Product Sales Bulletin

COILED TUBING
Tornado Nozzle TM

SERVICES
PRODUCTS
AND

BJ Services specifically developed its Tornado coiled tubing nozzle as part of an improved process for
well cleanout operations. Used in conjunction with BJ’s exclusive Tornado Pro job design software, this
novel process provides a highly effective means for removing sand and similar fill material from deviated
or horizontal wellbores.

BJ’s Tornado coiled tubing nozzle is specifically designed for deviated and horizontal well cleanouts.

Current approaches to the problem

• Large diameter coil
• Higher flow rates

Many of the practical choices for polymer-based cleanout fluids exhibit shear thinning. As a result,
particles cannot stay suspended indefinitely and settle to form an equilibrium bed on the low side of the
hole, especially in the highly eccentric annular flow encountered in deviated coiled tubing cleanouts.
Unfortunately, because fluids with good particle suspension properties have poor particle re-entrainment
characteristics once an equilibrium bed has formed, most polymer systems tend to “slide” over the
settled sand bed, leaving large volumes of sand or fill in the wellbore.

The current approaches to remove these beds involve seeking out even more exotic/costly fluids or
using higher flow rates (which dictate larger diameter coiled tubing). Neither of these approaches
ensures complete fill removal in every case.

BJ’s solution
• Avoids larger diameter coiled tubing
• Uses smaller volumes of fluid
• Allows easy-to-follow field procedures

Rather than focusing on finding a cleanout fluid with perfect particle suspension capability (or, even more
challenging, finding a fluid with adequate suspension properties and near-perfect re-entrainment
capability), BJ researchers investigated physical methods for re-entraining particles that have settled into
beds. The result of their efforts is a jetting nozzle with switchable forward and backward facing jets. By
selecting the backward facing jets and controlling pull-out-of-hole speed (at rates determined by BJ’s
associated particle transport software), the settled sand bed can be “swept” out of the hole with near
100% efficiency.

B J S E R V I C E S C O M P A N Y
 Product Sales Bulletin
COILED TUBING
Tornado Nozzle TM

SERVICES
PRODUCTS
AND

How the Tornado coiled tubing nozzle works

The Tornado nozzle diverts the flow of jetting fluid in either direction. BJ coiled tubing operators use the
forward facing jets to break-up and fluidize compacted fill while running in and then cycle to the backward
facing jets to efficiently “sweep” fill from the low side of the well while pulling out of hole.

Engineering algorithms embedded in BJ’s software calculate how fast the coil can be run into the fill and
how quickly the coil can be “swept” back up the well. Running in too fast deposits large sand beds
behind the nozzle that are difficult to remove completely. Pulling up too fast bypasses sand beds and
leaves fill behind. With BJ software-based job planning, effective fill removal is assured.

SM SM
Tornado Nozzle Cleanout Process Tornado Nozzle Cleanout Process

Forward Cleaning Excess Sand Transported Forward Cleaning

to Surface
Mode: Mode:
Equilib
rium
Sand
Bed
Sand

Fluidized Sand
Leading Edge

1 2
of Sand Bed

SM
Tornado Nozzle Cleanout Process

Backward Cleaning
Mode:
Equil
ibrium
S an d
Bed

Eroding

3
Sand Bed

The Tornado nozzle and precise job procedures determined by BJ software calculations can effectively
remove sand beds from the low side of the well.

Benefits of Tornado technology

• Greatly reduces time required for more challenging well cleanouts
• Removes virtually 100% of the fill material
• Boosts production while increasing the intervals between cleanouts
• Protects against stuck coil by avoiding sand compacting behind the jetting nozzles

B J S E R V I C E S C O M P A N Y
The above features and/or data are supplied solely for informational purposes and BJ Services Company makes no guarantees or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to their accuracy or use. All product warranties and
guarantees shall be governed by the BJ Services Company standard at the time of sale or delivery of service. Actual product performance or availability depends on the timing and location of the job, the type of job and the particular characteristics
of each job. This document is controlled by the reference date. To ensure that this is the current version, please reference the Services section of the BJ Services Website (www.bjservices.com) or ask your BJ representative.

4/27/01