SPE-199874-MS

Unlocking Operational Efficiencies for Milling Plugs in Large Monobore

Completions Using Coiled Tubing with Real-Time Downhole
Measurements - A Case Study from Offshore Middle East

Santiago Hässig Fonseca, Nestor Molero, Pierre Ramondenc, and William Tapia, Schlumberger

Copyright 2020, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE/ICoTA Well Intervention Conference and Exhibition originally scheduled to be held in The Woodlands, TX, USA,
24-25 March 2020. Due to COVID-19 the physical event was not held. The official proceedings were published online on 16 March 2020.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
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Abstract
Coiled tubing (CT) milling of downhole plugs in large monobore completions is considered one of
the most challenging CT workover operations, especially when conducted in offshore environments
where intervention workflows are driven by efficiency gains for operators and service companies alike.
Experience gained from milling operations using CT instrumented with real-time data enabled measurable
improvements in efficiency. Post-job data analysis offered additional insights to improve methodologies
and further unleash untapped efficiencies.
Real-time bottomhole assembly data were collected during plug milling operations using a positive
displacement motor. Critical downhole readings, such as CT internal and annular pressure, axial force
(thrust), and torque were monitored during the operation to identify tagging of isolation plug targets, onset
of milling, and stalls. The real-time data not only added confidence to event confirmation, but also increased
the accuracy in estimating efficiency metrics such as rate of penetration (ROP) and stall recovery duration.
Post-job analysis calculated the error and shortcomings associated with estimating event detection based
on surface measurements. Additionally, error in event detection was tied back to inaccuracies in estimating
efficiency metrics when relying on surface measurements alone.
Analysis of downhole measurements in CT milling improves the precision of event detection and enables
rapid reactions. Target tagging reflects instantly in thrust, and motor activation reflects synchronously in
downhole differential pressures and torque, which together provide certainty of motor engagement on the
target. Stalls reflect in differential pressure and torque spikes that coincide with motor specifications. ROP
more than doubled by leveraging these event detection techniques throughout milling operations.
New torque-thrust signatures were also identified to detect material interfaces. Changes in signature
behavior indicated when the bit milled through one target and reached the next. This is particularly useful
when the operator must mill through a target but stop at a subsequent, contiguous one. Post-job data also
suggested that some events may have been mistaken as stalls during the operation, with downhole data
confirming they were false positives. Finally, at operating conditions in the case study, a 7-second lead-time
window was identified to anticipate and react to stalls. This highlights the importance of access to real-time
2 SPE-199874-MS

downhole information, such as differential pressure, to avoid both stalls and false positives, and ultimately,
to make breakthroughs in operational efficiency.
Integrated analysis of downhole measurements during CT milling lent visibility to actual ROP, stall rates,
and stall recoveries. These constitute important baselines against which any improvement in efficiency
must be compared. The methodologies proposed here for event detection, with special attention to stall
anticipation and milling interface detection, pave the way for smarter, more efficient operations.

Introduction
The Arabian Gulf hosts one of the major offshore dry gas fields in the world. The field is currently
experiencing a significant development, with key expansion projects raising new challenges for operators,
service companies, and manufacturers. The wellbores are designed to produce at high gas rates through
large completions from surface to the producing intervals. In some instances, workover methodology calls
for temporary isolation of the producing zones through drillable plugs capped by 80 to 100-ft cement plugs
to provide safe well control barriers for wellhead replacement and then selective testing of new perforated
intervals. After those activities have been completed, the next step is to reestablish wellbore accessibility
and production capacity by conducting a milling operation of isolation plugs (e.g., cement and mechanical
plug) via coiled tubing (CT).
Those CT milling operations became particularly challenging in deviated wells completed as 7-
in. monobore, where the traditional approach consisted in using 2 3/8-in. CT equipped with positive
displacement motor (PDM) and mill. Multiple motor stalling events and multiple CT trips to surface for
inspection and/or replacement of the milling assembly were frequently observed along the operations,
extending intervention time and affecting the project economics, which are a critical consideration in
workover operations carried out in an offshore rig. In addition, because some CT milling operations were
conducted between perforated intervals, a clear understanding of the changing downhole conditions was
fundamental to prevent either fluid leakoff into the formation or gas influx throughout the intervention;
however, as milling methodology just relied on surface readings, the decision process for prevention of
those events was not fully effective, resulting in extended lifting and formation cleanout operations.
An engineered approach for milling operations relying on CT equipped with real-time downhole
measurements was deemed necessary to address the aforementioned challenges, accurately control the
milling assembly actuation, and fully understand critical interactions of the bottomhole assembly (BHA)
with the ever-changing downhole environment.

Coiled Tubing Milling Operations: Key Aspects

CT milling dates back to the 1970s when CT services expanded to cover many of the applications that
were conventionally executed by workover rigs. Expertise and technology first enabled milling of basic
targets such as scale and cement, later progressing into more aggressive applications such as mechanical
plugs, sidetracks, and wellbore extensions. CT milling of plugs has evolved since the 1970s and so have the
challenges associated with initial operations. This section discusses key aspects of CT milling operations
for continuous improvement, including event detection, operational metrics, optimization methodology, and
generation of milling models.
Event Detection. Efficiencies in milling are typically evaluated based on time or occurrence of downhole
events. Any discussion of milling efficiency must be prefaced by defining event detection. Event detection
refers to the assertive recognition of occurrences related to the downhole motor, the mill bit, and the milling
target. In conventional CT milling, event detection typically relies on surface measurements, greatly limiting
accuracy and confidence of positive detection. The following are defined as events:
SPE-199874-MS 3

• Tagging target is the moment when the end of the BHA (in this case, the mill bit) comes into
contact with the milling target. In a conventional operation, this is determined by a loss in CT
surface weight and can be especially difficult to recognize in deviated wells. When surface weight
alone is relied upon, a delay is expected between the moment when true tagging occurs and when
the load has been transferred to the surface sensor. Additionally, in some cases, the weight on bit
(WOB) on tag must be limited due to target requirements, which also leads to losses in efficiencies
because run-in-hole (RIH) velocity must be reduced over a 20 to 50-ft interval above the target
(Krueger at al. 2010).
• Starting mill refers to the moment when the rotating mill bit engages with the target and begins to
remove target material, referred to as cuttings. When surface measurements are relied upon, this is
assessed by concurrent changes in loss of surface weight and increment in CT circulating pressure
(CTP). However, these indicators may provide a false positive, such as when the PDM or mill bit
are underperforming (Krueger et al. 2010). The converse of this event is stopping mill, and the
time spent between starting and stopping mill is referred to as active milling.
• Maintaining WOB is an ongoing event that requires recognition or inference of the amount of
force that is transmitted by the BHA to the target, typically while milling (Krueger et al. 2010). If
not managed, WOB will change into one of two states: insufficient WOB, which leads to stopping
mill, or excess of WOB, which stalls the mill bit.
• Stall events are referred to those occurrences when the mill bit ceases rotation. In some instances,
this is due to the bit "catching" on the target’s upward-facing profile. More often, however, stalls
happen when excessive WOB translates to a torque that exceeds the PDM’s specification(Schneider
et al. 2011).
Efficiency Metrics. Milling efficiency challenges are the driving indicators of performance
against which an operation is optimized. The following metrics reflect milling efficiency:
• Effective milling is the time spent in active milling. This excludes the time when the bit is not
milling (e.g., time required to reset the mill after a stall) and is relevant to characterizing efficiency
in milling with respect to a specific BHA and target (Castro and Clark 2009). Another definition,
which includes wiper and stall reset trip inefficiencies, is relevant for overall economic analysis
(Schneider et al. 2011).
• Rate of penetration (ROP) on the milling target refers to the distance milled over a unit
of time. This demands the most on-the-job observations because CT operators must react to
changing conditions, namely surface weight and CTP, to gauge starting mill and ROP (Castro and
Clark 2009). Estimating ROP based on surface measurements is limited by inherent inaccuracies
in detecting tagging events. A brute approach to maximize ROP is to deliver as much WOB
while remaining within the BHA’s specification and stall limits. However, for tougher targets or
multitarget runs, mill bit integrity and wiper trips must be considered because they impact the
overall ROP.
• Time per plug is the time spent on milling through a plug and is calculated on a per-plug basis.
Other definitions are used in the literature for the purposes of economics analysis but are not
relevant to this discussion (MacZura et al. 2015). Though not exactly redundant, ROP and time
per plug are comparable derivatives of efficiency; for simplicity, only ROP was evaluated in this
case study.
• Stall rateis the percentage of stalls per target or run (Schneider et al. 2011). The stall rate has a
significant impact on operational efficiency (e.g., overall ROP) because stall recovery time includes
stopping pumps, pulling off the target, re-establishing pumping parameters, and RIH to restart
milling. Stalls also significantly reduce motor run life and mill bit wear, which leads to additional
operational and maintenance inefficiencies (Schneider et al. 2011).
4 SPE-199874-MS

• Stuck pipe incidents, and wiper trip speed, and wiper frequency are other measures of efficiency
(Schneider et al. 2011).
Optimization Methodology. Optimization of CT milling operations requires driving efficiency
metrics in a desirable direction. Based on experience, methodologies have been developed to
improve event detection, efficiency estimation, and establish repeatable workflows. The following
techniques are used in optimization:
• Optimum surface pressure allows recognizing tagging target and starting mill. When optimized,
it provides the operator with an opportunity to react to changing downhole conditions, which
reflects on surface pressure. The method is effective even with compressible fluids in the system
(Castro et al. 2009).
• Milling profile refers to recognizing and anticipating the changes in ROP with the objective of
improving decision-making. This is based on findings by Castro et al. (2009) that correlate ROP
changes with the target’s upper section, slips, and lower section. Figure 1 illustrates the milling
profile with respect to a diagram of a mechanical plug target.

Figure 1—Milling profile shows where slips on a target coincide with

changes in ROP, based on the figure by Wiesenborn et al. (2019).

• Two-phase flow rate optimization refers to delivery of mixed fluid with nitrogen to maximize the
capacity to carry fines to surface while maintaining proper functionality and torque delivery on the
downhole motor (Castro et al. 2009). This topic is particularly important for CT milling operations
because not all the downhole motors are designed to work with nitrogen; therefore, wellbore
hydraulics modeling is fundamental to determine both fluids and annular velocity requirements to
transport cuttings to surface, which will condition the selection of a suitable downhole motor.
• Fine-tuning mathematical models throughout the intervention improves downhole CT force and
pressure prediction. Key parameters, such as friction coefficients and downhole pressure drops,
are fed back into the CT simulations based on real-time surface measurements. These fine-tuned
models help deliver better WOB control and optimize flow rates (Castro et al. 2009).
Generation of Milling Models. There is a significant challenge related to capturing knowledge
gained from experience based on historical data. Attempts to generate milling models from
conventional CT milling operations are limited by sparse data and unavailability of downhole data.
The model generation challenges include the following:
• Sparse data limit the ability to isolate and characterize operational parameters with the intent of
optimizing. In existing literature, data are sparse: the variation in completion properties, formation
properties, plug properties, motor and mill selection, circulating fluids, and equipment far exceeds
the number of runs required to cover a proper design of experiments. Therefore, any model
SPE-199874-MS 5

developed over a campaign tends to be limited to that campaign’s specific conditions and cannot
easily be extrapolated or transferred to other conditions.
• Downhole recorders provide an economical compromise between no downhole measurements
and milling enabled with real-time data (MacZura et al. 2015; Li et al. 2019). However, the cost
associated with rugged downhole recorders is non-negligible, and the technology is not widely
implemented.

Coiled Tubing Milling with Real-Time Downhole Data

The enablement of CT with downhole real-time measurements for milling addressed many of the challenges
in conventional CT milling (Tapia et al. 2018). However, some challenges were also specific to the workflow
and milling environment in the Middle East. The simplified workflow used in the Middle East case study
in this paper is illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2—Milling workflow in the Middle East milling case study.

The challenges with enabling the system and successfully milling in the Middle East included the
following:

• Surface acquisition enablement to support real-time measurements in the Middle East was
among the first and most substantial challenges in deploying the system. The enhanced CT system
comprised several architectural elements that required fit-for-purpose redesign to meet offshore
regulatory and client requirements. Tapia et al. (2018) provide a full overview of those challenges
and how they were overcome.
• Two milling targets that consisted of approximately 86 ft of cement placed atop a mechanical
plug, such as the one illustrated in Figure 3. The operational challenge with this dual target was
to mill through the first plug (i.e., cement) without affecting the second, contiguous plug (i.e.,
mechanical plug). In some cases, the mechanical plug had an equalization valve approximately 6
in. beneath the top-of-plug, so premature communication with the interval beneath could lead to
operational and safety risks. To address this challenge, the instrumented CT system was correlated
against casing and formation (using casing collar locator and gamma ray) in real time, and torque
and thrust measurements were used to identify the top-of-plug.
• Downhole motor and mill bit selection wasprioritized to minimize the number of runs required
to remove the cement and mechanical plugs. Several architectures were considered and tested. The
final selections were 3 1/8-in. and 3 3/8-in. outside diameter (OD) motors with 5 7/8-in. OD mills.
6 SPE-199874-MS

• Gas in the wellbore raised the risk level of those operations because compressible fluids added
complexity to the downhole environment. To a large extent, real-time downhole measurements
addressed this.
• Annular velocity to carry cuttings was complicated in 7-in. monobore given its large capacity
and the difficulty was compounded by flow rate limitations. With 2 3/8-in. CT, the capacity of 34 ft/
bbl translated to an annular velocity of 67 to 135 ft/min for the downhole motor’s operating points
(2 to 4 bbl/min). Viscous pills were periodically pumped during the milling operation, and junk
basket cleanout runs were executed after milling the cement plug to ensure an absolute cleanout
prior to milling the mechanical plug.
• Deviated wells in the intervened offshore field averaged 60° inclination, which added complexity
to solids transportation, controlling the BHA, and delivering proper WOB. Figure 4 illustrates a
typical hole deviation.

Figure 3—Example of mechanical plug target.

SPE-199874-MS 7

Figure 4—Typical hole deviation in the Middle East milling case study. Dogleg severity
in the range of 0 to 4°/100 ft plotted alongside the measured distance (MD) survey.

Proposed Solution and Methodology

CT System Enabled with Real-Time Downhole Data
To address the challenges of conventional CT milling, a system that comprises a telemetric fiber optic
cable and powered downhole tools was implemented in the Middle East (Tapia et al. 2018). The rugged
version of the BHA selected for the milling campaign was capable of withstanding the turbulent downhole
environment, including torques of up to 2,500 ft-lbf and tensile forces of 80,000 lbf, and deliver a thrust
or WOB of 10,000 lbf. The BHA could also deliver circulation of up to 8 bbl/min and withstand 17,500
psi, therefore meeting and exceeding the PDM’s operating range. Figure 5 features a modular breakdown
of the data-enabled BHA.

Figure 5—BHA modules capable of delivering downhole measurements to the surface in real-time during milling operations.

Operational Optimization
Real-time downhole measurements using the enhanced CT and BHA system were used to improve
confidence and accuracy of event detection, which, in turn, enabled a more efficient operation and improved
accuracy in performance estimates (as compared to the estimates based on surface data alone). To help
avoid confusion about milling event definitions and associated (in)efficiencies, event types are visualized
in Figure 6.
8 SPE-199874-MS

Figure 6—Downhole and surface measurements during a milling, stall, and recovery sequence.
Dotted green trace indicates expected depth when relying on surface measurements alone.

Event Detection. With downhole data, the definition of event detection had to be expanded to include
measurements introduced by the data-enabled BHA. The following events were monitored:

• Tagging target was primarily monitored using downhole thrust measurements. Since minimal
pumping was sustained while RIH to tag, the event also reflected in circulating pressures. The
downhole measurements eliminated the delay (refer to A1,2 in Figure 6) associated with surface
indicators, such as surface weight and CTP. The main challenge was to recognize the event in
the presence of potentially noisy signals due to dynamic conditions (e.g., milling vibration or
fluctuating downhole pressures).
• Starting mill was monitored with downhole thrust, torque, and differential pressure. A confident
determination of starting mill required a holistic approach in monitoring those measurements.
Much like with tagging target, downhole measurements eliminated the delay associated with
detecting this event using surface indicators (refer to B1,2 in Figure 6).
• Stall recognition relied on downhole thrust, torque, and differential pressure. The downhole
differential pressure provided earlier and more resolute visibility of the onset of the pressure spike
that precedes a stall (refer to D in Figure 6). The proximity and resolution of the differential pressure
sensors to the downhole motor provided an operating range over which a stall could be anticipated,
offering an opportunity to avoid the stall (refer to C2 in Figure 6). The challenge then became
defining that window of opportunity in terms of lead time and differential pressure range.
• Interface detection relied on downhole thrust and torque to identify when the mill bit had finished
milling through one target and had contacted the next target. In the context of operations in
the Middle East, the objective was to identify the cement/mechanical plug interface. This event
SPE-199874-MS 9

detection was particularly important when considering that the equalization port was, in some
cases, only a few inches beneath the top of the mechanical plug.
Efficiency Metrics. The definition for the milling efficiency metrics is no different with real-
time measurements from conventional CT milling. Their estimation, however, was improved in
accuracy and resolution because of the enhancements in event detection. As a result, these metrics,
which are based on downhole measurements, yield insights into error of surface-measurement-
based estimates:
• Effective milling and stall recovery time(refer to E1,2 in Figure 6) estimates were improved
because starting and stopping mills were detected more accurately.
• Rate of penetration (ROP) estimation improved in two ways. The first was the result of having
greater accuracy of effective milling estimation. The second was a result of the improvement in
tagging target event detection.
• Stall rate estimation was improved because stall events were positively detected and distinguished
from false positives. False positives (i.e., when an operator interprets a measurement change as a
stall, but the downhole motor has not actually stalled), by extension, could be studied as another
source of inefficiency that should be minimized. In the literature, stall false positives are not
typically quantified because of limited downhole data.
Generation of Milling Models. With real-time downhole measurements, there is a greater amount of
data, better downhole resolution and visibility, higher degree of certainty, and quicker event detection.
Despite those advantages over conventional CT milling, the challenge, vis-à-vis model generation, remains
to study historical data to build decision models. By augmenting such models with downhole data, the
operator would gain greater certainty of downhole events. The focus is shifted away from models that are
specific to, or limited by, a controlled set of fluids, BHAs, targets, or geometries, and placed on a system-
invariant model for downhole event detection. In other words, the data model, or heuristic methods,
enable event detection (e.g., starting mill, stall, or interface) regardless of the variances and possible
combinations in BHA, downhole conditions, and/or completion environments.

Case Study in Offshore Middle East

A case study of CT milling with real-time downhole data provides a practical example of how the challenges
associated with milling in offshore Middle East were addressed over the duration of an entire workover
campaign. The case study operation was conducted in a gas well completed as a 7-in. monobore [6.576-in
inside diameter (ID)], CRA-110. The well was handed over with an approximated 86 ft of cement above
a mechanical plug. The maximum angle of deviation was 60° at 5,540 ft. The key steps of the milling
operation are described below in chronological order.
Overview, RIH, and Depth Correlation. The sequence of runs at this workover stage consisted of
intervening with 2 3/8-in. CT with real-time downhole data to mill the cement plug, clean out, and mill the
mechanical plug; this entailed three separate runs with BHA and mill bit changes for each of the milling
targets.
In the first run, approximately 86 ft of cement had to be removed. Prior to reaching the cement plug,
depth correlation was conducted against a baseline gamma ray (GR) log using real-time GR data. Following
the correlations, the CT was RIH to tag top-of-cement (TOC) and mill. Figure 7 illustrates the time-log from
tagging TOC through milling of the cement plug in four passes (millings 1–4) and reaching the mechanical
plug at the end of milling 4.
10 SPE-199874-MS

Figure 7—Time-log of tagging and milling cement. From top to bottom: CT depth (green), downhole thrust
(blue), downhole torque (gold), downhole CT pressure (dotted red), downhole annular pressure (dotted blue),
downhole differential pressure (gray), surface weight (brown), and surface CT circulatin pressure (blue).

Depth correlation significantly narrows uncertainty in CT placement, which allows the operator to RIH
with greater speed and confidence before tagging TOC. Coupled with the downhole thrust measurement,
the correlation minimized the range and speed leading up to that TOC tag, which translated to reduced
operational time. It is worth noting that correlation measurements (using casing collar locator or GR) are
most useful when logged at a constant CT speed, and therefore are no longer practical to correlate against
the formation once the CT is in active milling.
Milling Cement Plug. The operator had estimated 86 ft of cement above the mechanical plug. The
procedure to mill the cement column was to break it into 20-ft segments. Between each segment or pass,
milling was paused, and a viscous pill pumped to carry cuttings to surface. The top of the mechanical plug
was tagged at the end of milling 4.
The time-log in Figure 8 spans from the initial tagging on TOC to the end of milling 2. The channel tracks
and events correlate with the definitions illustrated in Figure 6. Tagging target event detection (Tag TOC
in Figure 8) was evidenced by changes in thrust, torque, and differential pressure (ΔDHP). There was no
evidence of this event on surface weight because the WOB was controlled based on downhole thrust. The
CT was RIH at 5 ft/min, which helped achieve such fine movement and timely reaction. CTP rose by 2%
from 1,670 to 1,705 psi, lagging behind ΔDHP by 16 seconds and behind initial thrust and torque indicators
by 27 seconds. For comparison, even on this fine movement, ΔDHP rose by 56%. At higher CT speeds,
these indicators would manifest more quickly, with the tradeoff that the CT operator would have less time
to react and higher WOB would be exerted on the target.
SPE-199874-MS 11

Figure 8—Time-log zoom of tagging TOC and milling the first two passes (milling 1 and 2). From top to bottom: CT depth
(green), downhole thrust (blue), downhole torque (gold), downhole CT pressure (dotted red), downhole annular pressure
(dotted blue), downhole differential pressure (gray), surface weight (brown), and surface CT circulating pressure (blue).

A slightly longer delay was evidenced between surface and downhole measurements while detecting the
start of milling 1: the start milling event was detected in ΔDHP 65 seconds earlier than in CTP (B1 in Figure
8). The CTP ranged from 3,500 to 3,850 psi (10%) whereas the ΔDHP ranged from 470 to 800 psi (70%).
Due to a combination of wellbore geometry and the controlled speed at which milling took place, there
was no indication in surface weight in milling 1, and therefore there is no associated delay calculated (B2 in
Figure 6). However, during milling 2, there was a delay of 131 seconds between onset of torque and loss of
surface weight. Locally (i.e., CT surface weight loss at start of milling versus neutral CT surface weight),
this loss of 838 lbf in hookload represents 31% of the CT surface weight. However, recognition of a tag or
start of milling based on CT surface weight alone is not that straightforward:

• A CT surface weight range of 838 lbf represents 31% of the neutral hookload, but it represents less
than 10% of the full range of the CT surface weight during the run.
• The standard deviation (σ) for neutral hookload in milling 2 was 177 lbf. This provides a notion
of the noise in the surface weight measurement. To differentiate a signal from the noise, it is not
uncommon to define a change point or limit of detection (LoD). A quick approach—albeit not
robust—is to set LoD at 3σ from the average. In this case, the 3σ was 531 lbf. Therefore, of the
838 lbf lost on CT surface weight, only 307 lbf (9% of the neutral surface weight) are considered
a detectable signal.
• Based on a 3σ LoD, the delay between the torque indication and CT surface weight loss detection
was 54 seconds. However, to recognize this change could require real-time, adaptive statistics on
the signal.
The last two points raise an important discussion on event detection. With any signal or measurand, the
LoD is the lowest concentration that can be reliably measured or detected at a specified level of confidence.
12 SPE-199874-MS

In the context of surface and downhole measurements, LoD would provide the limits where one could
reasonably expect a CT operator to differentiate between a neutral signal (e.g., neutral CT surface weight)
and an event (e.g., statistically significant loss in CT surface weight). There are several metrological methods
to define LoD, one of which relies on the standard deviation of baseline signal, which is why the above
example was based on a rule of thumb of 3σ. It served to illustrate a point. However, LoD estimation
methodology deserves a more nuanced discussion, which is outside the current scope. The event detection
metrics summarized in Table 1 for the tag and for all four milling passes are based on visual identification
of signal changes, not in terms of statistically defined LoDs.

Table 1—Summary of event detection metrics for cement plug milling

Event Description Tag TOC Milling 1 Milling 2 Milling 3 Milling 4

A1 Tagging (tCTP – tthrust) 27 s NA NA NA NA

A2 Tagging (tsurface weight – tthrust) NA NA NA NA NA

B1 Start milling (tCTP – tΔDHP) 16 s 65 s 142 s 40 s 168 s

B2 Start milling (tsurface weight – ttorque) NA NA 131 s 83 s 233 s

C1 Active milling CTP range 2% 10% 5% 8% 17%

C2 Active milling ΔDHP range 56% 70% 63% 78% 172%

NA: Not applicable.

On average, each of the milling passes was completed with a thrust of –2,000 to –6,000 lbf and torque
of 500 to 1,000 ft-lbf. Because no stalls were generated while milling the cement, no associated delay was
calculated for its detection (D in Figure 6).
Conventionally, when calculating the amount of target that has been milled in a given interval of time,
the starting top-of-target depth is provided by the initial tag (e.g., Tag TOC in Figure 8). The final depth
after milling is often considered the CT depth readout at the end of that milling pass (e.g., Stop milling 1
in Figure 8). However, if the CT pulls off tag and performs a subsequent tag (e.g., Start milling 2 in Figure
8), this second tag more accurately confirms milled distance. The difference in the perceived milled depth
versus the true depth (based on retagging the target) is plotted for each of the four milling passes (refer to
Figure 9). One reason for this offset is that the CT will coil up in the completion as milling takes place, and
the slack will lead to a greater perceived depth traversed across the surface depth encoder than was actually
milled. This error difference is a function of the clearance between the CT and the completion, CT OD,
circulating and downhole pressures, depth, and wellbore geometry. This error, coupled with tag detection
error, is the main contributor to ROP estimation inaccuracies when relying on surface measurements alone.
Refer to Table 2 for ROP estimates and error.

Table 2—Summary of milling ROP for the cement plug.

Description Milling 1 Milling 2 Milling 3 Milling 4

ROP, first start mill to last end mill 21 ft/hr

ROP, based on surface measurements 44 ft/hr 65 ft/hr 48 ft/hr 46 ft/hr

ROP, based on downhole measurements 41 ft/hr 57 ft/hr 41 ft/hr 38 ft/hr

ROP error, surface measurement vs. downhole measurement 7% 14% 17% 21%
SPE-199874-MS 13

Figure 9—Difference in perceived milled depth and retag depth. There was no retag after
milling 4. The last sample (no fill) is extrapolated based on the linear trend (dashed line).

Mechanical Plug Target Interface. At the tail end of milling 4, with WOB but a relatively stationary
CT, both torque and thrust increased, which indicated reaching the mechanical plug. The operator then
pulled out of hole (POOH) to change the BHA. It was expected that torque and thrust would behave visibly
differently when in contact with a mechanical plug versus cement. However, post-job analysis of the data
showed that torque and thrust trends could be visualized to enable earlier identification and greater certainty
in interface detection.
Cement milling started at 13,528 ft in milling 1 and ended at 13,614 ft in milling 4. The tail end of cement
milling is plotted in Figure 10 in blue, totaling 86 ft of cement in a little over 4 hours. The thrust-torque
curve for those 4 hours of cement milling is plotted in blue in Figure 11. It is visually evident that milling
on cement operated over a torque-thrust line with a defined slope (a least-squares fit with R2 of 0.95). After
the cement was milled, there was an interface where the torque dropped over a fixed thrust (dashed vertical
line superimposed over light green torque-thrust measurements in Figure 11). This suggests a change in
the interaction between the mill bit and the target (e.g., less traction between the two). This interface lasted
less than 3 minutes, and then the milling resumed over a different torque-thrust curve (in red) which, as per
Figure 11, had a lower slope than the cement (in blue). The milling continued for 6 minutes on the new
target (in red) and over the new torque-thrust curve (a least-squares fit with R2 of 0.92). Toward the end of
the target, the mill and target operated for 1 minute in a new torque-thrust curve (in black).
14 SPE-199874-MS

Figure 10—Time-log of depth (top), thrust (middle), and torque (bottom) milling through cement/plug interface
at tail end of milling 4. The blue samples were obtained while milling cement, the light green samples
while on the cement/plug interface, and the red and black samples while milling the mechanical plug.

Figure 11—Torque-thrust curves from milling through cement/plug interface at tail end of
milling 4. The blue samples were obtained while milling cement, the light green samples while
on the cement/plug interface, and the red and black samples while milling the mechanical plug

Without additional information about the build of the target and characterization of the torque-thrust
curve between the BHA and target pairs, there is little certainty as to what the shift between the red and
SPE-199874-MS 15

black torque-thrust curves indicates. However, given the consistency of the operating curve while milling
86 ft of cement for 4 hours, coupled with prior knowledge of that cement plug’s length, there is certainty
that an interface that correlates in depth with the mechanical plug could have been in fact detected 9 minutes
prior to the torque and thrust spikes that were eventually used as indication of reaching the plug.
Milling the Mechanical Plug, Pushing to Holdup Depth (HUD), and Stalling. Subsequent to milling
through the cement and locating the top of the mechanical plug, the CT was POOH to change the BHA and
perform a cleanout to clear the cement cuttings (as per Figure 2). After the cleanouts, the BHA was swapped
back to the milling downhole motor with a washover shoe mill bit instead of the cement junk mill. While
RIH, the CT was correlated with casing collar locator and GR. After tagging, the pump was brought up to
3.5 bbl/min, and the mechanical plug slips successfully milled in 3 hours with a thrust of –3,500 to –6,500
lbf and torque of 50 to 450 ft-lbf. The CT then pushed the mechanical plug toward HUD while pumping,
but the plug hung up prematurely at 15,100 ft (refer to Figure 12). The remainder of the run comprised 12
attempts to push while pumping through the downhole motor. The majority of these attempts resulted in a
stall (refer to Figure 13). Afterward, the operator decided to POOH to change mill bit.

Figure 12—Time-log of tagging, milling, and pushing the mechanical plug. From top to bottom: CT depth (green),
downhole thrust (blue), downhole torque (gold), downhole CT pressure (dotted red), downhole annular pressure
(dotted blue), downhole differential pressure (gray), surface weight (brown), and surface CT circulating pressure (blue).
16 SPE-199874-MS

Figure 13—Time-log of stalls while attempting to push the mechanical plug. From top to bottom: CT depth (green), downhole
thrust (blue), downhole torque (gold), downhole CT pressure (dotted red), downhole annular pressure (dotted blue),
downhole differential pressure (gray), surface weight (brown), surface CT circulating pressure (blue), and pump rate (orange).

The event detection and performance metrics are summarized in Table 3, Table 4, and Table 5. The
tabulated times for events labeled as A, B, and Crefer to the delay between detection based on surface
and downhole measurements. Event D refers to a time window, in seconds, during which a stall can be
anticipated. Event E refers to the duration, in minutes, of a stall recovery based on surface and downhole
measurements.

Table 3—Summary of event detection metrics for mechanical plug milling.

Milling
Tag Mechanical Plug
Event Description Mechanical Plug

A1 Tagging (tCTP – tthrust) 10 s NA

A2 Tagging (tsurface weight – tthrust) NA NA

B1 Start milling (tCTP – tΔDHP) 9s 83 s

B2 Start milling (tsurface weight – ttorque) NA NA

C1 Active milling CTP range 48% 6%

C2 Active milling ΔDHP range 86% 44%

NA: Not applicable.

Table 4—Summary of milling ROP for the mechanical plug slips.

Description Milling Mechanical Plug

ROP, first start milling to last stop milling NA

ROP, based on surface measurements 2.7 ft/hr

ROP, based on downhole measurements 0.6 ft/hr

ROP error, surface measurement vs. downhole measurement 350%

SPE-199874-MS 17

NA: Not applicable.

Table 5—Summary of stall detection and stall recovery while pushing the mechanical plug to HUD.

Stalls

Event Description 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

False positive X X

Stall anticipation (based on

D 19 6 6 NS NS 8 8 8 7 4 6 5
ADHP), seconds

Stall recovery (based on

Ei surface measurements), 23.4 16.3 25.1 NS NS 23.6 28.1 42.7 28.9 51.5 27.9 NA
minute

Stall recovery (based on

E2 downhole measurements), 22.7 15.9 24.9 NS NS 21.3 25.2 36.0 27.8 33.8 22.4 NA
minutes

Stall recovery error, % 3% 3% 1% NS NS 11% 12% 19% 4% 52% 25% NA

NA: Not applicable.

Analysis and Discussion

The basis for improved efficiency metric estimation is recognizing the error in event detection. Table 6
consolidates event detection metric averages for both the cement and mechanical plugs.

Table 6—Consolidation of event detection metrics for the cement and mechanical plugs.

Tagging Target Milling Target

Mechanical Mechanical
Cement Plug Cement Plug
Event Description Plug Plug

A1 Tagging (tCTP – tthrust) 27 s 10 s NA NA

A2 Tagging (tsurface weight – tthrust) NA NA NA NA

B1 Start milling (tCTP – tΔDHP) 16 s 9s 104 s 83 s

B2 Start milling (tsurface weight – ttorque) NA NA 149 s NA

C1 Active milling CTP range 2% 48% 10% 6%

C2 Active milling ΔDHP range 56% 86% 96% 44%

NA: Not applicable.

Tagging Target. In the case study, fluid was pumped at a minimal rate of 1 bbl/min through the PDM
when approaching the target for tag. As expected, downhole thrust provided the first indication of tag,
and reacting to this indicator minimized unnecessary weight loading. On average, relative to the thrust
indication, the cement and mechanical plugs were tagged 27 and 10 seconds before the event was recognized
in CTP, before enough WOB had been transferred to surface weight. This showed that a sustained pump
rate provided visibility of tagging in CTP. However, ΔDHP indicated the tag 16 and 9 seconds earlier than
CTP. Another disadvantage of relying on CTP to detect tags is that CTP range (2 to 48%) to recognize this
event was significantly smaller compared to the ΔDHP range (56 to 86%) at the time of event. Referring
to the LoD discussed earlier in this paper, such a reduced range means that detection of this event requires
more time for the signal to be detectable (whether it is by statistical means or by a CT operator’s ability to
visually see the signature). This also means more time to react to that detection, and ultimately unnecessary
loading of the PDM, mill bit, and target. It is therefore detrimental to operational efficiency as well as to
wear of the downhole equipment.
18 SPE-199874-MS

Start Milling and Active Milling. Surface circulating pressure proved a more reliable and faster metric
than surface weight for determining when milling started in the downhole settings of this study. When
the CT operator applied fine movements, such as during mechanical plug milling, no detectable loss was
registered in surface weight. In the case of the cement milling, the torque indicated the start of milling 149
seconds before it was registered in detectable surface weight loss. ΔDHP provided the indication 104 and 83
seconds earlier than CTP. Without downhole measurements, this is time during which a CT operator would
typically RIH slowly to detect a rise in CTP. As with tagging target detection, the active milling CTP range
(6 to 10%) was significantly reduced compared to ΔDHP range (44 to 96%). In the context of active milling,
the higher range in ΔDHP not only meant faster recognition of start milling, it also meant that there was a
wider range over which one could react to and adjust the milling operating point. For instance, the closer
the operator approached the upper limit of that range, the higher the risk of a stall; the closer to the lower
limit, the higher the risk of unintentional milling stop. Access to real-time downhole data therefore enables
true proactivity and active management of milling parameters; the CT operator is not reduced anymore to a
reactive approach. How this operating range translates to efficiency in terms of stall avoidance is presented
in the stall anticipation section.
ROP. The average ROPs for the cement and mechanical plug slips are summarized in Table 7. In the case
of the cement, the ROP estimated based on surface measurements was consistently inflated relative to the
downhole measurement-based estimate, averaging 7 ft/hr faster (16% error). In the case of the mechanical
plug slips, the ROP was inflated by 2.1 ft/hr. But because the slips were milled at a slower pace, this
represented an error of 350%.

Table 7—Average milling ROPs for the cement and mechanical plugs.

Milling Mechanical
Milling Cement Plug
Description Plug Slips

ROP, first start milling to last stop milling 21 ft/hr NA

ROP, based on surface measurements 51 ft/hr 2.7 ft/hr

ROP, based on downhole measurements 44 ft/hr 0.6 ft/hr

ROP error, surface measurement vs. downhole measurement 16% 350%

NA: Not applicable.

As a point of reference in potential for efficiency gains, an earlier case study for milling in the Middle
East with downhole measurements reported an effective ROP on cement milling of 20.6 ft/hr over two
stages (Tapia et al. 2018). The return of experience built in under a year of milling improved the ROP on
each stage to 44 ft/hr, and effectively doubled the overall ROP from 20.6 ft/hr over two stages to 21 ft/hr
over four stages.
Stall Detection, Anticipation, and Recovery. Leading up to a stall event, a thrust generates a torque
that ceases the PDM, which chokes the circulating flowpath and generates a pressure spike. This sequence
of events was expected and confirmed by synchronous ΔDHP and torque signatures. However, analysis of
the 12 attempts to push the mechanical plug to HUD provided an unexpected insight: on each stall, there
was a window of time between when ΔDHP exceeded the maximum recommended differential pressure
and before it reached stall differential pressure, 1,060 and 1,590 psi, respectively, for this specific PDM.
This pressure window of 530 psi provided a time window of 7 seconds on average. This is the window of
stall anticipation, which could be used to fine-tune milling automation. In the absence of automation, a 7-
second window should suffice for a CT operator to react and avoid the stall. It must be noted that the stall
anticipation window is a function of the PDM’s pressure window (between maximum and stall differential
pressures), RIH speed, and the torque response to thrust (i.e., the higher the torque-thrust curve slope, the
quicker a thrust will result in a stalling torque).
SPE-199874-MS 19

The findings of average stall recovery times further emphasize the importance of stall anticipation. Stall
recovery averaged 25.6 minutes based on downhole measurements (14% error as compared to estimates
based on surface measurements). Inaccuracies in event detection contributed to inaccuracy in estimating
the stall recovery, but the error in the estimate was diluted by the time spent turning off pumps, POOH,
restarting pumps, and RIH to start milling again. In other milling applications where those times are much
shorter, the estimate error will be greater. In the case study, the 12 stalls contributed to approximately 5 hours
in recovery time in a single run. Of those 12 stalls, 2 (or 17%) were determined to be false positives based on
downhole measurements and cross-comparison with the PDM stall specifications, which meant another 51
minutes in stall recovery time could have been avoided if stall indicators such as torque, thrust, and ΔDHP
had been aggregated to make a more informed decision. On a more general level, CTP spikes on surface are
easily misconstrued as a stall when there are no downhole measurements to verify stall conditions, which
will lead to false positives. These results as summarized in Table 8.

Table 8—Average stall anticipation and recovery times.

Event Description Avg.

False positive rate 17%

D Stall anticipation (based on ΔDHP) 7s

E1 Stall recovery (based on surface measurements) 29.7 min

E2 Stall recovery (based on downhole measurements) 25.6 min

Stall recovery error, % 14%

Interface Detection. Torque-thrust curves showed that for a given milling BHA at a fixed operating
pump rate, the relationship of applied thrust to generated torque was consistent. In the context of this case
study, this relationship could be described as linear, and each linear relationship could be defined as having
a slope and intersecting at 0 lbf and 0 ft-lbf in thrust and torque. The linear trends were correlated with a
priori information about the milled targets (i.e., approximately 86 ft of cement above a mechanical plug),
to confirm that there was a transition in slope after a target was milled completely, and the mill bit was
engaged with a subsequent target. This correlation is illustrated in terms of a hypothetical milling profile
(left) and torque-thrust curves (right) in Figure 14.

Figure 14—Correlating a priori knowledge of milling targets with torque-thrust curves.

The principal finding based on the case study is that torque-thrust curves are indicators of when a bit
has milled through one target and is moving to the next, which is particularly useful in a workflow where
the operator must mill through a target but stop at a subsequent, contiguous one (i.e., interface detection).
20 SPE-199874-MS

A priori knowledge of such relationships become extremely useful when used in combination with milling
profiles because they provide the CT operator with a roadmap of the operation, clearly defining the downhole
operational envelope one shall expect at every step of the intervention. This, in turn, paves the way for
great improvements in efficiency, safety, and even management of downhole equipment. For instance, in
the present case study, milling could have been stopped 9 minutes earlier than when the operator "detected"
the mechanical plug based on isolated torque and thrust, which would have saved operational time and
minimized the impact of the target on tool reliability, thereby extending the PDM and mill bit’s useful life.
Conversely, the relationship between torque-thrust curves and a priori information about the milling target
could be used to determine if the PDM or mill bit are underperforming (e.g., swelled rubbers on PDM or
worn bit) or if the milling target has degraded (e.g., poor-quality cement plug) based on deviations from
expected behavior in a pre-defined operational roadmap.

Conclusion
Real-time, downhole measurements have opened a new era of optimization for CT milling operations in
large monobore completions. In comparison to conventional CT milling practices, which rely exclusively
on surface readings, downhole measurements provide an earlier indication of critical milling events that
enable a more informed decision-making process. For instance, the delay ranged from 10 to 27 seconds
for tags, and from 83 to 149 seconds when milling started. As observed in the initial campaigns on similar
wells, that delay contributed to motor stalls and suboptimal milling BHA operation, requiring additional
CT trips for inspection or replacement of the BHA, and extending costly intervention time in offshore, rig-
based operations.
In both event types, tagging and milling, the downhole thrust, torque, and differential pressure coincided –
even if not perfectly synchronously – which added certainty to the event’s detection. This certainty, coupled
with the granularity of the downhole measurements, enabled the milling operator to fine tune the movements
and achieve a cement ROP that averaged 44 ft/hr per stage, with an effective ROP of 21 ft/hr over four stages,
and zero stalls. This represents a doubling in performance as compared to an effective ROP of 20.6 ft/hr
over two stages, which was reported a year prior when CT with real-time downhole measurements was first
introduced. This was achieved by a combination of maximizing BHA performance without exceeding stall
conditions, maximizing effective milling time, and by optimizing the wiper trips between milling stages.
Accurate event detection and efficiency estimation are the cornerstone of optimizing CT milling because
they are baseline indicators, and improvement cannot reliably be measured against an inaccurate baseline.
Although downhole data have significantly improved the resolution and accuracy of these metrics, as
illustrated by the present case study, there is room for improvement on how to define detectable changes
(i.e., events). Future work in event detection should consider defining LoDs for surface and downhole
measurements. LoDs will not only provide a more equitable and controlled comparison between signals
with different means and variances, they will also provide the necessary statistics for future milling advisors
and automation. Along the same vein, future work must methodically consolidate measurements to provide
event detection decisions on a holistic level, rather than based on a single measurement. This collective
approach will broaden the ability to gauge detection confidence and move CT operators from a reactive
situation to a proactive vantage point.
The stall anticipation time of 7 seconds and pressure range window must be studied for different
conditions, namely varying PDMs, mill bits, targets, RIH speeds, and wellbore deviations/completions.
Finally, characteristic torque-thrust curves should be catalogued for different pairings of PDM, mill bit,
and target. Such a study is key to providing the intervention community with a roadmap of their milling
operations, with a clear envelope of the downhole parameters to expect based on the milling profile that
was defined for their wells. The end use for these data is to optimize CT milling operations, and, as such,
future work must find effective ways to consolidate and process it to provide actionable feedback, whether it
SPE-199874-MS 21

means reducing stalls, increasing ROP, extending BHA life, or a combination of the above. Once available,
automation of milling operations will be within reach.

Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Schlumberger for the permission to publish this paper and all the people involved
in making this implementation a success.

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