Changes in well control training to meet the challenge of reducing well control incidents
Zdenek Sehnal A *A
Zdenek Sehnal has over 40 years of experience in the Oil and Gas industry, including 33 years with Equinor (Statoil), of which 10 years were as a secondee to BP, the rest with Baker Hughes, DNV and Sunderland Polytechnic. The work experience involves drilling, completion and interventions, particularly snubbing, as well as well control and well integrity. International experience includes assignments in Azerbaijan, UK, Russia (Siberia), Denmark, Holland, Italy, Nigeria and US. His first experience with well control was on the Saga Petroleum, well 2/4–14, in 1989 working closely with Boots and Coots. At the time the most expensive blowout in the world. Since then, he has been involved in numerous well control incidents both directly and as part of investigation teams. He has authored a significant number of scientific papers and presented at World Oil, SPE and OTC conferences. |
Abstract
The number of safety related incidents in the Oil and Gas industry has steadily declined over the past 20 years. However, the frequency of well control incidents has not followed the same trend. The Norwegian regulator (Petroleum Safety Authority) has recently documented this finding as related to the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Globally, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) Report 637 and recent data from Wild Well Control also support this conclusion – in fact, Wild Well Control data shows that the frequency of well control incidents may be increasing. The loss of experienced personnel due to reduced activity during the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to this. Now that activity is increasing again, the industry faces a challenge in recruiting skilled personnel. Current well control courses predominantly cover the well construction process, with minor emphasis on the whole life cycle of the well. However, a significant number (in some areas close to half) of well control incidents occur after the well construction process is completed. Based on analysis of the main contributory factors to well control incidents, IOGP has recently updated Report 476 ‘Recommendations for enhancements to well control training, examination and certification’. This paper reviews the changes to Report 476 and discusses how International Well Control Forum can contribute to reduce the well control incident rate with focus on the Well Control in Design and Lifecycle Management course.
Keywords: regulatory oversight, role specific training, well construction, well control, well control incidents, well control training, well integrity, well lifecycle.
Zdenek Sehnal has over 40 years of experience in the Oil and Gas industry, including 33 years with Equinor (Statoil), of which 10 years were as a secondee to BP, the rest with Baker Hughes, DNV and Sunderland Polytechnic. The work experience involves drilling, completion and interventions, particularly snubbing, as well as well control and well integrity. International experience includes assignments in Azerbaijan, UK, Russia (Siberia), Denmark, Holland, Italy, Nigeria and US. His first experience with well control was on the Saga Petroleum, well 2/4–14, in 1989 working closely with Boots and Coots. At the time the most expensive blowout in the world. Since then, he has been involved in numerous well control incidents both directly and as part of investigation teams. He has authored a significant number of scientific papers and presented at World Oil, SPE and OTC conferences. |
References
Havtil (2022) RNNP 2022 summary report. (Hatvil). Available at https://www.havtil.no/globalassets/rnnp/2022/rnnp-2022-summary-report.pdf
IOGP (2012) Report 476: Recommendations for enhancements to well control training, examination and certification. Version 1. (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers). Available at https://www.iogp.org/pubs/476.pdf
IOGP (2021) Report 637R: Review of Well Control Incidents. (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers). Available at https://www.iogp.org/bookstore/product/review-of-well-control-incidents-info-sheet/
IOGP (2022) Report 608: Recommended practice for pore pressure and fracture gradient analysis for well design – construction, intervention, and abandonment. (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers). Available at https://www.iogp.org/bookstore/product/recommended-practice-for-pore-pressure-and-fracture-gradient-analysis-for-well-design-construction-intervention-and-abandonment/
IOGP (2023) Report 476: Recommendations for enhancements to well control training, examination and certification. Version 4. (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers). Available at https://www.iogp.org/bookstore/product/recommendations-for-enhancements-to-well-control-training-examination-and-certification/
