Abstract
Coiled tubing (CT) operations are widely used to maintain and service
wellbores for optimal production. Compressive forces, arising from
friction, can cause buckling induced lock-up of the CT, bringing the
operation to a halt. This paper investigates the feasibility of using
strategically placed periodic supports in the wellbore to increase the
buckling stability of the CT. Tubing force analysis (TFA) and finite
element analysis (FEA) models from literature are modified and used in
conjunction to determine exact locations of the individual supports. For
the investigated CT operation this resulted in a total of 2153 periodic
supports spanning 7 regions of stabilization covering 1890 m. With a
strength and strain wise feasible individual support length of 2 mm, the
accumulated collapsed length of supports is 4.3 m. This length scale
makes it realistic to bring the periodic supports into the wellbore with
the bottom hole assembly during CT operations. Conducted experiments
demonstrate how inadequate support causes potential detrimental effects
for the operation, however, sufficient periodic support maintains its
stabilizing integrity beyond the point of helical buckling.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 211779 |
Journal | Geoenergy Science and Engineering |
Volume | 227 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISSN | 2949-8910 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Keywords
- Explicit finite element analysis (FEA)
- Helical buckling
- Increased stability
- Periodic support
- Tubing force analysis (TFA)