Methods of conducting coiled tubing operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11512539-B2
Application number	US-201916720342-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2019
Priority date	Dec 19, 2019
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods of coating a coiled tubing string, methods of conducting tubing operations using a coated tubing string, and associated apparatus thereof. In one implementation, a method of conducting a coiled tubing operation, includes forming a tubing string. The tubing string has a central annulus, an inner surface, and an outer surface, and the tubing string is formed from a metallic material. The method also includes coiling the tubing string onto a spool, and moving a coating into the central annulus. The method also includes curing the coating onto the inner surface of the tubing string to form a layer of the coating on the inner surface of the tubing string.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of conducting a coiled tubing operation, comprising:
forming a tubing string, the tubing string having a central annulus, an inner surface, and an outer surface, and the tubing string being formed from a metallic material;
coiling the tubing string onto a spool;
moving a friction-reducing coating into the central annulus through use of a carrier fluid of at least one of toluene, glycol, butyl acetate, t-butyl acetate and ethylene glycol pumped into the tubing string in a liquid phase, wherein a carrier fluid to coating ratio is within a ratio of X:Y by weight wherein the value X is within a range of 5 to 8 and the value Y is within a second range of 2 to 5; and
curing the friction-reducing coating onto the inner surface of the tubing string to form a layer of the friction-reducing coating on the inner surface of the tubing string, the friction-reducing coating being composed of a single layer of silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, and titanium dioxide wherein a surface energy of the layer of the friction-reducing coating is lesser than a surface energy of the inner surface of the tubing string.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising preparing the inner surface of the tubing string prior to moving the friction-reducing coating into the central annulus.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the preparing the inner surface of the tubing string comprises launching one or more of a pig or a wire brush.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the preparing the inner surface of the tubing string comprises applying an acid to the inner surface of the tubing string.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving the friction-reducing coating into the central annulus comprises moving the carrier fluid into the central annulus that carries the friction-reducing coating.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving the friction-reducing coating through the tubing string prior to the curing of the friction-reducing coating, and the moving the friction-reducing coating through the tubing string comprises:
pumping a purge fluid into the central annulus to move the friction-reducing coating; and
exhausting part of the friction-reducing coating from the central annulus using the purge fluid.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the pumping the purge fluid into the central annulus to move the friction-reducing coating comprises forming one or more slugs of water in the central annulus.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving the friction-reducing coating through the tubing string prior to the curing of the friction-reducing coating, and the moving the friction-reducing coating through the tubing string comprises:
pumping a pressurized fluid to move a pig through the tubing string; and
exhausting part of the friction-reducing coating from the central annulus of the tubing string using the pig.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising heating the pressurized fluid.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving the friction-reducing coating into the central annulus comprises moving the carrier fluid that carries the friction-reducing coating.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the curing of the friction-reducing coating onto the inner surface of the tubing string occurs at a temperature above an ambient temperature.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the curing of the friction-reducing coating onto the inner surface of the tubing string occurs as a result of heating the tubing string to a temperature above an ambient temperature.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the friction-reducing coating comprises one or more of a silicon-containing material or a ceramic material.

14. A method of conducting a coiled tubing operation, comprising:
applying a friction-reducing coating onto a surface of a metal substrate through use of a carrier fluid pumped onto the metal substrate in a liquid phase, wherein a carrier fluid to coating ratio is within a ratio of X:Y by weight wherein the value X is within a range of 5 to 8 and the value Y is within a second range of 2 to 5 and wherein the carrier fluid is of at least one of toluene, glycol, butyl acetate, t-butyl acetate and ethylene glycol;
curing the friction-reducing coating onto the surface of the metal substrate to form a layer of the friction-reducing coating in contact with the surface of the metal substrate, wherein a surface energy of the layer of the friction-reducing coating is lesser than a surface energy of the surface of the metal substrate wherein the friction-reducing coating is composed of a single layer of silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, and titanium dioxide;
forming a tubing string from the metal substrate such that the surface of the metal substrate forms an inner surface of the tubing string, the tubing string having a central annulus, the inner surface, and an outer surface; and
coiling the tubing string onto a spool.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising preparing the surface of the metal substrate by applying an acid to the surface prior to applying the friction-reducing coating onto the surface.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the layer of the friction-reducing coating formed on the surface of the metal substrate has a thickness of less than 250 micrometers.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein after the tubing string is coiled onto the spool, the method further comprises deploying the tubing string into an oil and gas wellbore or during a riserless subsea operation, and flowing an operations fluid through the tubing string.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the friction-reducing coating comprises one or more of a silicon-containing material or a ceramic material.

19. A method of conducting a coiled tubing operation, comprising:
forming a tubing string, the tubing string having a central annulus, an inner surface, and an outer surface;
applying a friction-reducing coating onto the inner surface of the tubing string the friction-reducing coating being composed of a single layer of silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, and titanium dioxide through use of a carrier fluid pumped into the tubing string in a liquid phase, wherein a carrier fluid to coating ratio is within a ratio of X:Y by weight wherein the value X is within a range of 5 to 8 and the value Y is within a second range of 2 to 5 and wherein the carrier fluid is of at least one of toluene, glycol, butyl acetate, t-butyl acetate and ethylene glycol;
curing the friction-reducing coating onto the inner surface of the tubing string to form a layer of the friction-reducing coating in contact with the inner surface of the tubing string, wherein a surface energy of the layer of the friction-reducing coating is lesser than a surface energy of the inner surface of the tubing string; and
coiling the tubing string onto a spool.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising preparing the inner surface of the tubing string by applying an acid to the inner surface prior to applying the friction-reducing coating onto the inner surface.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the layer of the friction-reducing coating formed on the inner surface of the tubing string has a thickness of less than 250 micrometers.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein after the tubing string is coiled onto the spool, the method further comprises deploying the tubing string into an oil and gas wellbore or during a riserless subsea operation, and flowing an operations fluid through the tubing string.

23. The method of claim 19 , wh

Assignees

• Forum Us Inc

Inventors

• Perez Jessica Lorae Olson
• Luna Fernando
• Galvan Irma Irais
• Mcclelland Garry F

Classifications

• F16L55/24

  Preventing accumulation of dirt or other matter in pipes, e.g. by traps, by strainers · CPC title

• E21B17/1007 Primary

  for the internal surface of a pipe, e.g. wear bushings for underwater well-heads · CPC title

• F16L9/02

  of metal (F16L9/16 - F16L9/22 take precedence) · CPC title

• E21B19/16

  Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints (E21B19/20 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16L9/17 Primary

  obtained by bending a sheet longitudinally and connecting the edges · CPC title