Abstract
Well bore cleanouts have been performed for many years with coiled tubing and it may be said that the cleanout operation is one of the most routine services performed in the coiled tubing industry; but until recently design was no more than a rule-of-thumb approach. Sufficient information is now available to facilitate informed decisions and achieve reliable engineering solutions, utilizing a sophisticated particle transport model.
A methodical thought process, based on extensive research and mathematical modeling, will be presented for designing specific well bore cleanouts in a challenging offshore field in the Middle East. Case histories from a number of wells are documented detailing the conclusions from each. Laboratory analysis was performed on samples collected from the cleanout operations to further optimize and validate the design process. It is the intent of this paper to demonstrate the importance of sound engineering design, aided by comprehensive computer modeling technology.
