G.P. ZOZULYA, Tyumen State O&G University

 

 

At the moment Western Siberia, which has accumulated the largest scope of CT O&G operations, sees the progress of the following technologies:

Yet, the CT technologies have failed to engulf the entire Russia so far. Their wider application is hampered by the lack of reliable equipment and instruments with the assortment wide enough to meet the ever augmenting challenges related to the development of complex reservoirs of hard-to-recover oil and gas. The producer should form its range of equipment with regard to experience accumulated in the regions, where CT technologies are applied most widely (for instance at fields developed by Tatneft, Surgutneftegaz, Urengoigazprom, etc.) and information announced at conferences and symposiums, achievements of oil and gas service companies. They should be guided by the general list of technological equipment for well workover teams supplied in the acting “Well Service Rules”.

 

The use of CT drilling (especially in underbalanced conditions) and hydrofracturing technologies with CT implementation is also seems to be rather promising. They will be developed both individually and together, with fracturing carrying over after drilling.

 

Designers of downhole tools for coiled tubing technologies have a big room for creativity. As these technologies grow in quantity and become more efficient, they will be more and more demanded. Take, for instance, the design of inflatable packers that have to be advanced for squeeze jobs in watered-out horizontal sections and additional wellbores, though reliable packers are also needed for fracturing in such bores.

 

Also, we should address the problems of well drilling in Eastern Siberia, where the productive formations lie beneath 7–8 NR zones in one well alone. Flushing-out, completion and development of such wells requires foam systems and gaseous agents.  One spool of CT requires 5,000 m of tubing; otherwise the tubing have to be spliced.

 

Clearly, the development of expensive CT technologies is influenced by the world economic crisis. But this influence can be viewed in a positive way. With total volume of orders on CT operations down, the CT will still remain, where it simply cannot be ignored. In the first place, this is survey and service operations in horizontal wells and sidetracks. CT technologies are inevitably requiring integral design. It means that they engulf the maximum quantity of the most effective types of operations.

 

The influence of the crisis will bring down the volume of CT application, but it should raise the efficiency and importance of the most demanded technologies and make producers advance their tools and enlarge the list of standard equipment.

 

Taking into account the realities prompted by the crisis, the problem of training engineering personnel has acquired a new meaning. For example, Tyumen State O&G University has started paying more attention to support manning of O&G service and supervising service orders. One of the key elements is anti-crisis studies, which  should be included in term and graduation projects.  Russian oil service, which has a good potential for the spread of CT technologies (due to extensive roadnet at the fields) will be developing and there is no alternative to it. The coiled tubing is necessary, where there are problems and difficulties and where it can’t be done without.