Coiled Tubing Drilling utilises a continuous length of steel tubing that can be wound around a large reel, from which it is injected into the existing well casing and deployed downhole.
The history of the technique dates back to the early 1900’s and it has received a great deal of attention over the last 20 years, during which time coiled tubing drilling has been proven to offer several distinct benefits over conventional drilling. Probably the most significant of these benefits is the ability to drill continuously in underbalanced conditions, thus protecting the integrity of the well formation and increasing drilling rate. This is particularly useful for sensitive reservoirs. In addition to the benefits associated with managing surface pressure, coiled tubing drilling can also offer faster mobilisation speed, reduced rig time and fewer preparation requirements, all of which can lead to significantly reduced operational costs.
Coiled tubing drilling is a versatile technique that can be used for various applications from re-entry drilling to traditional grass-roots drilling. Typical applications include depleted wells, unconventional gas shales, underground coal gasification and coal bed methane. For more information about the history, benefits and applications of coiled tubing drilling, please visit the associated pages.
