Prior Power Solutions Ltd

COILED TUBING

COILED TUBING

In the oil and gas industry, coiled tubing refers to a long metal pipe which is supplied spooled on a large reel. It is used for interventions in oil and gas wells and sometimes as production tubing in depleted gas wells.

The main benefits of coiled tubing over wireline are the ability to pump chemicals through the coil and the ability to push the tubing into the hole rather than relying on gravity. Pumping can be fairly self-contained, almost a closed system, since the tube is continuous instead of a jointed pipe.

For offshore operations, the ‘footprint’ for a coiled tubing operation is generally larger than a wireline spread, which can limit the number of installations where coiled tubing can be performed. A coiled tubing operation is normally performed through the drilling derrick on the oil platform, which is used to support the surface equipment, although on platforms with no drilling facilities a self-supporting tower can be used instead. For coiled tubing operations on sub-sea wells a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) for example semi-submersible or drillship has to be utilised to support all the surface equipment and personnel, whereas wireline can be carried out from a smaller and cheaper intervention vessel.