37. coiled tubing

PETE 411 - Well Drilling

PETE 411Well Drilling

Lesson 37Coiled Tubing


Coiled Tubing

• What is Coiled Tubing?• Uses of Coiled Tubing• Properties of Coiled Tubing• Drilling with Coiled Tubing• Buckling


Coiled Tubing - cont’d

• Buckling Modes• Sinusoidal and Helical Buckling• Buckling in Horizontal or Inclined Sections• Buckling in Vertical Section• Buckling in Curved Wellbores• Prediction of Buckling Loads• “Lockup” of Tubulars


Some Applications of Coiled Tubing

• Cementing• Plug Cementing (e.g. P&A)• Squeeze Cementing

• Logging• Drilling• Producing• Fishing• Scale Removal

Ref: SPE Reprint Series NO. 38 “Coiled Tubing Technology”


• No rig required• No connections - fast tripping

• Fatigue life limit (cycles)• Pressure and tension• Diameter and ovality

Disadvantages

Advantages


Reference:

“Coiled Tubing Buckling Implication in Drilling and Completing Horizontal Wells” by Jiang Wu and H.C. Juvkam-Wold, SPE

Drilling and Completion, March, 1995.


Sinusoidal Buckling in a Horizontal Wellbore

When the axial compressive load along the coiled tubing reaches the following sinusoidal buckling load Fcr, the intial (sinusoidal or critical) buckling of the coiled tube will occur in the horizontal wellbore.

5.0ecr )r/EIW(2F


Consider:

(steel) psi 000,000,30 E

ftlb2225.0

ftlb67.2

45.656.8107.3 W

ftlb07.3

23145.65*12)688.12(

4W

mud gal# 8.6 ID; 1.688" ,OD "2

e

22

in*

5.0ecr )r/EIW(2F


lbf 317.39375.0

2225.0*3869.0*10*302F Then,

in 9375.02

2875.32

ODD r

in 3869.0)688.12(64

)IDOD(64

I

5.06

cr

HOLE

44444

Consider:

,

5.0ecr )r/EIW(2F


Sinusoidal Buckling Load

A more general Sinusoidal Buckling Load equation for highly inclined wellbores (including the horizontal wellbore) is:

5.0ecr )r/SinEIW(2F


Sinusoidal Buckling Load

For the same 2” OD coiled tubing, at :45I

psi 789,29375.0

45sin*2225.0*10*302F5.06

cr


Helical Buckling in a Horizontal Wellbore

When the axial compressive load reaches the following helical buckling load Fhel in the horizontal wellbore, the helical buckling of coiled tubing then occurs:

lbf 065,6 9375.0

2225.0*3869.0*10*30)122(2F

)r/EIW)(12*2(2F

5.06

hel

5.0e

5.0hel


General Equation

A more general helical buckling load equation for highly inclined wellbores (including the horizontal wellbore) is: 3

5.0e

5.0hel )r/sinEIW)(12*2(2F


Buckling in Vertical Wellbores:

In a vertical wellbore, the buckling of coiled tubing will occur if the coiled tubing becomes axially compressed and the axial compressive load exceeds the buckling load in the vertical section. This could happen when we “slack-off” weight at the surface to apply bit weight for drilling and push the coiled tubing through the build section and into the horizontal section.



Lubinski derived in the 1950’s the following buckling load equation for the initial buckling of tubulars in vertical wellbores:

lbf 161F

)2225.0*3869.0*10*30(94.1F

)EIW(94.1F

b,cr

3/126b,cr

3/12eb,cr



Another intitial buckling load equation for tubulars in vertical wellbores was also derived recently through an energy analysis:

1) (Table lbf 212F Alternate

)2225.0*3869.0*10*30(55.2F

)EIW(55.2F

bcr,

3/126b,cr

3/12eb,cr


Helical Buckling in Vertical Wellbores:

A helical buckling load for weighty tubulars in vertical wellbores was also derived recently through an energy analysis to predict the occurrence of the helical buckling:

lbf 461

)EIW(55.5F 3/12eb,hel



This helical buckling load predicts the first occurrence of helical buckling of the weighty tubulars in the vertical wellbore. The first occurrence of helical buckling in the vertical wellbore will be a one-pitch helical buckle at the bottom portion of the tubular.



The upper portion of the tubular in the vertical wellbore will be in tension and remain straight. When more tubular weight is slacked-off at the surface, and the helical buckling becomes more than one helical pitch, the above helical buckling load equation may be used for the top helical pitch of the helically buckled tubular



The top helical buckling load Fhel,t is calculated by simply subtracting the tubular weight of the initial one-pitch of helically buckled pipe from the helical buckling load Fhel,b, which is defined at the bottom of the one-pitch helically buckled tubular:

3/12e

hele3/12

et,hel

)0.14(EIW

LW)EIW(55.5F



Where the length of the initial one-pitch of helical buckling or the first order helical buckling is:

(10) )W/EI16(L 3/1e

2hel



From Table 1, it is also amazing to find out that the top helical buckling load, Fhel,t, is very close to zero. This indicates that the “neutral point”, which is defined as the place of zero axial load (effective axial load exclusive from the hydrostatic pressure force), could be approximately used to define the top of the helical buckling for these coiled tubings.



lbf 12F

)2225.0*3869.0*10*30(14.0

)EIW(14.0F

t,hel

2/126

3/12et,hel


Buckling of 2” x 1.688” CT

Horizontalsinusoidal:

helical:

lbf 065,6F 122F

lbf 317,3r

EIW2F

crhel

ecr



Verticalsinusoidal, bottom:

or

lbf 212 EIW55.2F

lbf 161 EIW94.1F

3/12ebcr,

3/12eb,cr



Verticalhelical, bottom:

helical, top:

lbf 12 EIW14.0F

lbf 461 EIW55.5F

3/12ethel,

3/12eb,hel

37. coiled tubing

Documents

drilling slide

helical buckling buckling

coiled tubing buckling

spe drilling

coiled tubing pete

drilling lesson

occurrence of helical

critical buckling