Schlumberger announced today the introduction of the CoilScan* real-time coiled tubing (CT) pipe inspection system. The system minimizes nonproductive time (NPT) by providing real-time pipe inspection during intervention operations to identify CT pipe defects prior to entry into the wellbore.
“Most CT failures in the field can be traced back to some initial defects, such as mechanical damage or a manufacturing defect, resulting in costly NPT and increased exposure to potential health, safety and environmental issues,” said Chaden Lassoued , president, Well Intervention Services, Schlumberger. “The CoilScan system combines real-time dimensional measurements, including wall thickness and diameter, depth measurements and defect detection, to proactively address CT pipe failures.”
The CoilScan system uses real-time pipe dimensions to update the CT fatigue life and the CT working envelope in the manufacturing facility or in the field. The system provides a complete view of what is happening with CT pipe at all times, enabling customers to consider all aspects of pipe management and act accordingly to mitigate failures.
The CoilScan system has been field tested in both onshore and offshore environments, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Germany. During field trials, the real-time CT pipe inspection system was used to monitor over 1.5 million running feet (ft) of CT pipe in various environments and applications.
In field trials conducted at an onshore location in North America, the CoilScan system provided inspection results from beginning to end of the CT life. Typical CT strings at this location are used for approximately 500,000 running ft, resulting in an average of 25 to 30 runs. This particular string ran for an additional 200,000 ft, which enabled a total of 40 runs with the CT string. Defects and fatigue areas of the CT string were actively monitored, which provided the customer with the confidence to continue running the pipe longer with a low potential for failure, therefore lowering overall intervention costs.