American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2016 - 88

SpecialReport: Tubulars Technology
expect to pump harsh chemicals such as
acid or diesel, or to encounter bottomhole temperatures greater than 420 degrees
Fahrenheit."
As metal stators mature and become
more economic, Trebing predicts allmetal motors will be used more widely
for their ability to reduce redress costs
and failure rates.
Enduring debris is one of the key
components of motor durability, Trebing
contends. "Many operators today set up
closed-loop systems where they clean
the fluid that comes out of the well and
pump it back down. Even with the best
filtration systems, the fluids get dirtier
and dirtier as they recirculate and go
through the motor. That is why we made
the bearing pack so tough.
"Sand also adds friction, so it is important to get it out of the well if we
want to reach total depth," he continues.
"We have designed a circulating valve
that can be opened to divert flow into the
annulus when operators need additional
rate. With 23⁄8-inch coiled tubing-a common size in the Permian Basin and Eagle
Ford-the valve can increase pump rates
from 4.5 to 6.0 barrels a minute, which
greatly helps clean out sand."
According to Trebing, the valve enables

This HydraSweep circulating valve from Thru Tubing Solutions helps keep wells free of
friction-causing sand during coiled tubing operations by enabling higher flow rates. According to the company, it supports unlimited sequencing without the need to circulate
balls down the coiled tubing.

operators to divert flow to the annulus as
often as necessary by manipulating the
fluid flow through the tool. The design
allows for unlimited sequencing without
the need to circulate any balls down the
coiled tubing, he adds.
To minimize friction, TTS has introduced a new vibration tool. "Because the
tool has no elastomers or moving parts,
it is extremely robust," Trebing reports.
"In five head-to-head tests performed by
operators, it has done as well or better
than traditional designs while having less
chance to fail."
Good Vibrations
After seeing how difficult it can be to
get tools to bottom in long Marcellus laterals, the engineers and field hands at

By moving the bit/mill up and
down in addition to rotating it, a
new drill motor from Workover Solutions Inc. speeds milling operations. The company says the
motor will deliver significant cost
savings, especially when milling
through collapsed casing and
other tough materials.

88 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

Workover Solutions Inc. began to develop
a more effective vibration tool, recalls
Drew Daley, the company's operations
and engineering manager.
"The extended-reach tool we are working on hits hard, so it gives us more axial
force to pull the tubing to bottom," Daley
says. "It is equally effective whether fluid
is being pumped at one or four barrels a
minute, making it great for applications
where either wellhead pressures or friction
pressures are high enough to limit pump
rates. Also, if the bit gets stuck and pump
rates have to be reduced, the tool will
keep vibrating and may aid in getting the
bit unstuck."
The tool's most critical feature, Daley
says, is that it has no elastomers. "The
decline curves in the Marcellus and other
unconventional plays are harsh, so cleanouts likely are going to require nitrogen.
Without a nitrogen-compatible extended-reach tool, it would be impossible to
clean the entire lateral using coiled tubing,"
he explains.
The tool has been deployed in the
Marcellus and Utica, Permian Basin, and
Bakken, Daley reports. "We are trying to
do something no one has done before, so
we have had to go through several design
iterations to resolve issues," he says.
"However, we think we are close to a
commercial product."
Hammer Drill
For milling cement, scale and other
obstructions, Daley continues, Workover
Solutions is testing a hammer drill motor
that moves the bit/mill up and down in
addition to rotating it. "Every rotation,
the motor's lower housing goes up and
down twice, causing the bit or mill to hit
the obstruction," he describes. "Combining
rotation and torque forces with impact
force increases penetration rates."
How much the motor improves ROP
depends on the obstruction's strength,
Daley allows. "For a plug, cement or
sand, we are seeing a difference of about

American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2016

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