Two Successful Case Histories of Advanced Live Well Deployment in the Caspian Sea

Abstract

The use of Coiled Tubing (CT) has been over the past years a preferred method to deploy long, heavy screens and guns in highly deviated wells in a single run without killing the well, therefore reducing the risk and improving job efficiency. Two case histories are presented in this paper. The first involves deployment of 88m of screens and the second deployment of 125m of 3-3/8-in guns including blank sections. After revising several techniques, the best approach was to use an Advance Live Well Deployment (ALWD) system to deploy and set the screens, and to deploy and retrieved guns, with a tubing encapsulated electrical wire which enabled the Coiled Tubing Telemetry (CTT) system with the ultimate goal to perform a safe and cost-saving well intervention, as compared to other options such as conventional wireline perforating. In the first job, the objective was to remove a plug to get access to the zones below and deploy/set 88m of ceramic screens in one run. In the second job, the objective was to set a plug in the tubing to isolate lower zones and run 125m of guns to perforate tubing and casing. Extensive job planning was done including CT simulations to reach target depth, shock modeling to confirm forces are within CT limitations, and yard tests to verify deployment (screens) and deployment/reverse deployment (guns) procedures. CTT system with a Tension Compression Torque (TCT) sensor was used during deployment/reverse-deployment operations. Casing Collar Locator (CCL) sensor was run for depth correlation during screen/guns positioning and packers setting (screens). Deployment Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) was changed to a firing BHA before running in the hole for setting the packer and electrically activating the guns. With the ALWD system, 88m of ceramic screens were successfully run and set inside existing screens, as well as 125m of guns/blank sections were successfully deployed/reverse-deployed. Based on the success of these two case histories, the ALWD combined with CTT system has been proven to be the preferred method when dealing with long screens deployment and perforation intervals in live well conditions.