Drilling rigs have always been some of the go-to oil fields among oil and gas companies. However, not all of them are good enough for drilling, mud logging, and similar maintenance operations. This is where the need for coiled tubing and coiled tubing units are relied upon for a wide range of operations associated with drilling maintenance and well intervention. In fact, coiled tubing has now become a part of drilling applications that we may have never heard of before.
While coiled tubing was initially introduced for the primary task of working on live wells, most of the coiled tubing equipment has now started facilitating operators for a larger set of practices. Today, coiled tubing is accepted as one of the best choices for drilling applications, primarily because of its ability to decrease costs.
Coiled tubing is essentially chosen for extending the reach of wells due to its ability to drill extensively throughout the wellbores. If you’re new to the process of coiled tubing and how it works, here’s a quick guide to help you learn all about it.
What is Coiled Tubing?
Coiled tubing, often referred to as “CT” in drilling applications, is a process in which a steel pipe with a small diameter is drilled with a continuous and consistent length for the primary purpose of re-drilling a surface, completing the drilling work, performing workover, remediation, and other similar maintenance practices.
The pipe used for coiled tubing is essentially spooled carefully onto a reel in a shape similar to an average-sized cable. Many operators make the best use of processes and methods like snubbing for effective coiled tubing operations. It helps them the consistent tubing length to seamlessly get in and out of a well.
Unlike other drilling processes, coiled tubing is an effective method because it can easily be employed for live wells without the risk of interrupting production or disrupting the entire well’s functionality, despite high pressures.
The coiled tubing procedure and duration are significantly flexible compared to other processes. You can run it for at least 3 hours in offshore environments, depending on the equipment’s position. However, you might have to reduce the coiled tubing equipment duration by at least 1.5 hours when operating on land.
This also depends on the running speed of your pipe and other coiled tubing equipment. These speeds can significantly help in saving the time or money you’d spend on alternative drilling processes.
Image Filename: a large ship
Image Alt Text: industrial equipment
The Applications of Coiled Tubing
There are several applications of coiled tubing equipment which essentially make it a reliable technology. Many operators resort to coiled tubing to successfully conduct remedial work on live wells. This often includes using new tools and supplies via production tubing. Throughout this process, coiled tubing allows operators to meet the essential prerequisites of downhole operations in wells.
In other words, one of the first objectives met with coiled tubing is the creation of a dynamic seal inside wells by forming pressure on their surfaces. It also allows operators to achieve fluid conveyance with its continuous length.
Apart from helping with remedial work and drilling operations, coiled tubing also caters to the needs of many oil and gas companies struggling to find lost equipment. Coiled tubing provides them with a wide range of mud logging tools and supplies that they can use to find old materials, get through deep wellbores to push and pull items and easily slide all the obstructions away when looking for a specific piece of equipment.
One of the biggest challenges of drilling processes is the problem of fill material. It doesn’t only disrupt mud-logging and other similar operations but also stops production by blocking the source of oil and gas. This way, the control devices like valves placed downhole stop functioning too.
These fill materials include sand, mud, and debris from remedial work. With coiled tubing procedures, it becomes easier to clean out the fill material and extensively remove it until the flow of oil and gas resumes through the tubing in the well.
The Key Advantages of Coiled Tubing Equipment
When you compare coiled tubing with conventional maintenance and drilling operations, you’ll notice some evident benefits that operators may not have experienced before. Here are some key advantages of using coiled tubing equipment:
- Speedy mobilization of drilling rigs.
- The reduced need for drilling personnel and workers.
- Decreased environmental and carbon footprint.
- Saved time for handling pipes running through with the reels.
Check Out Our Geologist Tools and Equipment Today!
To learn more about coiled tubing, check out our geologist tools and equipment for sale at CNPS. We’re a leading supplier of a wide range of essentials, including mud logging supplies, FRP pipelines, GRE pipelines, RTP pipelines, and more. Get in touch with us here to learn more about our mud logging supplies today!
