SPE 105225

Innovation in Coiled-Tubing Tractor Technology Extends the Accessibility of Coiled

Tubing in Horizontal Wells, Allowing Better Possibilities for Well Intervention
Mazen Al Omari and Hans Plessing, SPE, Welltec

Copyright 2007, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 15th SPE Middle East Oil & Gas Show and
Conference held in Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Kingdom of Bahrain, 1114 March
2007.
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information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as
presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to
correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
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Abstract
Recent advances in horizontal drilling technology have
allowed drilling longer horizontal sections in the reservoir
more efficiently and economically. While operators benefit
from the well-known advantages of horizontal drains, such
benefits cannot be maximized during the lifetime of the well
without a viable well intervention means for well service and
monitoring operations. Coiled tubing has been recognized as
an effective technique for such interventions but with
limitation on the total length that can be accessed especially in
extended reach wells . This paper summarizes the utilization
of innovative coiled tubing Tractor technology to improve
coiled tubing accessibility in long horizontal wells .
Introduction
The paper discusses the aspects of well intervention using
coiled tubing (CT) and coiled tubing tractor technology on
four (4) open hole horizontal water injection wells and one (1)
cased hole oil producing well . The results presented show that
the use of a coiled tubing Well Tractor combined with coiled
tubing along with proper well selection, design and planning
can result in a significant improvement in Well accessibility
both in cased hole and open hole .
Well Accessibility with Coiled Tubing
For a well to be accessible with coiled tubing , the coiled
tubing need to be run to the end of the horizontal section and
no lock-up should happen before reaching TD. Lock-up
occurs when no weight can be transmitted to the end of a
coiled tubing and hence no progress into the horizontal section
is possible . Coiled Tubing simulation software is available
that can predict the depth at which this lockup is reached and

whether it will occur . Such simulations are often used in the

planning stage of a coiled tubing Intervention to decide on the
type of coiled tubing pipe to be used (diameter and thickness).
The following factors are taken into account in the simulation :
Well trajectory ,coiled tubing pipe variables ( OD, thickness,
strength , length ) , Diameter (s) in the wellbore , friction
coefficients (cased/openhole),Well fluid type , temperature,
pressure , and wellhead flowing conditions. Many techniques
can enhance coiled tubing accessibility into the wellbore : The
use of larger pipe, pipe straighteners, vibrating tools , pumping
of Nitrogen , pumping of friction reducers or a combination of
the above. A lot of literature has been published and is
available about these techniques. Figure (1) shows coiled
tubing Lockup depth using a typical output of a Well
Intervention simulation program [ refer to point A on the
graph]. This is the theoretical Lockup point. Actual Lockup
point can only be found when the coiled tubing is run into the
hole.
The advantage of using a coiled tubing Tractor at the end
of coiled tubing is that it provides a concentrated downhole
force that can delay or prevent lockup by pulling the coiled
tubing from its end. This often results in improving well
accessibility on extended reach wells. It is thought that when
the CT locks up, a spiral type of form takes place at the end of
the coiled tubing section; having a concentrated point load
acting at the end of the coiled tubing will make this event
unlikely thus improve the accessibility . Figure (1) shows the
new lockup depth predicted by the well intervention
Simulation program [ refer to point B on the graph] after
applying a concentrated force of 4000 lbs by the Tractor at the
end of the coiled tubing as per the well intervention
simulation.

The Coiled Tubing Well Tractor

The idea of using a downhole Tractor was originally
conceived in 1994 when it was required to transport diagnostic
and maintenance equipment in highly deviated and horizontal
sections . Such Tractors were powered with electric current
that drives an electric motor to generate downhole movement.
Electric power is normally supplied from a power source at the
surface through the wireline cable . Simply put , the wireline
Tractor is an electro-mechanical device that generates a
concentrated traction force downhole when activated. This

SPE 105225

force is needed to pull the wireline cable as well as push

wireline tools in highly deviated or horizontal section of the
hole . The coiled tubing Well Tractor operates around the
same principal but is hydraulically powered . A turbine
powered by the fluid drives the hydraulics system and moves
the Tractor forward . The use of a turbine versus an electric
motor allows more force to be generated from the coiled
tubing Tractor when compared to that of wireline . Figure (2)
two shows a typical schematic of the coiled tubing Well
Tractor used in the interventions. Traction occurs when the
wheels of the Tractor engage the inside diameter of
tubing/casing/openhole and the force applied by the Tractor
moves the string forward (downhole) .
Tractor Selection parameters
The following are the main factors considered when selecting
the coiled tubing Well Tractor .
Size: Tractors exist in two standard nominal sizes of
2 1/8 inch and 3 1/8 inch. The minimum ID
restriction in the wellbore pretty much governs the
selection of the Tractor size to be used. The larger the
Tractor size the more force it will be capable of
generating. In all cases presented in this paper a
tractor size of 3 1/8 inch was used .
Wheel/Arm Configuration: The wheels have to be
small enough to pass through the minimum ID
restriction of the well and large enough to reach the
biggest ID in the wellbore. For an openhole operation
normally the largest size of wheels available will be
selected as the maximum hole diameter is often
unknown and depends on the hole conditions and the
type of formation .
Wheel Type: Special wheels with optimized edge
are usually used when Tractoring in the open hole;
this allows better traction in the open hole section .
Force Required: Well Intervention simulation will
indicate the theoretical force required to reach TD .
This has to be compared to the force available from
the Tractor and a safety margin needs to be added .
Previous experience however has shown that it is
often much more advantageous to run two Tractors in
tandem in an open hole situation as this will provide
more force and more grip especially in situations
where a washed-out section of the well has to be
overcome . Theoretically, when two Tractors are run
in tandem , the force available multiplies by two .
Tractor Setup : Two setups of the coiled tubing
Tractor exist . The flow-trough Tractor is setup to
allow fluid pumped through the coiled tubing to flow
through; either to power a bottom Tractor which is
run in tandem or when it is necessary to have flow
below the tractor to hydraulically activate any
mechanical tools run below . The top-vent Tractor
vents the fluid through ports below the turbine, it is
normally a simpler design than the flow-through type.

Turbine Setup : The turbine is setup to engage the

Tractor above a threshold pump rate . As it is often necessary

to be pumping while running in hole without engaging the

Tractor and prior to reaching lockup depth, normally the
turbine will be setup to activate above 0.6 BPM but this can
be increased depending on the operation and coiled tubing
size.
Figure three (3) summarizes the general specifications of the
Tractor used .
Candidate Selection Open hole Horizontal wells
Open hole wells present a special challenge for tractoring
technology. Besides looking at the Well trajectory, performing
intervention simulation and selecting proper wheel size and
wheel design, the formation type and the well history need to
be considered . Harder formations are easier to drive
through than softer formation. Also harder formations have
less likelihood of developing large washouts across the open
hole section. Often new wells which have not been subject
to large acid treatments will have a larger success ratio than
older wells where large amounts of acids has been pumped .
However and given all that, most of the time quantitative data
may not be available to make a concise engineering judgment.
This is why it is often necessary to review the well history,
field history, previous experience in the area and attempt to
gather as much information as possible prior to selecting the
best candidate.

Job Objectives and Well Data - Open Hole water injectors

The four open hole wells stimulated are water injection
wells completed with a 4 in tubing with a minimum ID
(restriction) of 3.75 inches and a 6 1/8 inch open hole. Figure
(4) four shows a typical schematic of these wells.
The Objective of the intervention was to stimulate the
openhole by pumping 20% inhibited diverted HCL acid to
remove the drilling damage and to enhance near wellbore
permeability. Even though diverters were used along with the
acid , effective stimulation meant that acid had to be spotted
across each of the zones with coiled tubing . Previous
experience showed that 2 inch coiled tubing would lockup
around 60% of the open hole sections, thus most of the acid
had to be spotted at that lowest point. Alternatively and in
some situations , acidizing was done after drilling the
openhole utilizing drillpipe which added to the well cost not to
mention the safety issues and the practicalities of pumping
large quantities of acid using drillpipe.
CT theoretical Lockup
The table below summarizes results of the theoretical coiled
tubing lock-up (Measured Depth) predicted by the Well
Intervention simulation , a 2coiled tubing was used in the
simulations . The column labeled as openhole shows the
depth from upper casing shoe to the bottom of the open hole
drilled section, all depths refered to in this table are measured
depths. .

SPE 105225

Well
1
2
3
4

Openhole
(7shoe MD MD)
11,800 -18,000ft
8,350-17,100 ft
10,745 -16690 ft
12,150 - 18,000ft

Length
6,200ft
8,750ft
5,945ft
5850 ft

Lockup,
MD
13,540
12,100
13,000
14,500

Well intervention job results- open hole water injectors

A total of four wells were stimulated using coiled tubing
combined with the Well Tractor . The table below summarizes
well accessibility results achieved in these operations .
Well
1
2
3
4

Length
(1)
6,200ft
8,750ft
5,945ft
5850 ft

CT Lockup
(2)
2,050 ft
2,100 ft
555 ft
1,200 ft

Tractored
ft (3)
3,353
4,400
1,000
4150

Access
% (4)
87 %
74 %
26%
91%

(1) This is the length of the 6 1/8inch open hole section.

(2) Actual coiled tubing lock-up point in the openhole or
the length CT was run successfully in openhole section
(3) Feet tractored in the open hole beyond coiled tubing
Lockup. This is progress due to the coiled tubing Well
Tractor .
(4) Accessibility of coiled tubing and Tractor combined
calculated by adding (2) + (3) divided by (1).
Bottom Hole Assembly
The BHA run on 2 inch coiled tubing during these jobs :
12345678-

2coiled tubing (CT) connector

CT disconnect Sub
CT circulating Sub
Deployment bar
Check Valve
Cross-over
Upper Tractor Flow-Through type
Lower Tractor Top-Vented type

Typical CT/Tractor Stimulation Job Procedure

1- Function test CT Tractor on surface. See Figure 5A
and 5B
2- Rigup and deploy Tractors and coiled tubing BHA ,
enough lubricators should be made available to deploy
the Tractors.
3- Pressure deploy the Tractor utilizing a slickline unit
4- Pressure test prior to start RIH
5- RIH CT keeping pump rate below than threshold rate
that engages Tractor.
6- Perform pull test prior to reaching openhole
7- Once CT lockup point is reached , pickup 100 ft

8- Start pumping to engage the Tractor and maintain the

same rate .
9- Continue RIH until new lockup is reached . Work the
CT through washout spots disengaging tractor,
picking up and then re-engaging the Tractor again .
10- Once the lowest depth is reached drop the ball opening
the circulating sub. It is not possible to engage the
tractor after this point .
11- Pump desired acid treatment moving upwards and
stopping as necessary.
12- POOH and un-deploy Tractors.
13- Flow the well back as needed .

Lessons Learned
These wells were among the first wells where coiled
tubing Tractor technology was utilized in open hole
environment and following are some of the lessons captured :
1- A circulating sub was incorporated in the BHA to
allow pumping of the acid without exposing it to the
turbine . Once the maximum depth is reached with
Tractor , a ball is dropped that activates this sub .
2- Special coating was applied to the Tractor housings to
improve corrosion resistance of the Tractor . Due to the
considerably high temperature (250F) and the high acid
concentration , this was deemed necessary . Protective
sleeves were incorporated on the body of the Tractor
that was later eliminated as it was not contributing to
corrosion protection .
3- Extensive corrosion testing needs to be conducted for
particular well conditions and acid designs. Standard
Acid inhibition designs which can inhibit corrosion in
coiled tubing will not have the same effect of inhibiting
Tractors since the metallurgy is different .
4- Candidates need to be properly selected. Wells with
history of washouts or severe damage or plugging in
the open hole should be avoided . In this context poor
results were achieved on Well No. 3 due to the fact that
the open hole was plugged with lost circulation
materials
used
in
previous
work-over.
Job Objectives and Well Data - Cased Hole case history
The objective of the operation on this cased hole oil
producer was to isolate lower perforated interval in the 5-1/2
inch Liner to close off unwanted water production and to reperforate higher up . It was decided to use Coiled tubing for
the perforation to save time and reduce number of runs with
wireline . The well schematic of this cased hole oil producer is
shown in Figure 6 . Prior to this operation a Plug was set
above the old perforations .
Old perforations = 3,360m 4730 m
New proposed perforations :
Run 1 = 3047m-3350m
Run 2 = 2750m 3019m
Coiled Tubing size : 2inch , tapered

SPE 105225

Coiled Tubing theoretical Lockup @ 3,100 m.

Recommendations

To convey the perforating strring to perforating depth , a

coiled tubing tractor was recommended . Well intervention
simulations showed that one CT Well Tractor pulling force
was sufficient for reaching the desired depth but tandem
tractors were used as a safety measure .

The intervention needs for horizontal wells are on the rise

as more and more wells are being drilled horizontally and with
extended reach. There is a room for future developments to
allow better accessibility on such wells , some of the areas
which require more attention are :

Bottom Hole Assembly CT / Tractor /Perforating

1-

The following BHA was run (two runs) :

1- 3 3/8in Guns with bull nose (303m , approx 14000lbs
weight )
2- Perforation Safety Sub
3- Firing sub with Flow sensor .
4- Flow Through CT Well Tractor No.1
5- Flow Through CT Well Tractor No. 2
6- Crossover
7- Swivel
8- Circulating Sub
9- Hydraulic Disconnect
10- Dual back pressure valve .
11- CT connector
12- 2 inch Coiled Tubing

2-

34-

Integration of coiled tubing Tractor with Mechanical

tools to allow isolation of horizontal to prevent water
or gas breakthrough. This will enable identifying the
problem and fixing it .
Adopting more quantitative methods for selecting
open hole well candidates especially with regard to
formation strength and hole gauge .
Combining Tractor technology with other techniques
for improving well accessibility .
During early stages of the well design , more
emphasis needs to be given to the accessibility issue .
This has to be taken into account in designing the
completion. Often wells completed with small
tubing with restrictions are not good candidates for
this technology and reduce opportunities for future
intervention .

Acknowledgements
Job Summary Cased Hole case history
Three runs were completed on this well . Here is a short
summary of the results
Run No. 1
Total length of guns = 303 m
Required Depth of Guns = 3350 m
CT Lockup = 2975m ( depth of engaging tractor)
Maximum Tractored distance = 174 m , Total depth = 3149m
POOH , Misrun . Discovered clogging in the Tractor turbine
due to dirty fluids used . All fluids pumped from this point
onward were properly filtered .
Run No. 2
Total length of guns = 303 m
Required Depth of Guns = 3350m
CT Lockup = 2890 m (depth of engaging tractor)
Maximum Tractored distance =497 m, Total depth = 3387m
Guns fired at desired depth, Good Run
Run No. 3
Total length of guns = 303 m
Required Depth of Guns = 3019m
CT Lockup = 2970 m (depth of engaging tractor)
Maximum Tractored distance =92 m , Total depth = 3062m
Guns fired at desired depth , Good Run

The authors wish to thank Welltec for giving them the

permission to publish this paper and for providing the
information and resources required.
References
1. H.A. Nasr-El-Din , N.S. Al-Habib, M. Jemmali,
A.Lahmadi,M.Samuel SPE 90385 A Novel Technique to
Acidize Wells with Extended reach SPE Houston , Texas 2629 September 2004
2. Ian A Allahar , K. Kreiger SPE 81118 Horizontal
Production Logging using Tractor Technology- a first for
Trinidad SPE port-of-Spain, Trinidad, West Indies , 27-30
April 2003 .
3. A.A.Al-Amer, B.A. Al-Dossary, Y.A Al-Furaidan,M.K.
Hashem Tractoring- A New Era in Horizontal Logging for
Ghawar Field , Saudi Arabia SPE , Bahrain , 12-15 March
2006.
4. H.A.Nasr-El-Din, SPE, and I.H. Arnaout , Saudi Aramco,
and J.B. Chesson,SPE,and K.Cawiezel,SPE,BJ Service Co.
Novel Techniques for Improved CT Access and Stimulation
in an Extended-Reach Well SPE ICoTA , 12-13 April, The
Woodlands , Texas

SPE 105225

Coiled Tubing Simulation

35000

30000

Weight at Surface , lbs

25000

20000

15000

POOH
RIH

10000

5000

0
0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

-5000

-10000

Measured Depth, ft

Figure 1- Well Intervention Simulation - Point A shows lockup of 2inch Coiled Tubing at a depth of 13,000 ft , Point B
shows new Lockup after a Tractor force of 4000 lbs is applied

Figure 2 - The coiled tubing Well Tractor

SPE 105225

Body Tool OD
Length
Weight
Max Reach OD
Max Speed
Traction Force
Max Flow Rate
Flow rate config
Max Dogleg

3 1/8
22.7 ft
450 lbs
9.6
3600 ft/hr
3500 lbs @ 1.4 bbl/min
3.0 bbl/min
0.60 bbl/min
32/100 Deg @ 4.0@ ID

Figure 3 Typical specifications of a coiled tubing Well Tractor .

Figure 4 Typical Water Injection Well Schematic 6 1/8 in Open Hole

Figure 5 A Function testing of the Coiled Tubing Tractor

SPE 105225

Figure 5 B Function testing of the Coiled Tubing Tractor

Figure 6 Schematic of horizontal cased hole Oil Producer