Well integrity sits at the core of drilling, production, decommissioning and energy transition processes, combining technical, operational and organizational solutions to maximize containment throughout the entire life cycle of a well. In other words, well integrity is what you do when nobody's looking, and takes place in every phase of the well’s life, from design right through to decommissioning and conversion many years later.
All involved parties have a shared responsibility in maintaining well integrity, from the design engineers and service providers delivering the equipment, to well construction personnel and those operating it on site.
Failing to implement a robust well integrity management system, and employing skilled people who can operate the well safely to prevent accidental releases, can have catastrophic consequences. If the well’s integrity is compromised, this can potentially lead to a blowout which in turn can result in the loss of lives, heavily pollute the environment, and affect a company financially - all three of which were seen in the blowout from the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico.
In order to optimize well integrity management, it’s important to fully understand what it is and how it is implemented at every phase of a well’s lifecycle. To help you go about optimizing an existing well, or set up a robust integrity management system for the lifecycle of a new well, Terje Løkke-Sørensen, Add Energy’s Chief Technical Officer and co-author of the world-class NORSOK Well Integrity Standard, has shared insights into how you can effectively manage well integrity throughout its entire lifecycle...
