It sounds like you looking for basics; Trade journals would be a good overview : Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil, etc. Also the IDAC (independent driller assn) should have some info. Coiled Tubing Assn ( I don't know the actual name). I am no driller but it sounds like it would be applicable for very specific situations. Rotary Shouldered Connections (drill pipe) are designed for make/ brake; casing connections are not.
TESCO (the oil services company, not the UK supermarket) are the guys to speak to. They have two systems:
1. the casing with used with a drillable casing drill bit (sort of like a reamer shoe on steroids). Good for vertical holes. The drillable casing drill bit is lot more expensive than you'd think...
2. A system where a BHA is latched into the bottom of the casing while you are drilling and retrieved when you ar ready to set and cement your casing. This means you can have full L/MWD tools and I think you can even go directional drilling... although maximum dog legs might be less than with conventional drilling.
The main advantages are where you are drilling problem zones with lost circulation formations- the casing drilling can often allow you to get through the problem zone (Tesco claim that the cuttings are 'smeared' over the borehole wall due to the small casing/ hole annulus and this smearing of cuttings acts to stabilise the bore hole wall.... ) without loosing a casing size.
There's less application in terms of speeding up the drilling process- unless you are on a very expensive (ie deep water) rig, the cost of the Tesco gear outweighs the cost savings in terms of reduced well construction time- or at least it did the last time looked at Casing Drilling for one of my wells.
The casing string undergoes numerous rotations during drilling. Also consider wear by the cuttings. How would that compromise its mechanical performance?
