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   The event was held under the auspices of the Russian Energy Ministry. The conference was sponsored by the companies Schlumberger (gold sponsor), Trican Well Service (silver sponsor), Fidmash (the sponsor of the seminar), and Tegas (the sponsor of the conference materials).

   Technical sessions had been preceded by the traditional one-day seminar on the “Coiled Tubing: Equipment, Technology and Applications” topic. For the last three years, one expert, usually from overseas, has been lecturing for the course. This time the seminar program included presentations from six speakers, each of whom covered one specific topic. S. Kablash (Fidmash) spoke about the structure and principles of the coiled tubing equipment, while A. Brylkin (Uraltrubmash) brought detailed information on the flexible tubes. The state-of-the-art technology of the oil and gas services, including those that emerged in the last year, became the focus of the reports delivered by K. Burdin (Schlumberger), S. Zagranichny and D. Kholodov (TricanWell Service). Importantly, the subtleties of these technologies were described by the speakers referring to the Russian record rather than the Western one. The report by S. Atrushkevich (CJSC “Novinka”, the FID Group) was devoted to the coiled tubing drilling, arousing an ever increasing interest.

   Each seminar participant received a summary of the course and the membership certificate of attendance.

   The conference was opened by L. Hruzdilovich, President of the CTTDC Scientific Council and the program committee chairman. He outlined the main trends of the oil and gas service development at the present stage, drawing in particular the audience’s attention to the fact that “in tougher environmental requirements and increasing complexity of production conditions, there was a steady trend of increasing the role of the CT technology. The number of the coiled tubing units in Russia has risen fourfold since 1998, when the first conference took place.

   The statistics regarding the now commercially available complements is evidencing the increasingly complex jobs manageable by coiled tubing. There has been intensive development of multilayer hydraulic fracturing, particularly the controlled and multilayer one. The flow of orders for equipment also bespeaks the progress of the hydraulic fracturing technology, at least in the CIS, towards a greater use of dry mixes for the preparation of gels in the process of fracturing. Most of the technical processes are getting automated, for example, the demand for the high-performance automated cementing systems has multiplied.”

   The conference program included six technical sessions, to accommodate more than two dozen reports. They were attended by about a hundred participants representing the oil and gas producers (Rosneft, Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Lukoil, Bashneft, Tatneft, Belorusneft, etc.), oil and gas field services companies (Schlumberger, Trican Well Service, Weatherford, Baker Hughes, KogalymNefteGeofizika, Packer-Service, KATKoneft, BVT-East, etc.), and the equipment manufacturers (Fidmash, Novinka, NOV CTES, NPF Packer, PSA Burenie, RosTEKtehnologii, Global Tubing, Tegas, OMC, etc.).

   The 2011 conference became distinct in the almost parity quantitative membership of the representatives from the companies offering maintenance services and their customers, both current and potential. This was very instrumental in facilitating some promising contacts in the process of communication, including the informal one. It should also be noted that many reports had been prepared jointly by the customers and contractors thus summarizing the successful experience of the work.

   The emphasis of the program was placed on innovation and best practice. The audience learned about the integrated approach to the intensification of oil and gas from a low-temperature heterogeneous carbonate reservoir using coiled tubing, the adaptation the AbrasiFRAC technology via the tubing, about unique post-fracturing flushing at the Verkhnechonskoye gas condensate field, the experience of well development after the StageFRAC* multi-stage fracturing in horizontal wells (using special liner arrangements equipped with isolation packers and HF ports, the experience gathered during the CT perforation at the Urengoi oil and gas condensate field, and about the flexible pipe being able to transfer a highly viscous plugging liquid and magnetic substances to limit water inflows at the oil wells in Turkmenistan and much more.

   Significant interest was shown to the news about the state-of-the-art equipment for coiled tubing technologies, i.e. the dowhole two-phase separator, HydroPull configuration, SmartCoil* real-time wireless communication system, ARADIA Coiled Tubing String Management and Fatigue Analysis System and other hardware and software developments.

   The mainstream equipment has stayed within the focus of the conference. The Fidmash Company has presented a full range of equipment for modern high-tech operations to enhance oil recovery and effective cementing. The Novinka Design Bureau and BelNIPIneft made several announcements about the equipment for coiled tubing drilling and the positive results of its application obtained at the fields of the Pripyat Depression. Representatives of the Burenie Research and Production Association, RosTEKtechnology, Weatherford have shared the news about the latest developments from their companies intended for repair and maintenance of wells. Dr. H.B. (Bernie) Luft, who conducted the last year’s workshop, spoke about his own innovative design, the Duralink spoolable mechanical coiled tubing connector. Industrial Group Tegas have presented their improved self-propelled nitrogen compressor plants.

   The topic of the oilfield chemistry was represented by the new chemicals for fracturing, surfactants, chemical reagents for drilling and well service, developed by the Field Chemistry Scientific-Educational Center at Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas and inhibitors for the protection of oilfield equipment manufactured by the FLEK Company.

   The report entitled the “Shale Gas. Opportunities and Prospects”, presented by the FID Group brought into focus a very important topic – the use of unconventional hydrocarbons and coiled tubing drilling for economically feasible production. The report authors L. Hruzilovich and I. Pirch invited the conference participants to a broader discussion of the topic of unconventional hydrocarbons, and emerging technologies of their production. This discussion has concluded the conference.

   The organizers hope that the discussion will continue on the pages of the Coiled Tubing Times journal and on the website forum www.cttimes.org.

   We invite you to explore our media assets and look forward to see you at the next conference!

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