SPE 60734
Composite Coiled Tubing Solution
Terry R. Wheaton, Scott A. Berning, Dick Headrick, Mike Feechan, Clint Isennock, Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.;
Stewart H. Fowler, Fiberspar, Inc. Spoolable Products
Copyright 2000, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2000 SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing Roundtable
held in Houston, Texas, April 5-6.
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
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Abstract
Depending on the application, composite coiled tubing (CCT)
may serve as a cost-effective alternative to conventional coiled
tubing.1
Gas wells in Alberta, Canada often lose production when
hydrates form as a result of temperature drops in gas flow. To
reduce gas-flow temperature drop and prevent hydrates from
forming, operators commonly use a steel heater string to heat the
annular area between the production tubing and casing. Some
wells require more heat to reach the critical hydrate temperature
depth than others, resulting in higher costs for heating and
pumping equipment.
To reduce these costs, operators looked for a solution to
temperature drop, and found it in CCT. Because of its low
thermal conductivity (heat loss), a CCT heater string can reduce
the need for upgrading or replacing surface heating and pumping
equipment.
Introduction
In one study, continuous hydrate problems occurred in a newly
completed gas well in Alberta when the well was producing at its
potential (Fig. 1, Page 4). Operators inserted a 1 ¼-in. outer
diameter (OD) steel CT string into the annulus of the well to a
depth of 4,593 ft. They then pumped water heated to 167°F down
the string to heat the flow of gas above 80°F, the temperature at
which hydrates form. The steel CT failed to retain enough heat
to prevent hydrate problems. The only way operators could
produce the well was to increase the pump rate and reduce gas
flow. An alternative to this costly approach would have been to
upgrade the heating equipment, but that, too, would have been
expensive.
References at the end of the paper.
A simulation suggested that replacing the steel heater string
with a fiberglass or CCT material with low heat loss values
(thermal conductivity 1.92 Btu/hour/ft2-in./°F) could be a solu-
tion. This method would not require any changes to the surface
equipment.
Validation
To validate the simulation and prove that a heater string with
composite properties would be the solution, operators ran a
temperature log while the steel tubing string was being used and
the well was flowing. When the temperature log was compared
with the simulated results [allowing for the thermal conductivity
of steel (77.8 BTU/hour/ft2-in./ °F)], the results were compa-
rable (Fig. 2, Page 4).
Heater-string inlet parameters were as follows:
• flow rate 16.0 gal/min
• pressure 600 psi
• temperature 167°F
With this information, well operators investigated the de-
sign of a heater string with composite properties.
Design Considerations
The OD of any heater string would have to fit easily into the area
between the 2 7/8-in. tubing and 7-in. casing (ID 5.9 in.). This
annular space was effectively 1 ½ in. (Fig. 3, Page 4). The
minimum ID of the heater string would have to be 1 in. to
maintain the required pump rate of 16 gal/min.
Fiberglass jointed tubing was considered for use, but for
fiberglass tubing to maintain a 1-in. ID, the OD of the tool joints
has to be larger than 1 ½ in. Fiberglass jointed tubing would not
fit into the annular area. Seeking another solution, operators
decided to test CCT.
CCT Design
Because composite coiled tubing can be manufactured to any
specification, a final OD of 1.37 in. was chosen, with the ID
remaining at 1 in. This OD would allow operators to easily install
the string (Table 1, Page 3).
The CCT string would have to withstand an operating
pressure of 3,000 psi and a temperature of 180°F. Although there
was no required compression on the string, a value of –5,000 lb
2 COMPOSITE COILED TUBING SOLUTION
was used for design criteria, based on the possibility that the
string might have to be pushed into the annular area.
The tensile load required to install the string was estimated
at 2,600 lb in air and 1,200 lb in water. For the design criteria, a
value of 5,000 lb was required to provide additional overpull if
it was needed.
Testing
After it was manufactured, the CCT string was tested at 78°F for
burst pressure and axial loading (Fig. 4, Page 5). In manufacturer’s
tests with no axial load, the burst pressure was 12,500 psi. With
no internal pressure, the composite string failed at an 8,500-lb
axial load.
During testing, the manufacturer ran a 30-ft section of the
string in and out of the injector chains five times (five cycles) and
pull-tested it to 5,000 lb. In addition to testing the tubing itself,
this procedure also verified the integrity of the hangoff connector
that would be used in the actual installation.
During the manufacturer’s test, the pull-test clamp damaged
a 1-in. area of the 30-ft composite section. Because such failures
could occur again when the heater string was actually installed
and hung off, this same damaged string was later used in field
testing.
The 30-ft section (including the damaged area) was cut off
the string and pressurized to the point of failure. The string failed
in the damaged area at 10,500 psi.
This testing provided the data required to ensure that the
composite string met the necessary design specifications.
Equipment Required for Installation
Operators installed the CCT heater string in the well without
using special equipment or modifying existing equipment.
Because the string was installed in an isolated annulus with
a downhole packer and a column of water, operators did not have
to contain pressure at the surface with a blowout preventer
(BOP) or stripper.
The injector was equipped with V™ blocks ranging from 1-
in. CT to 1 ¾-in. CT, so the unusual OD size of 1 3/8 in. required
no special blocks or injector chains.
Hangoff Connector
The CCT connector required for the hangoff was designed from
an external steel CT slip connector with an internal mandrel
added to support the external slip when it was tightened. The top
of the connector had a box thread where the wellhead hangoff
mandrel could be installed. This reusable connector could be
installed in the field. Because the connector did not have to be
installed in the wall of the composite string when it was manufac-
tured, the string could be set at a different depth during operation,
if needed. This connector also reduced hangoff time and re-
quired no specially designed wellhead equipment
(Fig. 5, Page 5).
SPE 60734
Results
Operators used the same injector to pull the steel tubing and run
the CCT string. This operation took 8 hours, including the
nipple-down and nipple-up of the wellhead and flowlines
(Fig. 6, Page 6). Operators then heated the annular area to
operational temperature by circulating water heated to 167°F at
16 gal/min down the string and back to the surface, and the well
was put into production.
The well’s production (Fig. 7, Page 6) was increased in the
following four increments over 6 days:
• 1.7 MMscf/D (0.5 MMscf/D above the previous production
rate)
• 2.1 MMscf/D
• 2.5 MMscf/D
• 2.8 MMscf/D (maximum allowable production rate)
A temperature log was run 1 day after the well reached a
production level of 1.7 MMscf/D to confirm that the temperature
drop through the composite heater string and flowing gas tem-
perature remained comparable to that of the steel heater string.
The composite heater string provided a temperature differ-
ential increase above the steel string of 59°F at 4,593 ft, and
increased the flowing gas temperature by 39°F at the surface
(Fig. 8, Page 7). The final result was a continuous flow from the
well without hydrate problems, and production that more than
doubled—from 1.25 MMscf/D to 2.85 MMscf/D. Because of
the new production level, the overall cost of the operation was
recovered in less than 3 months.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Chris Bruggencate, a student at University of
British Columbia, who was employed by Petro-Canada Oil and
Gas as a summer student during this project. Chris performed
and validated the temperature simulations that made this project
possible.
References
1. Koshak, W.E, Feechan, M., Berning, S., Headrick, D., and
Hampton, F.: “A Summary of Recent Successes and Challenges
in the Development of Spoolable Composite Tubulars,” paper
SPE/ICoTA 54506, presented at the 1999 SPE/ICoTA Coiled
Tubing Roundtable, Houston, May 25-26.
SPE 60734 T. R. WHEATON, S. A. BERNING, D. HEADRICK, M. FEECHAN, C. ISENNOCK, S.H. FOWLER 3

Table 1—Installed Composite Coiled Tubing (CCT) Specifications

Physical Properties
Geometry
Outside diameter (in.) 1.372
Inside diameter (in.) 1
2 0.79
Inside flow area (in. )
Wall thickness (in.) 0.19
Linear weight
Air (lb/ft) 0.56
Water (lb/ft) 0.26
Specific gravity 1.86
2 192
Thermal conductivity (Btu/hr/ft -in/°F)
Resin tubing temperature 257°F
Mechanical Performance
Pressure Room Max. Operating
Temp. Temp.
(78°F) (180°F)
Maximum operating (psi) 3,000 3,000
Nominal ultimate burst (psi) 10,140 8,580
Nominal ultimate tensile load (lb) 6,533 4,583
Nominal ultimate compressive load (lb) -7,118 -5,168
Nominal utimate collapse pressure (psi) 2,800 2,050
Minimum operating bend radius (in.) 38 38
4 COMPOSITE COILED TUBING SOLUTION SPE 60734

om002600
Fig. 1—Well production before the composite coiled tubing heater string was installed.

om002602
Fig. 3—The annular area where the heater string had to be in-
stalled.
om002601

Fig. 2—Temperature log results comparing actual to simulated

with the steel coiled tubing heater installed.
SPE 60734 T. R. WHEATON, S. A. BERNING, D. HEADRICK, M. FEECHAN, C. ISENNOCK, S.H. FOWLER 5

om002603
Fig. 4—Test results and operating envelope of the composite coiled tubing heater string (analysis temperature 78°F).

om002604

Fig. 5—Composite coiled tubing hangoff connector and hangoff mandrel.

6 COMPOSITE COILED TUBING SOLUTION SPE 60734

om002605
Fig. 6—Field operations.

om002606

Fig. 7—Well production after the composite coiled tubing heater string was installed.
SPE 60734 T. R. WHEATON, S. A. BERNING, D. HEADRICK, M. FEECHAN, C. ISENNOCK, S.H. FOWLER 7

Fig. 8—Actual results vs. simulated results with the composite coiled tubing heater string installed. om002607