CTES Cerberus is a specialized engineering software suite developed by NOV CTES (a division of National Oilwell Varco, or NOV), primarily used in the oil and gas industry for modeling and simulating well intervention operations. It supports coiled tubing (CT), wireline, slickline, jointed pipe, and related conveyance methods, helping engineers plan, execute, and analyze jobs in deviated or complex wells. The software excels in calculating forces, fatigue life, hydraulics, and other critical parameters to ensure safe and efficient operations, reducing non-productive time (NPT) and optimizing asset performance.

Version 15.0, released in September 2025 (with sub-version 15.0.5 noted in some updates). This enables immediate access to operational insights, process improvements, and efficiency gains.

Key Features in Cerberus 15.0

  • Advanced Modeling Capabilities:
    • Fatigue life tracking in 10 ft sections of coiled tubing, integrating with data acquisition systems like Orion for precise % life used calculations.
    • Forces modeling (via the Orpheus engine) accounting for drag, helical buckling, and hydraulics in deviated wells.
    • Hydraulics simulations supporting power law, Bingham plastic, Newtonian, foam, gas, and multi-phase fluids.
    • Well-specific wizards for unloading, gas lift design, sand cleanouts, and velocity strings.
  • Wireline and Slickline Support:
    • Optimized for electric line and slickline in deviated wells, including stretch compensation for deviation-induced drag.
    • Toolfit Wizard for designing bottom hole assemblies (BHAs) with knuckle joints, centralizers, and rollers to navigate obstacles.
  • Cloud and Connectivity Enhancements (New in 15.0):
    • String Inventory View: Dynamic auto-updating, direct launch of String Editor, printable strings, last-action tracking, and integration with CTES Live and ReelTrak™ Status for real-time fatigue monitoring.
    • District Administration: “My Local PC” district option for checkouts and pushes; search filtering on cloud menus; live ReelTrak™ fatigue viewable on CTES Live from unit PCs.
    • Enables organization-wide access to real-time operations and asset data.
  • Reporting and Analysis:
    • One-click report generation for job designs, including surface weights (run-in-hole/POOH), forces, and comparisons across wells.
    • Post-job analysis with historical data review to refine future practices.