IWCF Drilling Well Control Level 3-4

Impact of well control incidents on personnel, employment, assets, environment, operations, and reputation

Importance of well control training, competency, and regulatory requirements

Hydrostatic pressure factors and advanced calculations

Formation pore pressure (normal, subnormal, abnormal)

Mechanisms causing formation pressure changes (depletion, injection, diagenesis)

Fracture pressure and mud weight window limits

Primary and secondary well control principles

Pore and fracture pressure estimation impacts

Secondary well control equipment selection

Well barrier elements in drilling, completion, workover, and abandonment

Mechanical vs. hydrostatic barriers comparison

Primary and secondary barrier element identification

Barrier verification processes and continuous monitoring

Barrier management and testing criteria

Documentation requirements for barrier tests

Actions when barrier elements fail

Monitoring methods for barrier envelope integrity

Risk management to reduce kick probability and minimize influx volume

Management of Change (MOC) process implementation

Checklists for operations with well control implications

Well control drill purposes, frequency, and documentation

Management of non-shearable and non-sealable tubulars through BOP

Situations causing hydrostatic pressure less than formation pressure

Loss of hydrostatic pressure and calculations

Fluid density reduction factors and verification

Operations reducing hydrostatic head (cement setting, temperature effects, barite settling)

Subsea considerations: riser, booster, choke, and kill line fluids

Riser margin calculations

Gas cutting causes (background, connection, trip gas) and actions

Lost circulation recognition, causes, prevention, and well control implications

Riser integrity concerns and collapse prevention (subsea)

Swabbing and surging causes, consequences, and mitigation

Vessel motion effects on swabbing/surging (subsea)

Tripping procedures and operational elements

Trip tank and trip sheet usage

Actions for deviations from predicted trip volumes

Influx identification and response during tripping

Slug pumping and trip margin calculations

Pumping out of hole procedures

Influx in tubulars (factors and causes)

Swabbed influx in horizontal wells

Warning signs during drilling, circulating, and tripping

Flow checking procedures

Communication protocols with supervisors

Kick indicators and early detection importance

Well flow-back interpretation (finger-printing and trend analysis)

Rig motion effects on kick detection (floating rigs)

Shallow gas characteristics and consequences

Prevention of shallow gas kicks

Operational requirements in shallow gas zones

Managing shallow gas flow procedures

Drilling top hole with or without riser (subsea)

Methods to identify and minimize shallow gas kick impact

Barite usage and potential problems (sag, solid removal)

Barite weight calculations

Bottom hole circulating pressure and Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD)

Pump pressure and speed relationships

Pump pressure and drilling fluid density relationships

Slow Circulation Rates (SCRs) procedures and timing

Factors influencing SCR selection

Choke line friction establishment (subsea)

Leak Off Test (LOT) vs. Formation Integrity Test (FIT)

LOT/FIT performance requirements

Pressure vs. volume graph analysis

MAASP selection and recalculation triggers

Kick margin/tolerance/intensity principles

Types of influx fluids and associated hazards

Influx changes during circulation

Gas law applications and calculations (including temperature)

Influx migration in open and shut-in wells

Migration rate, pressure, and volume calculations

Influx effects on primary fluid barrier properties

Hydrocarbon gas influx behavior in water-based and oil-based fluids

Gas solubility (hydrocarbon, CO₂, H₂S) in drilling fluids

Dissolved gas behavior and break-out conditions

Hydrocarbon gas state changes (gas or liquid influx)

Gas break-out mitigation actions

Gas influx behavior in horizontal wells

Gas expansion effects in subsea riser

Actions for gas expansion in riser (subsea)

Primary barrier failure recognition

Hard shut-in procedures for various operations

Equipment line-up for drilling and tripping

Procedures to prevent gas reaching rotary table

Well monitoring after shut-in

Gas in riser above BOPs - actions (subsea)

Well closure confirmation and unsuccessful closure response

Hang-off procedures for drill string (subsea)

Wireline operations effects on BHP

Shut-in procedures during wireline operations

Conventional equipment limitations during wireline operations

Recording and interpreting shut-in pressures (SIDPP and SICP)

Stabilized pressure determination

Differences between SIDPP and SICP interpretation

Trapped pressure identification

SIDPP measurement with float valve

Pressure gauge limitations and calibration

Dedicated gauge usage for SIDPP and SICP

Influx migration in closed wells

BHP control during influx migration

Kill and control methods definition and selection

Difference between controlling and killing a well

Kill pump rate selection criteria

Kill methods minimizing casing shoe pressure

Appropriate actions when not on bottom

Maintaining constant BHP during pump start/stop

Actions to reduce pressure at well weak point

Maintaining constant BHP when changing pump speed

Choke Line Friction (CLF) effects and mitigation (subsea)

Driller's Method procedures and role

Wait and Weight Method procedures and role

Advantages and disadvantages comparison of kill methods

Riser and associated lines displacement to kill fluid (subsea)

Gas removal from BOP (subsea)

Kill sheet requirements and completion (pre-tour and post-kick)

All kill sheet calculations (BHP, formation pressure, kill fluid density, ICP, FCP, MAASP, circulation times/strokes)

Riser volume displacement calculations (subsea)

Dynamic casing pressure and dynamic MAASP (subsea)

Volumetric Method principles and procedures

When to apply Volumetric Method

Lubricate and Bleed Method principles and procedures

When to apply Lubricate and Bleed Method

Stripping principles, procedures, and limitations

Annular and ram-to-ram stripping

Swab and surge risk factors with large diameter tubulars

Mitigation actions to minimize swab and surge pressures

Self-filling float system capabilities and limitations

Returns monitoring when tripping casing/liner

Open and closed end displacement calculations

Actions if losses occur during casing operations

BHP changes during cementing operations

Successful cementing criteria and verification

Events allowing formation fluid entry during well life

Shut-in procedures during cementing operations

Shut-in procedures when running casing

Well control drill implementation (pit, BOP, on bottom, trip pipe, BHA, choke, hang-off, stripping, diverter, accumulator test)

MAASP limit identification

Indications that MAASP is exceeded

Recognition of downhole and surface problems

Deviations from expected gauge readings

Appropriate response actions

Pressure gauge malfunction detection

Mud Gas Separator (MGS) operating limit actions

Re-establishing safe MGS operating pressures

Well control equipment leak identification and responses

Hydrate formation conditions and prevention

Hydrate removal procedures

Lost circulation monitoring and management during well control events

BOP function, configuration, and operations identification

BOP stack pressure rating analysis

Subsea BOP configuration (marine riser, LMRP, subsea BOP components)

Ram type preventer operational limits

Ram equipment change requirements for operations

Ram locks function and usage

Blind/shear ram operating principles

Shearable diameter, weight, and metallurgy considerations

Shear ram operational procedures

Annular preventer capabilities and limitations

Annular deterioration/failure indicators

Annular closing pressure adjustment

Hydrostatic pressure effects on annular preventers (subsea)

Side outlet valve location and sizing

Gasket selection and make-up procedures

Diverter types (conventional annular vs. insert type)

Diverter principles, components, and operations

Diverter operating mechanisms and sequences

Safety valve types (DPSV, IBOP, drop-in back pressure valve, float/flapper valves)

IBOP application and impact

Float/flapper valve capabilities and limitations

DPSV installation during tubular running operations

Alternative circulating routes through choke manifold

Valve status identification for specific paths

Adjustable choke operating principles and limitations

Safety critical inspection requirements

Mud Gas Separator operational limitations

Gas blow-through pressure calculations

Critical operating limit interpretation

Vacuum degasser principles, considerations, and limitations

BOP and equipment pressure testing criteria

Successful pressure test validation

Monitoring non-pressured side during testing

Test frequency and values (before installation, on installation, during operations)

Inverted test ram usage in subsea BOP (subsea)

DPSV and IBOP pressure test requirements and procedures

BOP operating pressures and closing times

Equipment rating for test processes

Function test requirements for BOP, valves, and manifolds

Diverter system testing procedures

Diverter testing frequency and values

Inflow testing principles and purpose

Factors during inflow test (leak paths, thermal expansion)

Mitigations to minimize kick size if test fails

Inflow test procedures and line-up

Remote control panel operating sequence

Normal operating pressures and stored volumes

Diverter control system pressures and volumes

Accumulator drawdown test procedures and verification

Function operation confirmation

BOP/Diverter malfunction diagnosis and alternative actions

Subsea BOP control system operating principles (pods, SPMs, shuttle valves)

Subsea remote control panel operating sequence

Subsea BOP function operation confirmation

Subsea BOP malfunction diagnosis and responses

Accumulator bottles at subsea BOP (purpose and pre-charge calculations)

Secondary closure systems (ROV, acoustic) and emergency devices (dead man, auto-shear, EDS)

Assistant drillers

Drillers

Well-site supervisor, superintendent or company man

Tool pusher

Rig manager

Offshore Installation Manager

Office-based operational staff

Principles & Procedures

Equipment