
• Buckling concerns downhole
− Typically occurs when forces cause tubing to become
unstable and deflect to the ID of the wellbore
− If tubing forces exceed critical buckling load, tube will
mechanically fail. Downhole check valve barriers
may be lost.
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Coiled Tubing String Design
The design of the coiled tubing string may
provide for
• A single wall thickness over the entire length
• Segments of different wall thickness along the length
(internally tapered string design)

Wall thickness of the CT string must be known to

determine:
• Ability to run free point indicating tool within CT
• Ability to run cutting tools within CT
• Frictional pressure loss predictions for circulation kill
programs
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Bend Cycle Fatigue Issues
In all CT operations the tubing string is subjected
to plastic deformation which dramatically reduces
the service life of the string

Factors affecting bend cycle fatigue include:

• Tubing dimensions (OD and wall thickness)
• Material yield strength
• Internal pressure (Ballooning effect)
• Bend radii
• Surface defects

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Bending Cycles

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Coiled Tubing Fatigue

Plastic failure
Plastic
Yield
Elastic
Stress (psi)

Strain (in/in)

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Bend Cycle Fatigue Issues

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Coiled Tubing Management
• CT vendor must employ a tubing management
program which tracks bend cycle fatigue and
remaining service life of the CT string
• CT string design must be sufficient to perform
the prescribed service with expected wellbore
pressures and tubing force loads
• WSM should obtain graph of remaining CT
cycle life from vendor prior to initiating
operation

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Coiled Tubing Planning

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Pre-job Planning
• Planning meeting attended by all concerned
groups to establish objectives of job
• Research of well history and well construction
components
• Pre-job wellsite visit to check wellhead
components, CT interface connection,
equipment placement and logistics
• Wireline work to establish BHP, flow profile,
fluids and temperature if required
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Pre-job Planning
• Determine workover fluid
– Formation damage
– Susceptibility to losses
– Bridging agents on location for gas wells
• Determine kill weight density fluid
– Compatibility with workover fluid
– Ability to blend on location
• Detailed well program

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Pre-job Planning
• Selection, arrangement, inspection and
testing of well control equipment
including:
–Shear ram testing (if required)
–Confirming accumulator size
• Site specific considerations and Hazop
moving in/out and rigging up/down.

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Pre-job Planning
• Design circulation system so that hydrocarbon returns
can be confined
• Obtain and record all information needed to fill out a kill
sheet
– Determine frictional pressure losses for workover fluid
– Determine likely kill technique for the proposed operation
– Obtain actual properties of emergency kill fluid (WBM, OBM) and
determine frictional pressure losses at a given pump rate
– Determine TVD elevation for kill weight fluid density to keep well
static after rigging down CT well control stack

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Emergency Well Control Operations
Contingency Planning

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Contingency Planning
Action plans for emergency situations should be
developed, discussed and documented by operator,
CT vendor and other service companies associated
with the job.

Emergency situations include:

• CT leak between reel and injector
• CT leak between injector and stripper
• CT parted between reel and injector
• CT buckled between injector and stripper
• Leak between tree and well control stack
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Leak in CT Between Reel and Injector

• Stop CT movement within the injector

• Stop pumps
• Assess the problem to determine proper course of action
(Depends upon fluid in the tubing)
• Check for continued flow at leak in CT
− If no flow, POOH with CT
− If flow continues, determine if CT may be safely retrieved.
− If CT is not retrievable, implement emergency well control procedure

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Leak in CT Between Reel and Injector
General emergency well control procedure:
• Close slip rams
• Close pipe rams
• Manually lock slip and pipe rams at earliest safe
opportunity
• Cut CT with shear rams and open shear rams
• Pull coiled tubing above blind rams (do not pull above the
stripper assembly)
• Close blind rams and manually lock
• Implement designated well kill technique if necessary

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Leak in CT Between Injector and Stripper

• Stop CT movement within the injector

• Stop pumps
• Assess the problem to determine proper course of action
• Check for continued flow at leak in CT
− If no flow, determine if CT may be safely retrieved
− If flow continues, determine if CT may be safely moved down
(below the stripper)
ƒ If CT can be moved, RIH and position leak between stripper and
pipe ram. Kill well with designated circulation technique
ƒ If CT is not movable, implement emergency well control
procedure

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Leak in CT Between Injector and Stripper
Emergency well control procedure:
• Close slip rams
• Close pipe rams
• Manually lock slip and pipe rams at earliest safe
opportunity
• Cut CT with shear rams and open shear rams
• Pull coiled tubing above blind rams (do not pull above the
stripper assembly)
• Close blind rams and manually lock
• Implement designated well kill technique

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CT Parts Between Injector and Reel

• Stop CT movement within the injector

• Stop pumps
• Set reel brake and secure CT
• Assess the problem to determine proper course of action
• Check for continued flow at break in CT
− If no flow, determine if CT may be safely retrieved
− If flow continues or CT is not retrievable, implement emergency
well control procedure

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CT Parts Between Injector and Reel
Emergency well control procedure:
• Close slip rams
• Close pipe rams
• Manually lock slip and pipe rams at earliest safe
opportunity
• Cut CT with shear rams and open shear rams
• Pull coiled tubing above blind rams (do not pull above the
stripper assembly)
• Close blind rams and manually lock
• Implement designated well kill technique

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CT Buckles Between Injector and Stripper
Indications:
• CT movement stops abruptly
• Pump pressure spike
• Severe fluid leak near stripper assembly
Solution
• Set injector brake (do not attempt to move CT)
• Stop pumps (if not shut-down already)
• Assess the problem to determine proper course of action
If SBR is installed above the tree connection:
• Check for flow at CT buckle point
− If no flow, determine how CT may be safely retrieved
− If flow is observed, close SBR

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CT Buckles Between Injector and Stripper
If flowing through CT and no SBR is installed above the tree connection:
Possible solutions to regain well control:
• Close slip rams
• Close pipe rams
• Manually lock slip and pipe rams at earliest safe opportunity
• Cut CT with shear rams and open shear rams
• Pull coiled tubing above blind rams (Can this be done?)
– If so, close blind rams and manually lock
– If not, open slip and pipe rams in hope that CT will fall below the tree valves

Recommend SBR in high pressure operations

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Leak Between Tree and Well Control Stack

• Stop CT movement within the injector

• Assess the problem to determine proper course of action
• Determine if CT may be safely retrieved
− If so, retrieve CT and shut-in well at the swab valve
− If not, determine if well can be safely killed
ƒ If well can be safely killed, pump down CT and annulus
simultaneously to kill the well
ƒ If well can not be safely killed, prepare for emergency “shear
and drop” procedure

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Leak Between Tree and Well Control Stack

Emergency “shear and drop” procedure:

• Close slip rams
• Cut CT with shear rams and open shear rams
• Pull coiled tubing above blind rams (do not pull above the
stripper assembly)
• Close blind rams and manually lock
• Open slip rams and allow CT to fall below the tree
• Shut-in the well with swab valve

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CT Parted Downhole
Indications:
• Decrease in pump pressure
• Decrease in tubing weight
Possible Actions:
• Bullhead down CT and flow cross with kill fluid (if available)
• POOH with CT, be prepared to close swab valve
• If wellhead pressure becomes critical due to pipe light
condition, implement shear and drop procedure

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Leaking Stripper Assembly
• Stop CT movement
• Increase hydraulic stripper assembly pressure (not to
exceed maximum pressure)
• If the stripper continues to leak, close and lock slip rams
• Close and lock pipe rams
• Bleed surface pressure and bleed closing pressure off
stripper element
• Replace worn or damaged stripper assembly
components

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Leaking Stripper Assembly
• Line up pump to kill line
• Conduct “post repair” pressure test
− Pump into kill line against the stripper and closed pipe ram

− A slight drop in pressure may occur if the pressure differential

across the pipe ram is excessive

• Equalize the pressure across the pipe rams

• Unlock and open the slip rams and pipe rams
• Pick up CT to observe slip ram marks
− If damage is minimal, continue with operation

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Collapsed CT – Short string
Indications:
• Inability to continue pumping down the CT
• Inability to POOH (past the stripper)

Potential Actions:
• Kill well by pumping down the annulus through the flow cross.
(Stripper and pipe rams will not work on collapsed pipe)
• Remove pressure from stripper element and remove brass bushings
• POOH slowly adjusting chain pressure to the orientation of the
collapsed CT

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Collapsed CT – Long String
Same as shallow case (after killing the well) except:
• Remove the injector
• Perform a “pull-cut-pull” operation with crane or
drawworks and collapsed tubing clamps

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CT Run Away (Into Well)
CT is pulled into the well under its own weight due
to insufficient chain grip.

Possible Solution
• Speed up injector to match the descending CT
and increase inside chain tension to increase
friction on CT.
• Increase stripper pressure to increase friction on
the CT.

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CT Run Away (Into Well)
Possible Solutions
• If run away is hydraulic (not traction) reduce injector
hydraulic pressure to zero to set injector brake.
• If close to TD, CT may fall to bottom. If so, repair
equipment and attempt to recover CT.
LAST RESORT (if insufficient CT to reach TD)
• Apply all other measures to slow the CT, close the slip
rams to physically grab the CT string. (Both CT and rams
will be damaged)

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Tubing Run Away (Out of Hole)
Upthrust due to wellbore pressure exceeds CT
weight and injector gripper-to-CT friction.

Possible Solutions
• Speed up injector to match the CT speed and increase inside chain tension to
increase friction on CT.
• Increase stripper pressure to increase friction on the CT.
• Increase reel pressure (to increase reel speed) to keep up with CT coming out
of the well
• If control of CT is not established, close the slip rams (Both CT and rams will
be damaged)
• Prepare to close swab valve if CT comes out of stripper assembly. Be aware of
the BHA length.

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Birdnesting

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