Well Integrity Management

Loss of well integrity can lead to uncontrolled releases, environmental harm and costly interventions, and managing it requires a disciplined, life-cycle approach. This five-day course presents the principles, challenges and best practices of well integrity management from design and construction through production, intervention and abandonment. Participants study the two-barrier philosophy, well barrier elements and their acceptance criteria, annulus pressure monitoring and management, and the organizational systems needed to sustain integrity. Case studies illustrate how critical well issues are identified, risk-assessed and resolved in practice. Throughout, the course stresses the link between well integrity, process safety and regulatory compliance in both onshore and offshore settings.

Who Should Attend

• Well integrity, drilling and completions engineers
• Production and petroleum engineers
• Well operations supervisors and wellsite leaders
• Asset integrity and HSE professionals in upstream operations

Learning Outcomes

• Explain key well integrity concepts and the two-barrier philosophy
• Identify well barrier elements and their acceptance and verification criteria
• Interpret well barrier schematics for different well types and phases
• Monitor annulus pressures and define maximum allowable annulus surface pressure
• Apply risk-based assessment to well anomalies and critical well issues
• Describe the elements of a well integrity management system across the life cycle

Course Outline

• Module 1 — Key Well Integrity Concepts: definitions, life-cycle phases and lessons from major incidents.
• Module 2 — Well Barriers: primary and secondary envelopes, barrier elements and schematics.
• Module 3 — Verification of Well Barriers: pressure tests, inflow tests and acceptance criteria.
• Module 4 — Annulus Pressure Management: sustained casing pressure, MAASP and monitoring.
• Module 5 — Managing Critical Well Issues: anomaly identification, risk assessment and well categorization.
• Module 6 — Well Integrity Management Systems: organization, competence, procedures and data.
• Module 7 — Long-Term Well Integrity Strategies: aging wells, suspension and plug and abandonment.

Standards & References

Course content draws on ISO 16530-1 (Petroleum and Natural Gas Industries — Well Integrity — Part 1: Life Cycle Governance); NORSOK D-010 (Well Integrity in Drilling and Well Operations); and IOGP Report 485. Participants are introduced to the scope and application of each document; the current edition should always be consulted for project work.

Assessment & Certification

The program comprises 40 contact hours (5 days) of instruction. Assessment consists of a written examination and a case-study exercise in which candidates evaluate a well with an integrity anomaly and recommend a management plan. Successful candidates receive an IIME Certificate of Training bearing a unique verification code, which can be verified online.