Abstract
In 1997, Statoil and Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. began jointly evaluating technologies that could be used to develop a revolutionary coiled-tubing and well-intervention system. This system, which will be deployed initially in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, sets a new standard for drilling with conventional drilling rigs or coiled-tubing drilling units. The advanced well-construction system consists of a digitally controlled and automated coiled-tubing drilling system that uses a new advanced composite coiled tubing (ACCT) with embedded wires and a tractor-driven bottomhole assembly (BHA). This system enables the geological steering of complex, extended-reach wellpaths that were not previously achievable.
This paper discusses a joint development project in which the operator and the service company worked together to design a fit-for-purpose system that met Norway’s stringent health, safety, and environment (HSE) requirements. The system’s three major subsystems are discussed: the digitally controlled and automated surface equipment, the 2 ⅞-in. ACCT with embedded wires, and the drilling and intervention BHA. Test results from qualification and pilot wells are also included.
