Overcoming Marginal Load Limits in Small Diameter Tubing Operations by Using Strain Gauge Measurements

摘要

Because wells are becoming increasingly longer and more complex in trajectory and construction, safe operating limits for running pipe are becoming increasingly smaller. Because of narrow buckling margins in small diameter drillpipe and tubing, an accurate measurement of pipe tension is critical to ensure success when running this pipe. Severe buckling could result in tubing damage or failure, generating potentially significant non-productive time (NPT) or loss of the wellbore. Unreliable surface measurements for hookload and the need to measure minor changes in weights have created a need for the means to measure them. A fully validated and applicable solution is available to overcome these challenges. When run in conjunction with a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) toolstring, including a pressure-while-drilling (PWD) sensor, directional sensor, a controller module and pulser, the tool containing strain gauges provides real-time updates and stores data in memory, with tension readings at the sensor depth, to represent the weight of the string below that point.