SPE 94208

Delivering Perforation Strings in Extended-Reach Wells With Coiled Tubing and

Hydraulic Tractor
N.B. Moore, SPE, E. Krueger, SPE, D. Bloom, SPE, and P.W. Mock, SPE, Western Well Tool Inc., and
A. Veselka, ExxonMobil

Copyright 2005, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.

pioneered1. Since then, CT has been used to perform
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2005 SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing Conference thousands of perforation and logging jobs through out the
and Exhibition held in The Woodlands, Texas, U.S.A., 12 – 13 April 2005.
world. A major advantage of CT is to reduce the number of
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of
information contained in a proposal submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as
operational trips by carrying heavy assemblies, which is
presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to beyond the capacity of wireline.
correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at With ExxonMobil’s venture into the Chayvo Field in
SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society of
Petroleum Engineers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper
Sakhalin Island Russia (see Figs. A-1 and A-2), plans began
for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is for developing the offshore reservoir from a land based
prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to a proposal of not more than 300
words; illustrations may not be copied. The proposal must contain conspicuous drilling rig using ER wells. As described in Extended Reach
acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O.
Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435.
Drilling Technology Enables Economical Development of
_

Remote Offshore Field in Russia2 by McDermott et al., the

Abstract
A new enabling technology of delivering long perforation gun
strings and logging equipment into Extended Reach (ER)
Wells using coiled tubing assisted by an innovative all
hydraulic tractor is presented. Recent operational experience
at Chayvo Field in Sakhalin Island Russia on the first ER well
illustrates the new capabilities of this approach that delivered
coiled tubing strings into a 9,375 meter well, performing
multiple perforations and logging operations. Pre-operations
equipment qualification testing and downhole modeling
methodology for the project are discussed. Sakhalin Island
surface equipment and bottom hole assemblies are described
along with operational experience and lessons learned that
successfully delivered heavy payloads into distant reservoirs
beyond coiled tubing lockup.
Introduction
To meet the growing requirements for oil production and
address increasing costs of oil and gas developments, highly
deviated extended-reach (ER), horizontal wells are frequently
required. Completions for these wells have resulted in new
logging and perforation challenges.
The use of wireline for logging or perforation is not
suitable for horizontal wells because it relies on gravity to
convey its payload to the targets. Recently, wireline has been
assisted with electric tractors that can provide some pulling
force at the Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA); however, these
types of assemblies have increasing difficulty with increasing
depth because of power losses and heat problems
Effectively beginning around 1985 conveyance of
perforation and logging equipment on coiled tubing (CT) was
expense with operating the remote location drilling rig
necessitated consideration of completing these wells with CT.
However, the extreme lengths of these wells required the use
of specialty built CT equipment and a CT hydraulic tractor,
herein described.
Pre-Operations Modeling
Computer Simulations. One part of the evaluations for
completing the Chayvo Field Wells in Sakhalin Island
involved computer modeling of the CT operations to assess
overall feasibility and estimating equipment requirements. A
commercially available CT simulator was used to predict the
tubing forces and hydraulics performance for a proposed
Chayvo Z4 well configuration, believed to be typical of those
anticipated at Chayvo. The objectives of the analyses were to
determine:
• Feasibility of CT operations for long ER wells
• CT equipment requirements
• Anticipated CT operating procedures
The software model included casing size, fluid
properties, an assumed Coefficient of Friction, Cf, and
assumed tortuosity. The industry practice Cf=0.2 was
assumed and believed consistent with small and full scale
friction testing and field data. Tortuosity was introduced by
randomly perturbing both the inclination and the azimuth with
2 degrees per 60 meters in the build sections and 2 degrees per
150 meters in the horizontal sections. Fig. A-3 shows the
Planned Survey for a typical well at Sakhalin Island.
CT String. The CT string was designed and modeled to
perform the perforation operations giving consideration for
well bore length, coil weight, material strength, and method of
coil construction. The coil length required was 10,560 meters,
exceeding what CT mills can handle, and would weigh
144,000 pounds thus necessitating construction on location by
splicing shorter sections with butt welds. The CT was
assumed to be 100,000 psi yield strength material. A tapered
CT construction was created with wall thickness of 0.188
inches at the top tapered to 0.109 inches at the bottom of the
string.
Tubing Forces. With a view to minimize downhole
operations, the challenging task was to perforate the simulated
well with as few runs as possible, hence to carry as large a
payload of perforation guns as possible.
CT force analyses were performed for the typical
well by modeling the well’s anticipated three perforation
zones. The perforation guns were modeled to perforate at two
shots per foot, spf. The modeled weight included tandem
rollers, sniper system and swivel connections. The BHA was
assumed to be 2.75-inches OD x 0.688 inch ID and weighing
12.5 pounds per foot. The tractor was assumed to provide a
2,000 pound minimum pulling force.
The analysis results included the maximum depth that
the CT string could be Run In Hole (RIH) with the BHA and
when or if a tractor was necessary (see Fig. A-4). If the BHA
could not reach bottom, the model was modified to include a
10 meter tractor weighing 600 pounds. In addition,
operational time estimates, including tractoring at an assumed
percentage of advertised speed, were made.
Modeling Summary. The modeling concluded the following:
• 90,000 psi yield strength 2.375 inch OD CT string
approximately 10,670 meters length would be
adequate for the anticipated operations.
• Conventional CT surface equipment can be used for
operations.
• CT size, weight of the string and work reel will be
substantially larger than conventional equipment.
• A CT tractor would be required for any operation in a
typical well over 10,000 meters MD.
• CT operation will be extremely sensitive to the Cf
between the CT and the casing; the tractor must be
qualified to produce at least 5000 pounds load as a
safety factor.
Chayvo Sakhalin Island Equipment
Coiled Tubing Unit. The majority of the CT equipment is
similar to that required for more conventional CT operations.
The significant difference is the size of the associated surface
equipment because of the extreme measured depths planned
during completion and future intervention operations.
A summary of the equipment includes a Blow Out
Preventer (BOP) pressure deployment system, extended
lubricator, injector, injector table, CT tower, and an over-sized
work reel. Additional ancillary equipment includes control
cabin, pumps, tankage, spooling, and inspection equipment.
A BOP pressure deployment system is currently
used. It utilizes the CIRP (Completion, Insertion and Removal
under Pressure) system. The CIRP system allows for make-up
and break-out of long BHAs below a lubricator under
pressure. Rams located in the BOP are used to manipulate the
connectors in the BHA.
The CT tower was built to accommodate the tall
lubricator, injector, and injector table. The fully assembled
tower is approximately 106 feet tall, see Fig. A-5. The sub
base of the tower sits on two skid rails that straddle the wells.
The skid rails are used to skid the drilling rig as well as CT
tower from well to well. The mast was pull tested to 120,000
pounds and is designed to operate in -30 oF temperatures and
100 knot winds.
The injector table is pinned to the top of the tower
and is hydraulically controlled. The hydraulics allows the
table to be moved vertically over a 4 to 5 feet range and
horizontally by approximately 5 feet to allow access to the
lubricator and wellbore. The injector table also swivels to
allow the injector to rotate to align with the coil reel on the
ground.
The over-sized work reel has the capacity for
approximately 10,670 meters of 2-3/8 inch OD coiled tubing.
The core diameter of the reel is 114 inches and the flange
diameter is 206 inches. The gross weight rating is 250,000
pounds with a swivel rating of 10,000 psi safe operating
pressure. The pulling force ranges from 3,200 to 6,100
pounds from the first to the last layer of pipe on the reel. The
work reel mounts on a specially designed and built drop
through trailer. The CT control cabin is mounted on the front
of the trailer. The trailer allows maximum flexibility moving
between wells. Because of the size of the work reel, the coil
tubing was shipped on three individual shipping spools which
are spooled on the work reel at the well site. A welding and
inspection habitat is also located at the well site. This allows
butt welds and inspection of the coil tubing as required.
Bottom Hole Assembly. The first tool run in the well was a
memory logging tool. When the CT reaches TD, a physical
paint mark is placed on the pipe. An additional mark is placed
on the pipe close to where the first perforating interval will be.
The memory log is correlated to the LWD (log while drilling)
log. The marks on the pipe are used to get on depth during
perforation runs. During the initial trip in the well, the PU
(pick up) weights are closely monitored and modeling is done
to evaluate the well specific Cf. This data allowed for updated
modeling of the long perforating assemblies during
deployment. Adjustments to the length and weights of BHA's
were made based on the modeling.
The perforating gun assemblies being run are 3-3/8
inch hollow carrier. To reduce the risk of potential sand
production the guns are oriented to shoot in the vertical
direction. They are loaded at 4 spf. The perforation guns are
pre-loaded into 20 foot gun carriers, transported and
assembled into 40 foot guns at the CT area. Both ends of the
40 foot pre-assembled gun contain a CIRP. Every fourth
connector incorporates an integral swivel that allows the gun
to freely rotate. Every seventh 20 foot gun carrier utilized a
weighted spacer to ensure that the gun orientates to perforate
SPE 94208 3

in the vertical direction. An E-Fire head operated by pressure During the qualification testing, the tractor demonstrated the
logic and a ball drop disconnect were run below the tractor. following:
On the Chayvo Z6 Well, a memory PLT (Production
Logging Tools) was also run. The PLT consisted of three sets • Maximum Pull: 9,700 lbs (190% of requirement)
of pressure/temperature gauges, spinner (flowmeter), and • Nominal Operating Speed: 950 ft/hour RIH.
various other components in case of tool failure. Because of • Operational Reliability
running the PLT blind, it is impossible to see at the surface if
data is being collected; additional back-up tools were deemed Job Operation – Chayvo Well Z6
necessary to assure that data is collected on every run. The
overall tool length was approximately 40 feet with the Well Profile, Conditions, and Operating Conditions. The
maximum OD of 4.5 inches. Z-6 well in the Sakhalin-1 project is a J-shaped double build
Bottom hole pressure and temperature gauges were well with a TD of 9,375 meters and TVD of 2,613 meters.
run several times in the Chayvo Z6 Well. The gauges were The horizontal well trajectory extends out 8.5 km to TD. A 7
run inside a dummy gun, for protection. With gauges in the inch 26 and 29 pound per foot completion string run to surface
hole, flowing and shut-in pressure and temperatures were with a Gas Lift Mandrel and Sub Surface Safety Valve
obtained. The pressure build-ups were later analyzed to provides a minimum restriction of 5.18 inches. Operations
evaluate the completion efficiency. No skin damage was were all performed in a live underbalanced well with well
noted in the pressure build-up analysis. head pressure varying between 700-1,400 psi depending on
In the future, potential wash tools may be utilized to which zones were perforated. Coiled Tubing operations
clean out any sand or fines that may accumulate in the well. started with Potassium Chloride (KCl) in the well bore which
Kick-over tools are also available at the wellsite should an was then displaced to diesel during the first run.
attempt to recover or change gas lift valves be made. If these
operations are performed on CT, they may also require a Summary of Gauge, Perforation Runs, and PLT Runs. For
tractor. runs that included the tractor, the BHA included elements to
create differential pressure with the circulation of the
Hydraulic Tractor. The Hydraulic Tractor consists of a intervention fluid to power the tractor and safety release
Control Assembly (CA) connected between two shaft equipment. Down hole differential pressure was created by
assemblies (see Fig A-6). The tractor is powered and either the E-Fire firing head with a 0.188 inch diameter flow
controlled by the differential pressure between the centerline restrictor or the Coil tubing Ball drop Firing head (CBF) with
flow channel (supplied by the CT) and the annulus at the a 0.159 inch diameter flow restrictor. Circulation rates of 1.2
tractor’s location. The CA inlet valve is pressure activated and to 1.3 barrels/minute were used to activate and run the tractor.
opens at approximately 1,000 psi differential (psid). The inlet Surface pump pressures ranged from 2,900 to 3,500 pounds
valve incorporates an index device so that it opens only on per square inch at the above circulation rates depending on the
alternate pressure cycles. The gripper/shaft cylinder tractor speed. The BHA included a motor head assembly with
assemblies move simultaneously in opposite directions on the dual flapper valves and an integrated ball drop disconnect
shafts in response to the CA sequencing, eg; they move toward above the tractor. A second ball drop disconnect was installed
the tool joints of the shafts or they move toward the CA. below the tractor in the event the lower part of the BHA
The tractor is 28 feet long, and 4.7 inches outside became stuck. In runs where the CBF was only used to
diameter with a centerline passage of 0.80 inches. Static load produce a differential pressure (no perforation string), all of
capacity is 8,800 lbs at 1500 psid. the firing components were removed for safety purposes.
Compatibility with the CBF was proven during down
Tractor Sequencing. The operational sequence is: hole functional testing at the beginning of operations. The ball
expand the forward gripper; command the cylinders to move drop disconnect normally made up below the tractor was
inward toward the CA (this forces the forward shaft down omitted and a 0.75 inch diameter ceramic ball was pumped
hole); collapse the forward gripper; expand the aft gripper; down the coil and over the gooseneck successfully. Even
command the cylinders to move outward toward the tool joints though the test was a success, the CBF was relegated to a back
(this forces the aft shaft down hole); and collapse the aft up role to the E-Fire firing head for reasons of safety.
gripper. This sequence repeats until the load on the tractor is Operational measures included consideration for
large enough to stall the tractor or the pressure differential is locating of the perforation string and firing procedures.
lowered below the start valve pressure threshold. Perforation strings were RIH with the tractor 50 meters past
shooting depth and Pulled Out Of Hole (POOH) to correlate
Tractor Qualification Testing. The extensive modeling back to depth logs obtained from POOH Gamma Ray / Casing
efforts emphasized the importance of reliable minimum Collar Locator / Cement Bond Log (GR/CCL/CBL) data. The
performance characteristics of the tractor for use Chayvo Field perforation strings were comprised of the perforation guns
in Sakhalin Island. Qualification testing requires verification with lengths up to 320 meters and fired with the E-Fire. The
of minimum pull of 5,000 pounds, advertised speed and E-Fire is triggered by a pressure pulse code from the surface
operational reliability. pump when at the shooting depth. The tractor did not interfere
The test consisted of nine runs over two days totaling with the pressure pulse code and successful triggering of the
4,530 cycles on the tractor. The operational flow rates were 55 E-Fire was accomplished 5 of 5 times.
gallons/minute with a 0.225 inch diameter flow restrictor.
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 When required, gauges were RIH with the tractor (if
necessary) 50 meters past Target Depth (TD) and then POOH
to desired Measured Depth (MD) based on correlated data.
The CBF was installed below the tractor to create the
differential pressure necessary for tractor operations. The
gauges were installed below the CBF.
The single Memory Production Logging Tool run
comprised of two passes with a BHA consisting of a motor
head assembly, tractor, CBF, GR/CCL and a MPLT. A
combination of three redundant tools made up the overall
MPLT. Sufficient data was acquired with the 3 tool
combination assembly in two passes to analyze the inflow
performance of the well.
Operation Methods. Initially anticipated operational
methods for CT conveyed payloads required modification for
effective field operations. Prior to field operations, it was
expected that a typical procedure would include injecting the
string into the hole until lockup occurred, then activating the
tractor, over coming lock up and completing the run. It was
anticipated that there would be a significant difference in the
measured injector weights when the tractor was in operation.
This procedure was unsuccessful and was modified.
Operationally, there is a small window of measured
injector weights while RIH when tractor output exceeds CT
forces. The procedure for running the tractor in this type of
deep, very extended well was refined to address these
problems. Essentially, the tubing is RIH to lock up depth and
the CT is then POOH until the injector weight rolls over
(where the BHA is moving). The operator will then put the
injector into a hold position. This will be the pick up weight
of the string where all of the tubing will be in tension. The
operator will then slowly start to RIH. While monitoring the
injector weight indicator, the operator will start pumping the
circulation fluid at a suitable rate (above 20 gpm) to activate
the tractor. During subsequent operations, an observation was
made that even though the tractor can produce in excess of
9,000 pounds of pull, the injector weight indicator will not
show a load increase when the tractor is activated. The
operator must continue RIH and monitor the injector weight
for a decrease (i.e. the tubing is locked up and the tractor is
static) to indicate if the tractor is not activated.
An example of this is seen by comparing the two
traces in Fig. A-7. This graph documents the injector weights
associated with the third perforation run, which consisted of
320 meters of perforation guns. The traces are from two
sequential attempts to start the tractor. Notice the length of
time for pressure to build given a stable flow rate at the
surface. The starting MD is the same for both attempts.
Inspection of the plot shows that the difference between the
two plots is very small and appropriate action can only be
made by service personnel with adequate tractor running
experience.
As the operator RIH with the injector and the
circulation rate is adequate to operate the tractor, it will
engage the hole wall and begin to exert a pulling force. The
BHA will begin to move when the loading condition of the
injector, CT, and BHA combined drops below the pulling
force of the tractor. Movement of the tool sting can be seen
by inspection of Fig. A-8. Fig. A-8 shows the injector weight
indicator trace as the injector rate is increased from start up to
normal operation. Constant or even slightly increasing
injector weight indicates that the RIH rate can be increased.
Assessment of Fig. A-8 shows that at 10 feet/minute injector
weight remains constant but at injector rates above 15 feet per
minute, the injector weights begin to slack off. If this slacking
off were to continue, tractor speeds would continue to slow to
the point where forward progress is halted. It was noted
during operations that when this scenario happens, the tractor
may not pull the excess helical buckling out of the CT string
and begin to move again. The start up procedure may have to
be repeated from the beginning.
During the well operation, the tractor’s operational
life was constantly being evaluated. Because of onsite
logistical support, the capability to diagnose and completely
refurbish the tractor enabled the development of a component
usage record and replacement schedule before functionality
had been compromised. This process assured equipment
availability.
Accomplishments and Lessons Learned
Job Accomplishment Summary. Job accomplishments
during the completion of the Sakhalin Island Z6 well are as
follows:
• One test run was performed that verified the Tractors
Ball Drop compatibility
• Five successful perforations were completed with E-
Fire triggering.
• One PLT run covering 2,471 meters in 9.2 hours of
tractor operation (881feet/hour average).
• A total of thirteen runs while tractoring 4,360 meters
(tractor operated during seven runs).
• The Z-6 well set a world record run for a continuous
length coiled tubing application.
Lessons Learned. The challenges from the first well
completion at Chayvo Field in Sakhalin Island provided
valuable lessons and insight for future work.
Lesson 1: Tractor Operation. One of the most
significant insights into tractor operations beyond CT lock up
was the lack of reassurance from gauges or computer monitors
for verification. The tractor operator must look for the tell tale
signs of activation and regulate RIH speed while continuously
monitoring injector weights to maintain successful operation.
Lesson 2: Tractor Performance Requirements.
Contrary to the extensive pre-operations analyses and
subsequent qualification program, actual down hole conditions
resulted in the need for greater tractor capacity of up to 180-
200% more than anticipated. Greater tractor capacity means
greater confidence to complete the mission.
Future Uses of CT with Tractors
Other potential applications for Tractors with long CT strings
are:
• Perforations
SPE 94208 5

• Logging
• Sand control
• Running screens
• Sliding Sleeves
• Acidizing

Acknowledgements

Western Well Tool wishes thank Exxon Neftegas Limited and

ExxonMobil for their permission and support of the
preparation of this paper.

References

1. Wright, T.R. Jr., Sas-Jawarsky II, A., World Oil’s

Coiled Tubing Handbook, 1998, p.41-46

2. McDermott, J.R., Viktorin, R. A., Barrera, M.W.,

Keller, S.R., Schamp, J.H., “Extended Reach Drilling
Technology Enables Economical Development of
Remote Offshore Field in Russia”, SPE 92783,
presented at SPE/IADC Drilling Conference 23-25
Feb 2005, Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Appendix A

Fig. 1: Area of operation Sakhalin Island

Fig. 2: Field Location

MD VS SURFACE WEIGHT RIH COMPARISON

SURFACE WEIGHT (lbs)

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000
0

Measured Inclination. Azimuth 2,000

Depth
MEASURED DEPTH (m)

(m) 4,000
0 0 101.57
300 0 101.57
6,000
1478 76.56 101.57
7245 76.56 101.57
8,000
8052 90 101.57
10422 90 101.57
10,000

Weight In (No Tractor) Weight In (with Tractor)

Fig. 3: Planned Typical Survey at Chayvo Sakhalin Island

Fig. 4: Typical CT Force Analysis

SPE 94208 7

Fig. 6: Hydraulic Tractor

Fig. 5: Chayvo Surface Equipment

Injector Weights, Tractor Start Up

Same Procedure, Back to Back Attempts Tractor Start Up, Tractor Activated
60,000 3500
Injector Weight and RIH Rate vs Time
60,000 40
3000
50,000

RIH rates faster than 15ft/min

Range of surface pressure where 50,000
2500 result in decreasing weights
tractor becomes activated
Pump Pressure (psi)
Injector Weight (lbs)

40,000 30

Injector Rate (ft/min)

Injector Weight (lbs)

Injector weight maintained, even 2000 40,000 Injector Weight stays constant
as injector is continued RIH while RIH rate is increasing.
30,000

1500 30,000 20

20,000
1000
20,000

10,000 10
500
Injector weight continues to fall 10,000
indicating tractor not activated.
0 0
00:00 01:26 02:53 04:19 05:46 07:12 08:38 10:05 11:31
0 0
Time (min:sec) 00:00 07:12 14:24 21:36 28:48 36:00 43:12 50:24

Tractor Activated Tractor Not Activated Surface Pump Pressure Time (min:sec)

Injector Weight Injector Rate

Fig. 7: Tractor Startup

Fig. 8: Tractoring Downhole

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