Proposal This paper will discuss the development of abrasive cutting technology deployed via coiled tubing for cutting production tubing, drill pipe, drill collars, exotic stainless steel completion components, single strings of casing and multiple strings of casing.This technology is performed utilizing a sealed bearing, positive displacement motor and a cutting head along with conventional coiled tubing tools and conventional coiled tubing.This technology gives operators an additional tool when severing of the drill string or production tubing is required.
Additionally the paper will discuss perforating tubing and casing using abrasives, particularly in horizontal wells where conventional wire-line operations are not possible.
The paper will discuss:Utilizing a positive displacement motor to perform abrasive cuts via coiled tubing,
Design and testing phases of the abrasive cutting system,
Initial field runs to prove the viability of this technology,
Total jobs completed to date,
Lessons learned throughout the process,
Where this technology leads from here.
The paper will also discuss future applications for this technology which include cutting casing for plug and abandonment programs, permanent packer retrieval, and abrasive perforating all deployed via coiled tubing.
Introduction A reliable cutting system deployed via coiled tubing has been required in the industry for several years for cutting tubulars.The mechanical and hydraulic cutters that are available on the market for coiled tubing conveyed applications have their limitations.There is the risk of the cutter blades not fully retracting preventing the cutter from being pulled through the restrictions in the completion. Most of these types of cutters require some type of anchoring devise that adds additional risks and costs to this operation.
The Abrasive Cutting System The design criteria for the Abrasive Cutting System were to use existing Thru Tubing equipment that was industry accepted and to keep it simple.The key component in this system is the sealed bearing pack positive displacement motor.A reliable sealed bearing pack motor is needed because once the abrasive sand is introduced to the system, sand in the bearing pack would damage the motor and cause the operation to be unsuccessful.