Society of Petroleum Engineers

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SPE 29541

Transient Aspects of Unloading Oil and Gas Wells With Coiled Tubing
H. Gu*, Schlumberger Dowell
*Member SPE

Copyright 1995, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Inc.

This paper was prepared for presentation at the Production Operations Symposium held in Oklahoma City, OK, U.S.A., 2-4 April 1995.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper,
as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to 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 SPE. meetings are subject to publlc_ation review by Editorial Committees of the Society
of Petroleum Engineers. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment
of where and by whom the paper is presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A. Telex, 163245 SPEUT.

ABSTRACT
Unloading oil and gas wells with coiled tubing (CT)
conveyed nitrogen circulation is a transient process in
which the original heavier fluid in a well bore is displaced by
nitrogen and lighter reservoir fluid. The transient aspects
need to be considered when determining nitrogen volume
and operation time for unloading a well. A computer
wellbore simulator has been developed and used to study
the transient effects. The simulator includes transient
multiphase mass transport and takes into account the
different fluids in the wellbore and from the reservoir. The
simulator also includes the gas rise in the wellbore liquid
below the CT and can be used for gas well unloading. The
transient results of oil and gas well unloading are
presented. The effects of CT size and depth,· workover
fluid, and nitrogen rate and volume on unloading are
discussed. Unlike continuous gas lift, the total gas volume
needed and the operation time in an unloading process
can only be determined and optimized based on a transient
analysis.
INTRODUCTION
Coiled tubing (CT) is often used in unloading oil and gas
wells after a workover or after a well is loaded. In many
workover operations, the wellbore is filled with workover
fluid. The hydrostatic pressure of the workover fluid may
prevent well production. Also, when a well has been shut in
for a period of time, the well may be loaded with produced
liquid in the wellbore. In both cases, if the reservoir
pressure is high enough to produce the well when the
heavier fluid is removed from the well, a temporary lift
process can unload or kickoff the well and restore
production. Otherwise, if the reservoir pressure is too low
to achieve a steady production rate a permanent
continuous artificial lift is needed.
The CT conveyed nitrogen is a commonly used method to
unload a well. 1 The CT can be run into or out of a well at a
speed of 100 to 200 ft/min. Nitrogen can be circulated at
different depths to achieve a smooth and efficient
unloading.

An unloading process is transient. Unlike continuous gas

lift, the fluid composition in the well changes during the
entire unloading process. During an unloading process, the
heavier fluid left in the wellbore from a stimulation or
workover is aerated and displaced by the injected nitrogen
gas. The downhole pressure is reduced. When the
downhole pressure is lower than the reservoir pressure,
the reservoir fluid starts to flow into the wellbore. Usually
the reservoir fluid has a lower density than the original
References and illustrations at end of paper. wellbore fluid. The wellbore fluid is further displaced by the

927
2 TRANSIENT ASPECTS OF UNLOADING OIL AND GAS WELLS WITH COILED TUBING
incoming reservoir fluid, and a larger drawdown is created
at the reservoir. When there is enough drawdown for a
steady inflow, the nitrogen circulation stops and the CT is
pulled out of the well. The well continues to produce
unassisted. A steady-state condition is reached when the
unloading process is completed.
The design of an unloading operation involves the
determination of the nitrogen rate, CT depth, total volume
of nitrogen needed and operation time. Information needed
when planning the operation includes reservoir pressure,
production capability, property of the produced fluid,
property of the original wellbore fluid, and wellbore
conditions. A successful and optimal unloading operation
should be able to bring the well to production in a minimum
time and minimum nitrogen consumption.
A computer simulato~· developed for CT operations has
3
been used to study the unloading process. Unique features
of this simulator include the tracking of different wellbore
and reservoir fluids, CT movement and return of workover
fluid from the formation. The transient behavior of the
unloading process is clearly demonstrated by the computer
simulation results. The effects of the CT size and depth,
nitrogen rate and volume, workover fluid, and well
conditions on the unloading outcome are presented and
discussed.
SIMULATOR FEATURES
The simulator has several unique features that allow it to
be suitable for transient oil and gas well unloading study
and design. The· simulator solves transient mass
conservation equations for multiphase flow and keeps
track of different fluids. The fluids that flow in the wellbore
can be the original wellbore liquid, produced oil, reservoir
gas, formation water and injected nitrogen gas. Different
fluid density and rheology for these fluids are used in the
simulation. The CT movement and depth can be entered
as the function of time in an injection schedule. The fluid
leaking into the formation and the workover fluid lost in the
formation are tracked, and the reproduction of lost fluid is
simulated. The flow rates out of the wellbore plotted
against the time from the simulation runs can clearly show
whether an unloading process is successful after the
nitrogen injection stops. More details on the simulator can
2 3
be found in Gu et al. and Gu and Walton.
DISCUSSION OF SIMULATION RESULTS
Different Wellbore and Reservoir Fluids
The density of the workover fluid left in a wellbore is often
higher than the reservoir fluid. Different workover fluids
may also have different densities. A. fluid with a higher
density usually requires a longer unloading time. Two
simulation examples for different workover fluids show the
928
SPE 29541
density effect on the unloading results. The wellbore,
reservoir and CT conditions used in the simulation
examples are listed below.
Wei/bore
Well depth = 12,200 ft
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Casing ID = 4 in., OD =4.5 in.
No tubing
Oil Reservoir
Reservoir height =50 ft (12, 100 to 12,150 ft)
Reservoir pressure = 4, 700 psi
Productivity index = 1.5 B/D/psi
WOR =0.2
GLR = 100 scf/bbl
Coiled Tubing
CT length = 15,000 ft
10 = 1.06 in., OD =1.25 in.
The nitrogen injection rate is 300 scfm, while the CT is run
into wellbore at 100 ft/min. When the CT reaches 12,000 ft,
the nitrogen rate is increased to 600 scfm and the injection
continues for 90 min. The injection stops at 210 min. For a
workover fluid of specific gravity (SG) = 1, the well can be
unloaded by this injection schedule. The flow rates out of
the well from the simulation are shown in Fig. 1. After
nitrogen injection stops at 21 0 min, the well can maintain a
steady flow on its own and the unloading is successful. For
a workover fluid of SG = 1.15, the same nitrogen rate and
injection time cannot remove all of the heavier workover
fluid. The flow rates out of the well (Fig. 2) show that the
well cannot produce after the nitrogen gas leaves the
well bore. A heavier workover fluid has a larger slip from the
gas and flows at a lower velocity. Also, a heavier workover
fluid creates a higher downhole pressure, and less
reservoir fluid can flow into the wellbore. Hence, less
workover fluid is removed from the wellbore during the
same period of time. For a successful unloading, more
nitrogen with a longer injection time is needed to remove
all of the workover fluid.
When an unloading operation is designed, the density of
the workover fluid should be considered. When using
relations generated from steady-state computer models,
the density of the workover fluid in a wellbore should be
used instead of the reservoir fluid property.
Cleanup of the Workover Fluid
During a workover, fluid is often injected or lost in the
formation. When the well is being unloaded and starts to
flow, the fluid that returns first is not the reservoir fluid, but
is the workover fluid reproduced from the formation. This
workover fluid cleanup is important for later well production
and is also important during the unloading process.
Simulation examples with and without the reproduced
workover fluid show a big difference in the unloading time
SPE 29541 H.GU
and the amount of nitrogen needed. The data used in the
simulation are listed below.
Wei/bore
Well depth= 9030 ft
Tubing ID = 2.441 in., OD = 2.875 in. (0 to 8500 ft)
Casing ID = 4 in., OD = 4.5 in. (8500 to 9030 ft)
Oil Reservoir
Reservoir height = 30 ft (9000 to 9030 ft)
Reservoir pressure = 3500 psi
Productivity index = 0.8 B/D/psi
WOR=O
GLR = 200 scf/bbl
Coiled Tubing
CT length = 15,000 ft
ID = 1.06 in., OD = 1.25 in.
The CT is run to a depth of 8800 ft, and the nitrogen
injection rate is 300 scfm during the entire operation. The
well can be unloaded in 150 min, if there is no lost
workover fluid in the formation. When there is 50 bbl of
workover fluid to be cleaned up, nitrogen injection up to
240 min is needed for a successful unloading. Figure 3
shows the flow rates out of the well for the example with 50
bbl workover fluid to be cleaned up. The extended nitrogen
circulation keeps workover fluid flow until there is enough
reservoir oil and gas in the wellbore to reduce the
downhole pressure.
The unloading operation time and the amount of nitrogen
needed depend on the amount of workover fluid lost in the
formation. The amount of fluid injected or lost in the
formation during a workover is often accurately known.
However, some of the fluid may become immobile in the
formation. An accurate account of how much fluid will
return is difficult to determine. The amount of fluid that can
be cleaned up and flowed back can only be estimated from
previous field experience for similar conditions. When
designing an unloading after a workover, an estimate of
the amount of return fluid should be obtained. The upper
and lower bounds of the estimated amount can be used in
simulations to determine the minimum and maximum
volumes of the nitrogen and circulation time. Required
resources in the actual operation can then be planned
accordingly.
Gas Rate and Volume
One of the fundamental operation parameters in unloading
a well is the nitrogen injection rate. A low injection rate has
less gas flowing in the annulus, and the hydrostatic
pressure of the gas/liquid mixture is higher. At the same
time, the flow velocity is low and the friction pressure is not
high. A high injection rate has more gas and high velocity
in the annulus. The hydrostatic pressure is lower but the
friction pressure is higher. The combination of the
929
3
hydrostatic pressure and friction pressure determines the
drawdown created at the formation. A plot of the downhole
pressure for steady-state, gas/liquid, two-phase flow often
shows a minimum for a certain combination of gas and
liquid rates.
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The total nitrogen volume needed and the operation time
are also affected by the injection rate. The total nitrogen
volume and injection time represent the operation cost; the
cost can be reduced by minimizing the volume and time. In
the following, a transient simulation is used to determine
the optimum injection rate for a fixed amount of nitrogen
gas. The conditions used in the simulation are listed below.
Wei/bore
Well depth = 11 ,050 ft
Tubing ID = 2.44 in., OD = 2.875 in. (0 to 10,500 ft)
Casing ID = 4.5 in., OD = 5 in. (1 0,500 to 11,050 ft)
Gas Reservoir
Reservoir height = 50 ft (11 ,000 to 11 ,050 ft)
Reservoir pressure = 2800 psi
C (coefficient in emRirical gas equation)
2
= 0.15 Mscf/D/psi "
n (exponent in empirical gas equation) = 0,6
Reproduced workover fluid = 100 bbl
Coiled Tubing
CT length = 13,000 ft
ID = 1.25 in., OD = 1.5 in.
The CT running-in-hole (RIH) speed is 100 ftlmin, and the
nitrogen injection begins at 45 min when the CT end is
below the liquid level at 4500 ft. The injection rate is 300
scfm during CT RIH. After the CT reaches 11 ,000 ft at 110
min, the nitrogen rate is increased to the rate given in
Table 1 below. The total nitrogen volume injected is 91,500
scf for all of the cases. The time when the injection stops
for each rate is also given in Table 1.
TABLE 1 -UNLOADING RESULTS FOR DIFFERENT NITROGEN
RATES
(CT OD = 1.5 IN., Nz volume = 91 ,500 scf)
N2 Rate Stop Time Unloading
(scfm) (min) Outcome
300 350 Successful
600 230 Successful
900 190 Unsuccessful
1200 170 Unsuccessful
For the given total nitrogen volume, the well can be
unloaded by injection at 300 and 600 scfm; whereas, the
well cannot be unloaded if the injection rate is 900 or 1200
scfm. At these higher rates, the friction pressure in the
annulus creates higher downhole pressure and less
drawdown. A longer injection time and more nitrogen at
these rates can unload the well. In terms of operation cost,
however, these rates are not optimal. The injection at 300
4 TRANSIENT ASPECTS OF UNLOADING OIL AND GAS WELLS WITH COILED TUBING SPE 29541

scfm can unload the well, but it takes longer than the
injection at 600 scfm. In this example, the optimal injection
rate is 600 scfm. The flow rates out of the well for the
unloading with a nitrogen rate of 600 scfm are shown in
Fig. 4.
On the other hand, for a given depth, there is an optimal
gas rate which gives the highest return rate. For example,
at a depth of 6000 ft, the injection rate of 600 scfm gives
the highest return rate. For a depth of 8000 ft, an injection
rate of 900 scfm gives the highest return rate. At a greater
depth, a higher injection rate gives a higher return rate; at a

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Coiled Tubing Size lower depth, a lower injection rate is more effective.
The CT size also affects the efficiency of unloading. For
the same example as in the previous section, if a 1.25-in. The reason for the rate/depth relation shown in Fig. 5 is a
CT is used, the unloading outcome is shown in Table 2. balance between hydrostatic and friction pressures. For a
lower depth, the pressure at the injection point is low; gas
TABLE 2 - UNLOADING RESULTS FOR DIFFERENT NITROGEN exiting from the CT expands and has a large volume. A low
RATES gas rate can create a large gas/liquid ratio, and effectively
= =
(CT OD 1.25 IN., N2 volume 91 ,500 scf) reduce the hydrostatic pressure. A high gas rate only
N2 Rate Stop Time Unloading
(scfm) (min) Outcome
increases the friction pressure.
300 350 Successful
600 230 Successful For CT at a greater depth, the downhole pressure at the
900 190 Successful injection point is high, and gas exiting from the CT is
1200 170 Unsuccessful greatly compressed and occupies a small volume. A low
gas rate cannot create large bubbles to reduce the
The well can be unloaded by injection at 900 scfm with a hydrostatic pressure as long as the pressure is high. Thus,
1.25-in. CT. In a wider annulus, the friction pressure is less the curves level off for the lower gas rate in Fig. 5.
and the higher gas rate reduces the downhole pressure
more effectively. The injection pressure is higher for the Annulus Size
smaller size CT because of the high velocity and friction The relation between the return rate and depth also
pressure inside the CT. The injection pressure should not depends on the annulus size. The above example is for
exceed the pressure limit of the CT to ensure a safe 1.5-in. CT in 2.875-in. tubing. For 1.25-in. CT in 2.875-in.
operation. tubing, the relation is similar (Fig. 6). For 1.25-in. CT in 5-in
casing, the annulus is wider and the friction is less
Coiled Tubing Depth important. Figure 7 shows the return rate versus the CT
The CT unloading can have a gas injection point at any depth. In this case, a high gas rate can reduce the
desired depth. The effect of the injection point depth is hydrostatic pressure more effectively, without creating too
studied using a steady-state gas-lift example. The data much friction pressure.
used in the example are listed below.

Wei/bore
Well depth = 10,000 ft
Tubing ID = 2.44 in., OD = 2.875 in. (0 to 10,000 ft)
Reservoir
Reservoir height = 10 ft (9,990 to 10,000 ft)
Reservoir pressure= 4330 psi
Productivity index = 0.5 8/D/psi
Coiled Tubing
CT length= 15,000 ft
ID = 1.25 in., OD = 1.5 in.
The produced liquid is water and the injection gas is
nitrogen. The liquid production rate is plotted versus the CT
depth for the different nitrogen injection rates (Fig. 5). For a
nitrogen rate of 300 scfm, the liquid return rate only
increases slightly for a CT depth greater than 4000 ft.
Similarly, the curve for 600 scfm levels off at about 7500 ft.
Therefore, for a given injection rate, it may not be
necessary to run the CT to a greater depth.
CONCLUSIONS
The transient behavior of oil and gas well unloading is
studied using a computer wellbore simulator developed for
CT operations. The following conclusions are obtained
from this study:
1. For unloading with workover fluid in the wellbore, the
density of the workover fluid affects the unloading
results and should be taken into account. When using
relations generated from steady-state computer
models, the density of the workover fluid in the
wellbore should be used if the workover fluid density is
different from the reservoir fluid density.
2. More nitrogen and a longer time are required for a
successful unloading when there is workover fluid to
be cleaned up from the formation. The information on
the workover fluid lost in the formation should be
obtained when planning an unloading operation.

930
SPE 29541 H.GU 5

3. For a given amount of nitrogen, there is an optimum

injection rate to unload a well in the shortest time. The
operation time and nitrogen volume can be minimized
using computer simulations to increase the efficiency
and reduce the cost in an unloading operation.

4. The optimum gas injection rate to maximize production

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depends on the depth of the injection point; on the
other hand, the optimum depth of the injection
depends on the injection rate. The dependency is due
to the combined effect of the hydrostatic and friction
pressures in the gas/liquid two-phase flow.
100 200 300 400 500 BOD 700 BOD
Tlme(mln)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author would like to thank Schlumberger Dowell for
permission to publish this paper. Fig. 2 - Flow rates out of well during unloading for
wellbore fluid with SG = 1.15.

REFERENCES
3.50-r-----·-·---~-------
1. Sas-Jaworsky, A. 11.: .. Coiled Tubing ... Operations and
Services, Part 5, Unloading Wells With Lighter Fluids, .. 3.00
World Oil (April 1992} 59.
2.50

2. Gu, H., Walton, I.C., and Brady, B.H.G.: .. A Computer

~
Wellbore Simulator for Coiled Tubing Cleanout ;;.
2.00

Operations,.. Computer Methods and Advances in ~

~ 1.50 ····r(······················
Geomechanics, H.J. Siriwardane and M.M. Zaman ii:
RHerYDirgaa
(eds.} Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands (1994} 3, 1.00

2059-64. Otl
0.50
~
3. Gu, H. and Walton, I.C.: "Development of a Computer
Wellbore Simulator for Coiled Tubing Operations, .. 5o 1oo 1so 200 2so
Tlme(mln)
300 350 •oo •so soo

paper SPE 28222 presented at the 1994 SPE

Petroleum Computer Conference, Dallas, July 31 -
Aug.1. Fig. 3 - Flow rates out of well during unloading
with reproduced workover fluid.

8.00 -··--·---·--·--··-------···-·----·---··-·--------·-·
30 ····--··--·--······---·····--···--···-··-··-·-·-·--·---:-·-····--···--··--·---··-·-······--··--··--

7.00

25

,.-
20 /
c I
I

le
! 15 {~
J
Reaervoirgaa

~ I
I
10 I
I

~ .•. ..
...····················· ! \
;
...... Wollboroftlid / ;;::WGOO>verftlid

.. If~.---------~-, . . _... _
100 200 300 400 500 BOD 700 BOD
Tlme(mln) 50 100 1so 200 2so 300 3SO •oo •so
Tlme(mln)

Fig. 1 - Flow rates out of well during unloading for Fig. 4 - Flow rates out of well in gas well unloading
wellbore fluid with SG = 1.0. with nitrogen rate of 600 scfm.

931
6 TRANSIENT ASPECTS OF UNLOADING OIL AND GAS WELLS WITH COILED TUBING SPE 29541

1.aT'""""----------~---~-----, 2.5 - - - · - - - - · - - - . . ; . . . . . - - · - - - · - - - - - - - -.... _ , .... _ .. _ •• _ _

..................... ~-~· ... ~·~·-··

.fill
·" ••••••
·······
.,,::'-:~--·····
_,..

fu tl'"" -~~~·
.....,.
---- ------------------

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'i
E
-'~,
"''~......~ ,
...... ..
.................

j I .~~:;.':...,..,

0.5
,., /~
<I"'

0.2

o~--~-----~----+---~-----~----4
2000 4000 5000 11000 7000 8000 11000 I 0000 o~--~-----~--~-~----~----4
2000 3000 4000 5000 11000 7000 11000 I!JI)OO
CTdopth(ft)
CTdepth(fl)

Fig. 5-- Liquid return rate in gas lift with 1.5-in. CT Fig. 7-- Liql)id return rate in gas lift with 1.25-in. CT
in 2.875-in. tubing (ID =2.441 in.). in 5-in. casing (10 = 4.5 in.).

0.2

0~--~--~--~--~---+---~--~--~
2000 5000 11000 7000 9000 10000
CTdepth(fl)

Fig. 6 - Liquid return rate in gas lift with 1.25-in. CT

in 2.875-in. tubing (ID =2.441 in.).

932