Well Integrity Management

There are over 2 million existing wells across the world, the majority of which are likely to be more than 25 years old. Those wells were constructed to much less demanding standards than those employed today. As a result, there could be a number of underlying threats to the integrity of any particular well.

Overview

There are over 2 million existing wells across the world, the majority of which are likely to be more than 25 years old. Those wells were constructed to much less demanding standards than those employed today. As a result, there could be a number of underlying threats to the integrity of any particular well. Left unaddressed this might result in serious problems for the well. Such well integrity issues are at the root cause of most of the major oil industry catastrophes in the last 40 years.

This 3-day course is designed to provide participants with a thorough knowledge of well integrity management and risk assessment in producing assets. Based on the regulatory requirements and using real examples and exercises from around the world, this represents best practice integrity management within the oil and gas industry. This is a HRD Corp Claimable Course (Programme No.:10001214498).

Objective

To enable participants to understand the well integrity management principles and risk management processes that have to be applied for assurance of well integrity within a hydrocarbon production environment.

Course Methodology

The course modules are a combination of Power Point, Movie Clips, 2D models, and extensive use of magnetic white board(s) to help explain issues and demonstrate how well components work from the perforations to the production wing valve. The attendees are encouraged to participate by asking questions at any time, also there are ‘RED’ power point slides, and these are for the attendees to answer. The classes are very interactive and hands on.

Who Should Attend

Designed for professionals in the oil and gas industry who are involved in the design, construction and operation of wells from the following disciplines:

  • Production Maintenance
  • Production Operations
  • Drilling Engineering
  • Safety engineering
  • Well Intervention
  • Well Integrity Engineering
  • Asset Management

Course Outline

Module 1: What is Well Integrity

This opens the course where we delve into the definitions and start to understand the concepts of this subject.

Module 2: Well Integrity Failures

Based on years of experience on well integrity issues, in this module we take a walk through the types of problems and explain how they occurred

Module 3: History of Well Integrity – The Tools of a Crime Scene Detective

This module is the Distinguished Lecturer presentation for the SPE to look at how well integrity has developed over the years and what are the major contributors to change in the industry.

Module 4: Rules, Regulations, Standards, and Recommended Practices

Here look at the different rules and regulations and how they impact the way we develop and manage our oilfields

Module 5: Well Integrity Management Systems (WIMS). A Single Source of truth.

The industry has moved towards software to collate well construction and well operate data, displaying this in a variety of forms and reports.

We look into the benefits of these software systems and how they can provide participant with the tools to report effectively on the well status and compliance to company objectives.

Module 6: Material Selection and Corrosion

During the appraisal and development phase key reservoir information is collected to indicate any corrosion issues that need to be mitigated.

In this module we explore the corrosion issue and what can be done to measure the well status for corrosion during the well lifecycle.

Module 7: Well Construction

In this module we look at how the well was constructed and issued that can affect the operate phase of the well life cycle.

Module 8: Surface Controlled Subsurface Safety Valves (SCSSSV), and Annulus Safety Valves (ASV)

These critical safety items are often misunderstood, and we will demonstrate how critical they are in various well types and the safety mechanisms they offer.

Module 9: Surface Valves and Tree Maintenance

Vertical trees or horizontal trees are explored, their differences and how they contribute to the well.

Within these surface systems there are several possible leak paths for well fluids, and what preventative maintenance should be carried out.

Module 10: Well Start Up and Shut Down

During a well start up the temperatures can change significantly and cause a major increase in annulus pressures. Monitoring these pressures and taking appropriate action is critical.

Module 11: Well Handover and Operate

When well construction is completed, a formal handover process from the drilling department to the well operations department is carried out.

This identifies not just a change in ownership and responsibilities but also the way the well was constructed and with what materials.

Module 12: Data Reporting and Anomalies

On a day-to-day basis the production operators are the eyes and ears for the well status. They collate data and populate spreadsheets often via a WIMS.

This important data will be used by well integrity engineers to determine how the well is performing from a structural perspective and if any remedial actions are needed.

Module 13: Asset Life Extension – Reviewing MAASP

A field is designed for a certain life expectancy, which might be 30, 40 or 50 years. In this module we will look at what needs to be considered if this is to be extended further.

Module 14: Sustained Casing Pressure

There a probably more than 2 million wells and it is believed that approximately 50% of these have sustained casing pressure issues. What can be done to understand this phenomena and provide mitigation strategies to allow continued safe production.

Module 15: Roles and Responsibilities

Who is responsible for what in the operation of an oilfield?

Module 16: Dispensations

Most oil companies define the operating parameters of wells, and what is acceptable. How is this dealt with if the well does not fall into these categories?

Module 17: Competencies and Training

Experience is not enough to qualify an operator or engineer, they need to be competent, in this module we understand the measurement process and what is needed.

Module 18: Risk Assessment

We will discuss the contents of a risk assessment and look at how this should be applied to various scenarios in the operating environment.

Module 19: Case Studies

Discussion on a wide range of well operating issues that were identified through logging wells and discuss what was done to the well as a result.

Module 20: Group Exercise

Each group will be given a package of data for a well in a real-life scenario.

Participant will be allowed to ask questions and then divide into teams, review the data package and as a team to present the results and findings to the rest of the class.

About Expert Trainer

Our expert trainer is a subject matter expert for well integrity in the Operating Phase of the Well Lifecycle with over 40 years international experience in the oil and gas industry. He has worked with many of the industry leaders and regulators to improve well integrity understanding and awareness and to resolve specific well integrity issues in the last 10 years.