Section 130

ARCO COILED TUBING SERVICES MANUAL

Rev A - 98

CT STRING MAINTENANCE

Contents Page

Introduction .................................................................................................... 2
1 CT STRING MAINTENANCE ......................................................................... 2
2 CT STRING DAMAGE AND DEFECTS .......................................................... 3
2.1 Cracks ................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Pitting.................................................................................................. 4
2.3 Abrasion .............................................................................................. 4
2.4 Mechanical Damage ............................................................................ 5
2.5 CT String Geometry ............................................................................ 6
2.6 String Damage Assessment ................................................................ 6
3 CT STRING WELDING ................................................................................... 7
3.1 Weld Related Problems ....................................................................... 7
4 CT STRING STORAGE .................................................................................. 8

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 Section 130
COILED TUBING SERVICES MANUAL
Rev A - 98 CT STRING MAINTENANCE
Introduction
There are several conditions which may effect CT string
reliability as a direct result of inadequate care and attention
being (maintenance). In the majority of cases, the conse-
quences are not immediate, but instead will lead to a rapid
worsening of condition (e.g., accelerated fatigue) ultimately
leading to string failure significantly before predicted or
anticipated.
The principal objectives of pre- and post-job maintenance
procedures is to:
• Prevent or control internal and external surface corrosion
which may effect string performance.
• Prevent restrictions to the workstring drift diameter.
1 CT STRING MAINTENANCE
The variety of applications and fluids to which a CT string
may be exposed is considerable. To aid in determining the
action to be taken, recommendations for postjob mainte-
nance are grouped as follows:
• Noncorrosive fluids.
• Cement and particulate materials.
• Acid or corrosive fluids.
• Cold weather precautions.
• Wireline reels.
Noncorrosive Fluids
On completion of an operation, fluids that are potentially
corrosive are flushed from the CT string. The flushing fluid
should be clean, fresh water or the best available alterna-
tive. The recommended minimum volume of fluid that
should be flushed through the string is 1.5 times the string
volume.
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If possible, the string should then be blown through with
nitrogen. In addition to removing potentially corrosive
fluids, displacing the string with nitrogen substantially
reduces the weight of the reel. This will aid in the handling
of skid-mounted reels and reduce the effect of impact loads
on the reel bearings and structure.
The use of a foam pig is recommended to increase the
efficiency of the nitrogen displacement. This is especially
effective where nitrogen gas bottles are used, because the
initial displacement rate is very low and a considerable
slippage of fluid will take place around the reel. Confirma-
tion must be made that the pig has passed from the tubing.
Cement and Particulate Materials
The removal of cement and particulate materials is impor-
tant for two principal reasons:
• To avoid a restriction on the low side of the reel, formed
by settling material.
• Solid materials which have settled can interfere with the
operation of downhole equipment on subsequent opera-
tions.
Flushing the string as described above should ensure that
the reel is free from internal buildup or restriction. However,
the flushing should be conducted at as high a rate as is
practical. The water leaving the reel should be inspected to
check for continued contamination. The addition of a gelling
or slicking agent. As above, the minimum volume should be
1.5 times the volume of the string. Displacing the string with
nitrogen is then recommended.
Acid and Corrosive Fluids
Following an operation involving acid or corrosive fluids, a
pill of neutralizing solution should be pumped through the
string. Typically, the pill will be a solution of soda ash or
caustic (depending on availability) and should be at least
one half the volume of the string. A commonly used
formulation is 50 lb soda ash in 10 BBL clean water. This
should then be followed by the flushing and displacement
procedures described above.
When a neutralizing or passivating solution is flushed
through the reel, consideration must be given to the
appropriate disposal of the waste fluid.
 COILED TUBING SERVICES MANUAL Section 130
ARCO CT STRING MAINTENANCE Rev A - 98

Cold Weather Precautions Damage to CT strings can be broadly classified as follows:

Ice plugs can easily form and cause a restriction in a CT • Cracks

string during cold weather. Considerable damage can be
caused, up to and including a rupture, if the weather
conditions are severe.
To prevent this, the flushing and purging process should be
completed to obtain as dry a string as is practical. A foam
pig displaced with nitrogen is recommended. If conditions
require, a quantity of antifreeze solution should be pumped
behind the pig prior to nitrogen displacement. This should
ensure that any liquids left in the string as a result of
slippage will be freeze protected.
2 CT STRING DAMAGE AND DEFECTS
Damage and defects can have a significant effect on the
performance of a CT string. However, there are currently no
“industry accepted” guidelines regarding acceptance or
rejection criteria for CT strings with damage. Similarly,
there are no agreed de-rating factors with which a safe early
retirement of the CT string could be planned.
• Pitting
• Abrasion
• Mechanical damage
• Geometry
2.1 Cracks
Cracks are generally regarded as a serious form of defect
since the stresses applied to a CT string in normal use can
only make the defect worse. Once initiated, cracks can
propagate relatively quickly, jeopardizing the safety and
reliability of the string. Consequently, it is common for any
string section identified with cracks to be removed and
repaired.
The majority of cracks are caused by fatigue (fatigue
cracks) and are often wrongly identified as pinholes when
the crack has penetrated the wall thickness.

Transverse crack
Longitudinal crack

Angled crack

Figure 1. CT string defects - cracks.

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 Section 130
COILED TUBING SERVICES MANUAL
Rev A - 98 CT STRING MAINTENANCE
Three crack “modes” are recognized for detection pur-
poses:
• Transverse cracks - Run around the circumference of the
tube. Transverse cracks can grow very quickly due to the
stress applied to the tube when bending. This form of
crack is the most common defect identified in used CT
string.
• Longitudinal cracks - Run along the axis of the tube. These
are less common but may propagate rapidly to form a split
in the tube under severe stress.
• Angled cracks - Not a common configuration but typically
associated with a bias weld.
2.2 Pitting
Pits are typically associated with localized corrosion which
can occur on the internal and external surfaces of the tube.
A variation of internal pitting is associated with damage to
the longitudinal weld bead (Figure 2):
• External - Resulting from contact with corrosive treatment
fluid or wellbore fluids, atmospheric corrosion or a com-
bination of each.
Internal pitting
External pitting
Figure 2. CT string defects - pitting.
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• Internal - Resulting from exposure to improperly inhibited
corrosive treatment fluids, or (more commonly) failure to
adequately flush or passivate the internal surface before
storage.
• Weld bead - The weld bead can provide a protective site
for the initialization and rapid progression of localized
corrosion.
2.3 Abrasion
Damage resulting from abrasion or round dents typically
effect string performance as a result of reduced wall
thickness:
• Round dents - Have less effect on fatigue than sharp
notches or cracks but can still significantly affect string
performance.
• Abrasion - Localized wall loss can occur as a result of
abrasion with wellbore tubulars, i.e. at contact points of
the buckled (sinusoidal) tube.
• Longitudinal scratches - Can result from contact with
sharp edges in the wellbore, pressure control equipment
or CT equipment. If undetected, the scratch may extend
for several thousand feet. Although the scratch may have
little direct effect on string performance it may indirectly
lead to accelerated localized corrosion or fatigue.
Weld bead pitting
 COILED TUBING SERVICES MANUAL Section 130
ARCO CT STRING MAINTENANCE Rev A - 98

Round dents

Localized
abrasion

Longitudinal sctratch

Figure 3. CT string defects - abrasion.

2.4 Mechanical Damage

Mechanical damage of CT strings was once commonplace accelerated fatigue at that point. Current slip designs
– and was indirectly responsible for many string failures. It apply a “toothed” pattern over a longer interval to reduce
is now realized that marks and indentations hitherto thought these effects.
insignificant can greatly affect the performance of a string.
• Chain marks - May result from misaligned chains,
• Slip marks - Early slip deigns were configured with slip incorrect tension or damaged chain blocks. A repeating
teeth which formed semicircular indentations or marks. pattern will probably result.
These resulted in localized stresses and significantly

Modified slip
marks

Old style slip

marks
Injector head chain
(repeating)

Injector head chain

(repeating)

Figure 4. CT string defects - mechanical damage.

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 Section 130
COILED TUBING SERVICES MANUAL
Rev A - 98 CT STRING MAINTENANCE
2.5 CT String Geometry
Variations in string geometry cause problems with handling
equipment (injector head chains) and pressure control
equipment (stripper, slip rams, pipe rams, etc.). In addition,
many string performance models (fatigue, pressure and
tension, etc.) are based on algorithms which assume that
the tube is circular and the wall thickness is constant (with
allowance for tapered strings). If the actual geometry of the
tube is different, the predictions may no longer be within an
acceptable margin of error.
• Ovality - All tubing is out of round from the first time it is
spooled. The maximum recommended ovality limits for
any CT string is typically around 6%
• Necking - generally caused by over stressing a section of
tubing
• Ballooning - most frequently the result of cycling (bending)
under high pressure
2.6 String Damage Assessment
The effect of CT string damage and defects include:
• Reduction in string performance:
reduced burst and collapse pressure capacities
reduced tension and compression capacity
Ballooning
Figure 5. CT string defects - string geometry.
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• Accelerated or unpredictable fatigue:
material loss
material structure
stress concentration
• Gross geometry changes:
compatibility with handling and pressure control equip-
ment
deviation from geometry used in model predictions
In the worst case, a reduction in string performance will may
become apparent with an unexpected string failure. How-
ever, it is more common that the damaged area does not fail
immediately, but will causes localized fatigue at an accel-
erated rate. Ultimately a failure will occur before the
predicted useful (safe) life of the string is achieved. Only
upon close examination will the original damage or defect
be identified as a contributory cause.
The issues associated with identifying CT string damage
can be broadly categorized as follows:
Detection
CT string inspection:
• Hardware and software may both used to assist in
inspecting CT strings. Much of the hardware and software
associated with CT string inspection is still being devel-
oped and does not have a proven track record.
Necking
Ovality
 COILED TUBING SERVICES MANUAL
ARCO CT STRING MAINTENANCE
• Location/time of inspection – should the inspection be
carried out while RIH, POH, spooling, periodically or
continuous.
Assessment
Physical measurement or estimate – once an indication is
found that a defect exists, how is the extent of the defect
measured?
• Subjective assessment – what are the guidelines for
assessing a defect that cannot be measured?
Classification
• Nature of defect – does the defect cause an immediate
hazard?
• Acceptance criteria – at what level of severity does each
type of defect become hazardous?
• Go/no go – ultimately a decision must be made as to
whether the CT string can or cannot be used.
Once string damage has been identified, steps must be
taken to resolve each defect. If the defect is discovered
during an operation, the implications for that operation have
to be considered, and a decision made as to whether the
operation can continue. Consideration must also be given
to the implications for future operations (e.g. subsequent
runs in the hole).
The condition of adjacent tubing must be investigated. An
assessment must also be made as to whether there is any
significant life remaining in the undamaged portion of the
string. If there is, the options are to repair or derate the string
or part of the string. This means that the string may still be
used operationally, but with a diminished capability. Even
if damage is localized, it may be necessary to derate the
entire string, e.g., the pressure capacity of the entire string
must be derated in the case of localized wall thinning.
A clear decision must be made on whether the derating is
permanent or interim. An interim derating may apply, for
example, until a more accurate assessment of the damage
is possible. The implications must be considered for the
following factors:
• Pressure
Section 130
Rev A - 98
• Tension
• Fatigue
• Geometry
String records must always be clearly marked to identify
derating.
3 CT STRING WELDING
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is currently the pre-
ferred welding technique for tube-to-tube welding of coiled
tubing. In some cases, Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)
is used. SMAW is less desirable due to inherent process
limitations for thin-walled, small diameter tubing.
A high quality weld has several desirable characteristics
regarding strength, hardness, dimensions and fatigue life.
• The tensile load capacity of the weld and the heat affected
zone should equal or exceed the specified strength of the
pipe body.
• The outer diameter of the weld should be within the
dimensional tolerances of the pipe body.
• The wall thickness through the weld area should equal or
exceed the pipe body thickness, but internal restrictions
should be minimized.
Ideally, the fatigue life of the weld and heat affected zone
should approach that of the pipe body; however, long weld
fatigue life has not been achievable in the past.
3.1 Weld Related Problems
Coiled tubing string welds can fail in service due to very low-
cycle fatigue failure. Weld fatigue life can be reduced by a
variety of conditions, such as:
• Root concavity
• Internal inclusions
• Planar weld defects
• Porosity
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 Section 130
COILED TUBING SERVICES MANUAL
Rev A - 98 CT STRING MAINTENANCE ARCO

• Grinding marks External

• Corrosion pits As with internal protection, inhibitors are used to keep

• Sharp re-entrant angle of cap or root pass
• Heat affected zone softening
• Poor internal flash transition from longitudinal weld
corrosion to a minimum on the external surface of a CT
string. To prevent the occurrence of surface rust, the
following conditions must be met:
• The tubing surface must be clean and free from corrosive
fluids or moisture.

• Incomplete joint penetration • A suitable protective coating must be applied to the entire
tubing surface.
A comprehensive program of non-destructive testing and
inspection is essential for maintaining CT weld quality. • The coating must not interfere with the operational use of
tubing, measurement or well control equipment.
4 CT STRING STORAGE
• The coating and its means of application must not cause
When coiled tubing is to be stored, even for a relatively a hazard to personnel or environment.
short period of time, several considerations should be
made to ensure that the work string and associated • The best external protection can only be applied to the
documentation package are kept in a satisfactory condi- tubing’s external surface as it is being spooled onto the
tion. reel (either during operation or during maintenance proce-
dures).
Coiled tubing is made of carbon steel materials which can
quickly corrode when exposed to atmospheric, industrial
and marine environments. Such corrosion can occur on the
inner surface of the tubing (internal corrosion), as well as on
the outer surface (external corrosion).

Internal

Internal corrosion has an obvious detrimental effect on the

working life of a CT string. Small amounts of moisture
condensing inside the tubing can cause localized corro-
sion, leading to thinning of the tubing wall and stress risers.

An internal corrosion inhibitor is applied to ensure that the

coiled tubing is delivered in as close to as-manufactured
condition as possible. This inhibitor protects the CT under
various transportation and storage conditions, but does not
adversely affect tubing performance.

Once the string has been used, the protection of internal

surfaces begins with the flushing and neutralizing of the reel
contents. Subsequent purging with nitrogen is frequently
required to allow safe loading and transportation of the reel.
Whenever possible and practical, reels should be blown dry
with nitrogen to minimize the residual fluid which collects at
the bottom of the tubing wraps.

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