| Title | Coiled Tubing Hammer Live Well Cleanouts: Journey from Experimental to Proven Routine Maintenance Technology |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ray Romey, Toby Ryan, Anthony Ciriaco, Sam Payne, Darren Jasmin, Kurt Instone |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | |
| Abstract | Wellbore scaling remains to be a prevalent cause for the reduction of production or reinjection capacity in geothermal wells. Historically, small workover rigs were used to remove wellbore scales. Due to economics and associated production downtime in using small workover rigs, Contact Energy (CEL) started investigation for new and innovative wellbore scale cleanout techniques. In partnership with Western Energy Services (WES) in 2016, CEL began the experimental use of coiled tubing for interventions across its geothermal wells. Coiled tubing has been traditionally used in oil and gas wells, and initially had limited success in the geothermal sector due to high-temperature geothermal fluids. One of the downhole tools developed during the inception of the coiled tubing interventions is the percussive hammer tool, known as the CTH. Since then, the CTH has been proven to be an effective tool to remove mineral scales inside the wellbore and enable lifting of the scale debris to surface while the well is in live flowing conditions. This paper presents a review of the coiled tubing hammer live well cleanouts over a nine-year period, highlighting the transition from a reactive, trial-based approach to a routine maintenance strategy. Data from over 60 live well cleanouts were analysed to evaluate operational performance and associated production recovery. With its cost effectiveness and minimal downtime, coiled tubing interventions demonstrated to be a proactive approach and proven technology for improving geothermal well productivity. |