Well completion in deepwater operations are particularly challenging from an engineering perspective. With the high cost and high risk associated with deepwater interventions it's critical to reduce the number coiled tubing runs and maximize the number of operations that can be performed during one run into a well.
Coiled tubing perforation jobs have historically required multiple runs to correlate depth, perforate and sometimes stimulate or gas lift a well. Recent advancement in this field has resulted in a suite of solutions based on a realtime downhole communication system comprising a non-intrusive electrical conductor, surface hardware and software, and a combination bottomhole assembly (BHA). The combination BHA incorporates the motorhead assembly, conductor and BHA release function, and a pressure, temperature, and casing collar locator sensor package for accurate depth correlation with high-resolution pressure and temperature data. The design also enables the use of ball-activated tools.
A particular offshore Philippines deepwater project recently benefited from this technology. The coiled tubing downhole communication system obtained realtime data using a small-diameter conductor wire pre-installed inside the coiled tubing. The data was used to optimize conventional coiled tubing interventions and expand the use of wireline logging tools. The conductor has minimal effect on the flow area of the coiled tubing or on the overall weight of the reel. The logging BHA was attached with mechanical and electrical quick connects and was rigged up offshore in minutes.
This paper reviews how the new downhole communication system extended the capabilities of coiled tubing during two deepwater well interventions. It will further discuss the system's operational flexibility by illustrating the case study of running the system.
