Special Report – High Performance Online Tools for Well Barrier Illustrations

High Performance Online Tools for Well Barrier Illustrations

S p e c i a l R e p o R t

Illustrating Well Barriers

A Complex Concept

Why Illustrate Well Components?

Challenges and Variations

Using the Latest Tools

Sponsored by

Published by Global Business Media

SPECIAL REPORT: HIGH PERFORMANCE ONLINE TOOLS FOR WELL BARRIER ILLUSTRATIONS


Global Business Media Limited 62 The Street Ashtead Surrey KT21 1AT United Kingdom

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Business Development DirectorMarie-Anne Brooks

EditorJohn Hancock

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Production ManagerPaul Davies

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ContentsForeword 2 John Hancock, Editor

Illustrating Well Barriers 3 Tore Fjågesund, Managing Director, Wellbarrier

Background

The use of well barrier illustrations

Well barrier philosophy

Wellbarrier™ illustration tool

The strength of the illustration application

Use of well barrier schematics

A Complex Concept 7 John Hancock, Editor

Dangerous Places

A Complex System for Safety

Well Management

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Why Illustrate Well Components? 9 Francis Slade, Staff Writer

Reputational Management

Standards and Expectations

Drawings Help Get the Job Done

Challenges and Variations 11 John Hancock, Editor

What Illustrations Do

Many Views

Preparation

Variations on a Theme

Using the Latest Tools 13 Peter Dunwell, Correspondent

Productivity Gains

Consistency and Flexibility

Quality and Collaboration

Keeping a Good Record

References 15

WWW.OFFSHORETECHNOLOGyREPORTS.COM | 1

High Performance Online Tools for Well Barrier Illustrations

S P E C I A L R E P O R T

Illustrating Well Barriers

A Complex Concept

Why Illustrate Well Components?

Challenges and Variations

Using the Latest Tools

Sponsored by


Cover image – Snorre B, Statoil/Harald Pettersen

Foreword

Offshore oil and gas is a frontier activity.

Operations often push geographical

frontiers ever further into hostile territory to

access and exploit increasingly remote deposits

of fuel for a world that still demands the benefits

of hydrocarbons: they also work at the frontiers of

engineering, on the threshold of what is possible.

And these days, they work at the frontiers of public

opinion where the hunger for energy often conflicts

with a growing awareness of environmental matters

to create a collective guilt complex that can colour

public reactions when things go wrong.

This Special Report opens with an article that

looks at the use of well barrier diagrams for well

operations. There is no standard for producing well

barrier illustrations with the result that a wide variety

of tools is used, often making it difficult to understand

the purpose of the presentation. Thus, it is clear that

a constant approach to well barrier schematics is

important both for graphical and verbal presentations.

The Wellbarrier™ illustration application achieves this

aim, enabling the quick preparation of illustrations and

plans that are easily understandable by management,

partners and relevant authorities.

The varied operational demands have several

impacts. In the first place, there is often not the

ideal time available in which to make a considered

decision or devise an engineering solution. Almost

any incident on an offshore installation will cost vast

amounts of money and, if the incident leads to a

leak, that cost can be counted in lost production,

compensation for the impact on third parties or the

local environment, the cost of ‘clearing up’, the cost

of reputational damage on market share, profit and

the value of the business. Seen in this light, it doesn’t

seem too hyperbolic to suggest that anything which

can improve the design, operation, management

and effectiveness of equipment used in offshore

installations and support faster decision making-is

worthy of consideration.

One of the key weapons in the offshore oil and gas

sector’s armoury against the kind of apocalyptic

outcome suggested above is the well barrier - not

glamorous and hardly seen but a vital protection if

ever a failure of equipment threatens a leak or spill.

This paper considers how aspects of the operation

of well barriers can be improved by using illustrative

methods to assist engineers to better ‘see’ the barrier

and its component parts and how it works as part of

the overall safety system.

John HancockEditor


2 | WWW.OFFSHORETECHNOLOGyREPORTS.COM

John Hancock joined as Editor of Offshore Technology Reports in early 2012. A journalist for nearly 25 years, John has written and edited articles and papers on a range of engineering, support services and technology topics as well as for key events in the sector. Subjects have included aero-engineering, testing, aviation IT, materials engineering, weapons research, supply chain, logistics and naval engineering.



Illustrating Well BarriersTore Fjågesund, Managing Director, Wellbarrier

BackgroundFor as long as we have been exploiting oil and gas reserves we have had to put barriers in place, maybe with the exception of the early days when we see pictures of oil gushing out of the ground once the reservoir is struck.

The obvious primary barrier to use was the overbalanced fluid column. Later we introduced a two barrier system which most players in the industry subscribe to. However, many of today’s wells are becoming more complex, with deep water, extended reach, underbalanced or managed pressure drilling and other new technologies challenging the old way of doing things. In this context, how do we ascertain that all involved parties have a clear understanding of what barriers are in place, how they are qualified and how they are maintained and monitored? Enquiries and investigation following recent incidents have clearly displayed that not everyone has as good an understanding as one would expect.

With reference to recent accidents, and the general approach in the industry, the first thing we do when we have a well incident, is to make an illustration to explain to people what is going on!

So, we can assume that we all agree that the use of drawings is a good method of communicating a message and establishing a common ground of understanding.

The use of well barrier illustrationsThe idea of using drawings to illustrate well barriers was introduced in the early 90 by one of the co-founders of Wellbarrier AS. The idea created interest and was formalized in the Norsok D-010 standard “Well Integrity for drilling and well operations” in 2004. Norsok D-010 rev.4 which is available in draft version and will be released summer 2013 further describes the recommendation for how to prepare well barrier schematics. API recently released “RP96 Deepwater Well Design and Construction”, which also recommends the preparation of well

diagrams illustrating the barriers in place. Today many organisations, including national and super-major companies, require well barrier diagrams to be prepared for their well operations.

One of the big challenges with preparing well barrier schematics is that there is no recognized worldwide industry standard in their preparation or presentation, other than stating that they should be prepared. The user is then left to decide how to do this, and different individuals use Microsoft Visio, PowerPoint or even Excel to make these illustrations with a large variation in presentation and quality. As a result , it is often difficult to see and read what barriers are actually in place and how the well is constructed to prevent flow through different potential flow paths. From this we can derive that a consistent approach for presentation of well barrier schematics is very important, both in terms of graphics used and verbal presentation.

Well barrier philosophyOne of the major issues to consider when making well barrier illustrations is to have a clear understanding on how to implement and maintain a two barrier setup with primary and secondary barrier envelopes. The illustrations below describe some of the principal features involved:

The terms “barrier” and “well barrier” has been in everyone’s language for many

years. And it has become a hot topic following recent accidents in the industry.

But what is it really, and how do we make sure everyone has the same

understanding of this important function?

A CLEAr AND CONSISTENT GrAPhICAL ILLUSTrATION

ThrOUGh ThE LIFECyCLE OF ThE WELL IS BENEFICIAL



1 Barriers and envelopes

A barrier element alone is of no use until several elements are put together to create an envelope

2 Hat-over-hat envelopes

The secondary barrier envelope should encompass the primary barrier envelope as a hat-over-hat arrangement.

3 Primary barrier active

The primary barrier envelope (or the fluid column) always sees pressure and is always active.

4 Secondary barrier ultimate

The secondary barrier envelope usually requires activation of a component to close the envelope.

Wellbarrier™ illustration toolThe Wellbarrier™ illustration tool is available on the web and provides a powerful tool that enabless the user to build well barrier illustrations in a quick, consistent and professional manner. The application has an intuitive user interface with drag and drop features and a menu system that allows the user to select and configure components in a variety of alternatives, while retaining a consistent graphical presentation. This will make the products look as though they come out of the same drawing office, rather than from the hands of a number of individuals.

The system consists of two main parts:

Illustration editor• The principal component menu that allows

the user to pick and assemble any well configuration with up to 10 hole/casing sections, and ranging from drilling top hole section up until abandonment, including all combinations of well testing, completion, production and well intervention situations during the life cycle of the well.

• A component submenu that allows the user to configure a component in a variety of alternatives, i.e. drilling BOPs configured to show exactly the set-up on a rig showing the number of rams and types, with correct choke-and kill-line connection points.

• Annotation and highlighting of sensitive issues.

Well barrier schematic form• Automatic listing of well barrier elements based

on what was defined when the well barrier

One of the big

challenges with

preparing well

barrier schematics

is that there is no

recognized worldwide

industry standard in

their preparation or

presentation, other than

stating that they should

be prepared.

UPR

SSR

LPR

MPR

AP

SSR

UPR

SSR

LPR

MPR

APAP

SSR

MPR



illustrations in the editor were prepared.• Presentation of qualification and monitoring

methods with consistent language, yet allowing the user to make their own variations on specific requirements.

• Hyperlinks to Norsok Well Barrier Element Acceptance Criteria for each element – these can be replaced with company specific acceptance criteria if desired.

• Notes for description of important well integrity issues.

The system allows a clear to read well barrier illustration and description for presentation to all involved stakeholders. Well barriers are often well understood by the engineers who work directly with the planning, but other parties such as co-workers, management, partners and authorities may not necessarily have the same understanding. The purpose of having the same “picture” – literally, is that this allows everyone to see clearly what is ahead in the operation. This may trigger the right questions to be asked at the right time. Our claim is that many flawed situations could have been avoided if clear to read barrier diagrams had been made available and discussed before the execution of the operations.

The system enables the material produced to be exported as line drawings, barrier illustrations, well barrier schematic forms, well control action diagrams and risk assessment forms. The well control action forms allow the drilling or operation supervisor to have access to a plan for how to handle the loss of a primary barrier element and show what steps are available before having to go to the ultimate step of closing a shear seal ram or valve. The risk assessment forms allow the users to track methodically through each and every well barrier element and assess the vulnerability enabling them to propose mitigating measures where appropriate.

The strength of the illustration applicationThe Wellbarrier™ illustration application has been operational since 2007 and is continuously being developed to enhance features and components as the application is being put to work in new and different parts of the world. The application provides a large library of well activities and shows how a two barrier solution can be employed for these situations. Availability of this library has an educational effect in itself as it shows how various situations can be managed from a well barrier perspective.

Initially the application uploaded illustrations as pictures to prevent the user tampering with the graphics. But today, through the development of a proprietary and patented illustration editor,

the user can edit any existing well situation to describe his own well condition, or he can build a drawing from scratch.

The application is easy and intuitive to use. This means that there is no need to force a drawing application to make lines fit and interconnect. With a few clicks in the editor any component can be modified and reconfigured. The components in the illustration interact with each other so that when a change is made to one component other related components automatically adjust to the change made. A drawing that previously could take several hours to make is now done in a matter of minutes.The advantage of this is that any busy engineer can now quickly prepare an illustration and then spend his valuable time on quality assuring the proposed well barrier solution, making sure that proper plans, procedures and equipment orders are prepared for the safe execution of the well operation.

Although the application works to a set of rigid rules as regards the presentation of graphics and verbal expressions, it also allows the user to effect all necessary adjustments to make the well barrier schematic form a true well-specific representation with own specification of details, where this is appropriate. The result is consistency without limitations.

The clear to read illustration is a key element that should allow all stakeholders to see, understand and discuss the work ahead.

Use of well barrier schematicsOnce prepared, there are numerous situations where the use of well barrier schematics will be beneficial:• Discussion of well and activity solution in

engineers’ planning meetings.• Inclusion in work programs and procedures.• Posting on rig notice boards to clearly

communicate to onsite stakeholders the current work situation and available barriers in the ongoing work.

• Quick access to the description if a well control situation occurs, which can be used as basis for further discussion.

• Basis for discussions of ongoing and upcoming activity during daily rig meetings.

• Inclusion of illustrations in presentations or reports to clarify discussed topics.

• Used in handover documentation and end of well reporting.



TyPICAL WELL BArrIEr SChEMATIC WITh CLEAr TO rEAD ILLUSTrATION WITh qUALIFICATION

AND MONITOrING METhOD FOr ALL ThE DEFINED WELL BArrIEr ELEMENTS.

Drawing Ref. : WB 4.3.d-a rev.1.2

Date Prepared: 15.mai.2013

Prepared By : Tore Fjågesund (u)

Verified By :

Field: Publications

Well : Offshore tech. report

Well design pressure 345 bar

Reservoir pressure 370 bar

Sample - Gaslift production well Showing typical WBS content

Well Operation

Primary well barrier

Element As built Monitoring

ASCSSV Inflow tested to 345 bar Frequent inflow test to 160 bar. Leak rate better than 3 bar/30 min

SCSSV Inflow tested to 345 bar Frequent inflow test to 160 bar. Leak rate better than 4 bar/30 min

Tubing Pressure tested to 310 bar

A-annulus monitoring

Production casing Pressure tested to 345 bar

B-annulus pressure monitoring

Production casing cement LOT tested to 420 bar B-annulus monitoring

Formation Not tested below casing shoe

Not available for monitoring

Secondary well barrier

Element As built Monitoring

Surface production tree with PMV

Pressure tested to 345 bar

Manual external monitoring and frequent testing

Wellhead annulus access valve


Manual external monitoring and frequent testing

Wellhead Pressure tested to 345 bar

Manual external observation

Intermediate casing hanger


C-annulus pressure monitoring

Intermediate casing Pressure tested to 345 bar

C-annulus pressure monitoring

Intermediate casing cement

FIT tested to 310 bar C-annulus pressure monitoring

Healthy well, no or minor issue

Note: Maximum gaslift pressure 210 bar Well completed 15.05.2009. Gaslift valve is a not a barrier qualified valve and subsequently not part of the primary barrier envelope.



A Complex ConceptJohn Hancock, Editor

Dangerous PlacesOffshore oil and gas wells are hazardous installations: they are also among the most vulnerable, often located in challenging environmental and geological locations and isolated from land-based support. Plus, of course, for tens of thousands of people, they are a place of work posing considerable health and safety issues, and environment ruining possibilities. So, it’s not surprising that the sector is among the most regulated and safety conscious. Yet systems still fail, as a number of disasters such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident have shown. In order to avoid leakages, let alone pollution on the scale of BP’s Gulf of Mexico nightmare, oil and gas wells include barriers to keep the product being extracted away from the environment in the event of a system failure.

A Complex System for SafetyIn these circumstances, well barriers are an essential component in systems that maintain the safety and integrity of a well and they have been around for as long as oil and gas reserves have been tapped. NORSOK (the Norwegian organisation setting standards for the offshore exploration and production sector) defines well barriers as, “envelopes of one or several dependent well barrier elements preventing fluids [and] gases from flowing unintentionally from the formation into another formation or to the surface.”1 It sounds simple enough, but in

reality all engineering applied in these conditions is complex, working within critical operational tolerances and/or an envelope that has to take account of regulatory regimes such as the International organisation for standardisation (ISO) the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the above-mentioned NORSOK as well as the economics of making a profit. This paper is not the place to discuss the engineering and design of well barriers but it is the place to explain their complexity and how a visual depiction can make for easier understanding of what is there and a better basis on which to judge what might be happening and make informed decisions about what to do.

As well as being complex, well barriers also come in pairs… at least and may change during different phases of a well’s life. ‘Hydrocarbon producing wells are designed and managed on the basis of the ‘barriers’ in place to maintain containment. A ‘dual barrier’ philosophy is typically used whereby two independently verified barriers to the hydrocarbon reservoir and the environment are required at all times. The failure of a single barrier would not lead to a hydrocarbon release. During the different phases of drilling, production, workover and abandonments, many different pieces of equipment will be used to maintain control of the well fluids and pressures.’2

The important element in the dual barrier case is the independence of each barrier, as the Norwegian producer Statoil explains in

SLEIPNEr, STATOIL / KjETIL ALSvIK



While words have

an important role in

explaining a well barrier,

they might not help an

engineer, faced with a

situation, to visualise the

nature of the challenge

let alone ensure that

everybody has the

same understanding.

‘Well control – well intervention operations’3 “Two independent and tested barriers shall be available in order to prevent any unintentional flow from the well. When this is not possible to fulfil, compensating measures shall be implemented. Independent barriers mean that none of the barrier elements shall be included in more than one barrier. In cases where a degree of dependency exists, contingency procedures shall be established to implement compensating measures. No single failure shall entail loss of well control. This applies both to operational errors and to failure related to equipment used directly in the operations.”

Well ManagementIn simple terms expressed in ‘Well control and well integrity’ from the Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway “The primary well barrier is the first obstacle against undesirable flow from the source. The secondary well barrier prevents further unwanted flow should the primary well barrier fail.”4. The article goes on to point out the hazards of drilling before specifying that, “the [well] barriers may consist of a blowout preventer (BOP) and a homogeneous drilling fluid column.” Adding further to the complexity, the article adds, “The potential of a blowout will vary with the design of the well, the type of flowing fluid and formation characteristics.”

The nature of a well barrier will also vary according to the type of drilling management applied. Many barriers use a technique known as ‘overbalance’ in which the downward pressure in the installation is maintained at a higher level than the pressure in the product being exploited using a material known as drilling mud. This is fine during the drilling phase and helps to keep the oil and gas in the reservoir until production can commence. With the need for more control over flow in a completed well, secondary, mechanical barriers will also be used in which a series of valves and devices to cut off unwanted flow will be employed. There are also devices known as Sub-surface Safety Valves (SSSVs) that can be used as primary or secondary well barriers.5

However, overbalance is not without its own challenges even in the drilling phase as explained in the Shell Global article ‘Underbalanced drilling’6. “… high pressure can damage the rock around the wellbore. Underbalanced drilling – a type of managed pressure drilling – uses lighter fluids or gases so pressure is lower than in the reservoir so that fluids can enter the well shaft. This prevents damage to the reservoir rock and allows oil and gas to flow freely, increasing production.” There is a growing trend towards using underbalance or managed balance which is more suited to a production well but, because the pressure balance is designed to let the product flow in a controlled manner from the formation being tapped into the distribution system on the surface, this poses its own barrier requirements.

It’s all part of the essential task of well control and trying to avoid ‘kick’, “an undesirable influx of formation fluid [oil and/or gas] into the wellbore. If left unchecked, a kick can develop into blowout (an uncontrolled influx of formation fluid into the wellbore).The result of failing to control a kick leads to loss of operation time, loss of the well and quite possibly, the loss of the rig and lives of personnel.”7

A Picture Paints a Thousand WordsIt will be clear by now that, while words have an important role in explaining a well barrier, they might not help an engineer, faced with a situation, to visualise the nature of the challenge let alone ensure that everybody has the same understanding not only of what a well barrier is, but also of the specific well barriers with which they have to deal at the time of any scheduled or unscheduled engineering intervention.

There is no more important area in oil and gas production than the prevention of spillages and there is almost no cost restraint on how that is achieved. It is a truism often iterated in safety critical industries such as offshore oil and gas or airlines that if you think the cost of safety is high, you should consider the cost of safety failure. Knowing how things work and look can help.



Why Illustrate Well Components?Francis Slade, Staff Writer

Why do we need to know that well barriers are in place, what they look like and how they work? It’s a fair question to which there are a number of good answers. Of course, there are a host of stakeholders, internal and external people and organisations, who need to know what is going on where there is an offshore oil or gas exploration or production facility. The potential for injury and environmental damage is significant in such installations so there are a lot of people who need to be able to ‘see’ that everything is as it should be. But let us start with a less industry- orientated situation.

Reputational ManagementWhenever there is a problem with an offshore oil installation, there is always some level of public interest ranging from a passing concern to outrage. There are also numerous people and organisations only too happy to whip up public concern at the activities of the sector. Public relations may not sound like the kind of thing with which engineers and exploration and production personnel would concern themselves but, as the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster showed, being able to explain clearly to a lay public how an installation operates and what has happened would go a long way towards dealing with reputational issues, even if it cannot help with the actual problem. When people feel they understand what is happening, concerns become a little more rational and actions can be taken in a more measured as opposed to a pressured, even hysterical, atmosphere.

Barriers are an important part in any exploration or production facility. As Southwest Research Institute wrote at the opening of a report on ‘New Safety Barrier Testing Methods’ for RPSEA8 in the USA, “Safety barriers play an important role in offshore oil and gas production, particularly in deepwater applications. The ability for the barriers to perform reliably and the ability to test their performance are key factors to safe production operations.”

This might all be obvious to a professional but explaining how a particular barrier installation

matches up to that ideal might take some time even with a professional… and there are a number of stakeholders who need to know: the offshore team, service providers, regulatory authorities, partner businesses and the directors of the company itself, to name but a few. Those people need to know that well barriers are there and that they conform to all necessary criteria. This is an industry where it pays to be able to demonstrate proactive concern for safety and the environment in the clearest manner possible.

Standards and ExpectationsNORSOK, the Norwegian standards agency for offshore operations, in Standard D-0109 is particularly clear that, “Arrangement drawings and flow diagrams for well control equipment shall be easily accessible for operators of this equipment, such that it is possible to determine the position of a tubular joint relative to the shear rams/valves at all times. These drawings and flow diagrams should include: • Geometrical description (location, size,

distances to rig floor, distances between rams, etc.);

• Operational limitations (pressure, temperature, type of fluid, flow rates, etc.);

• Overview of the fluid circulation system (pump, including choke and kill manifold.”

But, if that is who needs (wants?) to know about such things as well barriers, why do they need to know? Some idea of that can be found in ‘Integrity assessment of interrupted or degraded well barriers’ from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)10. In that paper, a number of different stakeholder needs are discussed at length but summarised as…

Needs of the authorities:• Communicating well integrity problems, both

internally and externally to the authorities;• Planning of audits;• Investigating incidents;• Following up operators after incidents;• Updating regulations.

Who needs to know, why and when can visual information inform or guide?



People need to know

that well barriers are

there and that they

conform to all necessary

criteria. This is an

industry where it pays

to be able to

demonstrate proactive

concern for safety and

the environment.

KrISTIN PLATFOrM, STATOIL/ MArIT hOMMEDAL

Needs of the operators: • Mapping status and the current load situation

for wells under operation;• Documenting need for operational control

(monitor and follow up);• Reviewing operational demands;• Mapping additional loads when changing

operational phases.

Needs of contractors and suppliers: • Identifying needs of barrier pre-qualifications; • Guiding in design.

Needs of researchers and consultants:• Understanding system behaviour;• Preparing basis for operational risk and reliability

assessments.

There is also a more general summary of what purpose is served by visualisation of barriers (drawings) in the Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal Paper, ‘Integrity Assessment of Well Barriers Threatened by Increasing Casing-Hanger Loads’11 in which it is stated that an efficient visualisation of well barriers can help to deal with any problems by making it clearer to all parties concerned what needs to be done and how it can be done. A Conference Paper from

the same Society, ‘Qualification of well barrier elements – long-term integrity test, test medium and temperatures’12 adds: “The control of the well barrier status and quality is an important HSE factor in order to avoid incidents and major accidents caused by unintentional leaks and well control situations. Knowledge of well integrity status at all times enables the companies to take the right action in a proactive manner and thereby prevent incidents from occurring.”

Drawings Help Get the Job DoneThe recurring theme is that a visual of any equipment but, for the purposes of this paper, well barriers, will prove valuable. It’s not just to tick another box; there are real values to be gained from drawings. For people engaged in training, planning, spill prevention or emergency response, to be able to see a representation of what they could or will be working with enables them to better grasp the task at hand: humans judge so much of life from visual signals. Whether it’s to select an optimal barrier solution or clearly identify well barrier elements, assess the robustness of those elements or prepare the plans for a shut-down, well barrier schematics will support the task at hand.



Challenges and variationsJohn Hancock, Editor

Well barriers don’t operate in isolation; far from it. They are integral to the safety system for a well. In that sense, and in order to be able to operate them effectively, there are several things that engineers, or anybody whose task is to manage safety or deal with a failure, will wish to know. The construction of the well is important as is what barriers are in place, where they are placed and the relationship between them. It is also very important to know what components make up each well barrier and how they work.

And we mustn’t forget that there are different ways of drilling, such as ‘extended reach drilling’, that bring their own challenges plus regulators like NORSOK constantly update specifications for everything to reflect the latest understanding, new technology and experience.

What Illustrations DoOne purpose for well component visualisations is to improve the operation of the well and to enable a ‘what if’ comparison to be made between different configurations and conditions. They can also be used to visualise well integrity problems either to seek to avoid them or to deal with them when they arise. ‘Integrity assessment of interrupted or degraded well barriers’ from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) (referenced 10 in this paper) establishes a three step methodology for visualisation. In this, the visualisation is of the well barriers both before and after a well integrity problem.1. Map the initial loads imposed through the

previous operational phases of the well by use of a generic influence diagram.

2. Draw the well barrier schematics according to NORSOK-D010 and indicate the status of barrier elements before and after the well incident.

3. Prepare the barrier diagram with leak flow-paths that show the status of barrier elements after the well incident.

The paper continues to specify what the influence diagram should include and then goes on to address ‘Well barrier schematics’, and how they should be drawn to allow comparisons of pre-incident condition and post-incident condition to be seen. The conclusion is that, “Through this

kind of illustration it is possible to verify the new status of the barriers and whether it is critical or not. Future operation of the well is greatly dependent on these assessments. Control and monitoring may be planned based on these assessments to maintain the barriers.”

Many ViewsIn fact, many people and organisations have views on what methodology should be used in well barrier illustrations. Other articles in this paper have referred to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology views on interrupted of degraded well barriers. The same organisation has also produced a paper on well barriers threatened by increasing casing hangar loads13 whose main objective is, “to present a visualization method for the purpose of evaluating well- integrity problems that communicates facts about integrity problems to the responsible bodies. Intended users of the approach are operators, contractors, government/safety authorities, researchers, and consultants who have interest in carrying out assessments of well-integrity matters. As one possible application, the options regarding the future operation of wells may be clarified by the operator, with new preconditions and operational limitations.”

With so many inputs as to what well barrier illustration should do, it might be useful to look at an example. Norwegian energy company, Statoil, has published a ‘Work process requirement’ for ‘Well control – well intervention operations’14. Barriers in well intervention get a whole section of the document which explains to readers that “Barriers for each scenario are illustrated by a unique combination of drawings and texts, showing which elements are included in each barrier system. Special requirements and test criteria are indicated.”

PreparationIt’s also important to understand what the challenges are in preparing a well barrier illustration. They are, in some senses, the obverse of information to be communicated. Different types of wells and barriers have to be accounted for as well as the different environments in which

What do users want from a well barrier illustration and what are the challenges

in producing that?



Different types of wells

and barriers have to

be accounted for as

well as the different

environments in which

they operate, operational

circumstances and

conditions and

different components.

they operate, operational circumstances and conditions and different components. There is also a range of ‘incidents’ for which a visual reference is useful. They might mainly be leaks but can vary in their impact and the risk they pose. Barriers have to take that into account and so must any illustrations. The three step visualisation methodology from NTNU above goes some way to helping illustrators to set their standards and priorities.

Variations on a ThemeDifferent operating companies have adopted elements into their well barrier schematics specific to the field where they operate. SINTEF Petroleum research has assembled a number of these field specific elements in its report on temporary abandoned wells on the Norwegian Continental Shelf15. The report includes a number of critiques but also concludes that, for instance, formation strength presented as pressure at TVD (true vertical depth) together

with reservoir fluid and pressure data would improve the value of well barrier schematics. The report also notes that some schematics include symbols to indicate potential or observed leak paths. These are just a few examples from a fairly long list.

Another challenge is the need for schematics to be standardised, not only in respect of the software programs with which they are created but also in terms of how they present information and terminologies used. Some schematic producers use a check-list to identify what particular elements and challenges are present in a specific case and then to act as a guide and check to ensure that they are all incorporated in the illustration.

One thing is certain – whatever challenges face producers of well barrier schematics will be overcome because the concept of illustrating something as complex and variable is such a sensible approach to what will become an increasingly scrutinised activity.

OSEBErG FIELD CENTrE, STATOIL/ ØyvIND hAGEN



Using the Latest ToolsPeter Dunwell, Correspondent

ThE POWEr of IT brings benefits to every application where it is used and there

are several wellbore schematic programs available to visually depict various aspects of the engineering. A good place to look is Well Integrity resources16. As with any computer-aided design software, IT-based tools in this application bring increased productivity and improved quality to the work.

Productivity GainsProductivity improves where a drawing can be modified or reconfigured at the click of a mouse. This not only increases the speed with which a job can be completed but also allows changes to be quickly, easily and accurately made during the drawing process or to the finished drawing. Software also introduces consistency; the designer is not constantly comparing scales among the different inputs needed to create one drawing. Plus the system can be configured to be appropriate for a specific job relating to a particular well. Every image is bespoke.

Consistency and FlexibilityNo matter how many components a business uses, once a component has been configured and entered into the system’s database, it will always be available at the click of a mouse. In some cases, it will even be possible to ‘drag and drop’ it into position, to try it in different positions or to use it as the basis for a further similar component with just minor differences.

As well as the above flexibility in how a system might be used, there is also flexibility in ‘trying’ different configurations without the need to send the drawing back for a further day’s work. And of course there is no need for scaling of the drawing because IT-based tools complete the job at full size but the resulting drawing can be viewed, printed or transferred at any size convenient and useful for the user. Full size drawings allow the ability to ‘see’ a component as it is; useful devising a process for someone to operate or selecting a tool for a particular job – drillers will need the correct tools first time. But if the need is to see the bigger picture, then it is easy enough to view the whole subject at once.

If the need is to closely examine one component in isolation, IT-based tools are also excellent for that and a drawing can be programmed in such a way that individual components and sub-assemblies can be viewed alone. Also, drawings can be locked to make them tamper-proof, perhaps not the first consideration but, in these days of security risks, one not to be ignored.

Quality and CollaborationThere are significant productivity advantages when one designer is working on a drawing and the advantages are even greater where more than one person needs to contribute to the work. This, of course, is often the case in oil and gas engineering and the ability to either exchange files17 for each contributor to work on or to share files on a common platform means that jobs that might have taken days can be completed in hours, even by a team. One useful factor here is the ability of a single program to apply a consistent approach rather than having to bring together elements from different programs with all the potential for error that entails.

It is also possible for an IT based tool to quickly check that a finished drawing or a drawing at different stages of production matches all of the specifications required and that have been programmed into the system. This will only take minutes as opposed to hours with a complex drawing.

Overall the quality and consistency of a drawing made using IT-based tools will not only be excellent but will also remain excellent whatever changes are made, wherever and however many times it is used and it will appear exactly the same to whoever is viewing it.

Keeping a Good RecordThen there is the matter of storage and retrieval. Computer files can be created anywhere, filed anywhere and accessed everywhere. This is important for an industry that spans the globe and where a lot of components share specifications. There is no time sensitivity and no delay while files are found and dispatched. Again very important in an industry where decisions often need to be taken very quickly in what could be a deteriorating

IT-based tools make drawing simpler, better and more useful.



Computer files can be

created anywhere, filed

anywhere and accessed

everywhere. This

is important for

an industry that spans

the globe and where

a lot of components

share specifications.

situation. And no matter how many people need access to a schematic, as long as they have a device, they have access to an image that won’t be affected by wear and tear or the weather and won’t be ungainly to use in restricted spaces – as long as the person and device can fit, so can the drawing.

Nobody wants to fall foul of regulators or, worse, find themselves in a court having to justify the procedures they use to protect personnel and the environment from risks associated with exploration for and production of oil and gas. Nobody wants to… but it happens and the ability to produce a well-made drawing that has clearly taken account of all the requirements and whose production process can be tracked,

in the same way that financial processes can be followed through an audit trail, is a good thing. IT based tools offer all of these advantages and more.

IT files can also be incorporated into any larger document, include explanatory notes and be transferred to specialist engineering producers in order to make or remake a part. This will save not only time but also cost while improving quality and resilience of the component, because the parameters used for manufacture are exactly those specified – they have not had to be keyed in again. These are just a few ways in which IT can support better productivity of better quality engineering illustrations that will be more easily accessible.

PErEGrINO A PLATFOrM, STATOIL/ ØyvIND hAGEN



references:1 SINTEF ‘Integrity assessment of interrupted or degraded well barriers’

http://www.sintef.no/upload/Teknologi_og_samfunn/Smartere%20sammen/Dokumenter/ESREL2007_paper.pdf

2 Wikipedia, ‘Offshore oil spill prevention and response’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_oil_spill_prevention_and_response

3 Statoil, ‘Well control - well intervention operations’

http://mycommittees.api.org/standards/ecs/sc17/17g/Shared%20Documents/Reference%20Codes/WR0530%20Ver%202.pdf

4 ‘Well control and well integrity’ http://www.ptil.no/well-integrity/well-control-and-well-integrity-article4156-145.html

5 WiperTrip.com ‘Discussion on Suitability of Barriers (well control)’

http://wipertrip.com/well-control/planning/52-discussion-on-suitability-of-barriers-well-control.html

6 Shell Global, ‘Underbalanced drilling’ http://www.shell.com/global/future-energy/meeting-demand/unlocking-resources/drilling/underbalanced.html

7 Wikipedia, ‘Well control’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_control

8 RPSEA, ‘New Safety Barrier Testing Methods’

http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/publications/EPact/08121-210102-final-report-safety-barrier.pdf

9 NORSOK Standard D-010 http://www.standard.no/PageFiles/1315/D-010r3.pdf

10 SINTEF ‘Integrity assessment of interrupted or degraded well barriers’

http://www.sintef.no/upload/Teknologi_og_samfunn/Smartere%20sammen/Dokumenter/ESREL2007_paper.pdf

11 Society of Petroleum Engineers, ‘Integrity Assessment of Well Barriers Threatened by Increasing Casing-Hanger Loads’

http://www.onepetro.org/mslib/app/Preview.do?paperNumber=SPE-105615-PA

12 Society of Petroleum Engineers, ‘Qualification of well barrier elements - long-term integrity test, test medium and temperatures’

http://www.onepetro.org/mslib/app/Preview.do?paperNumber=SPE-138465-MS

13 SPE Drilling & Completion http://www.spe.org/ejournals/jsp/journalapp.jsp?pageType=Preview&jid=EDC&mid=SPE-105615-PA

14 Statoil, ‘Well control - well intervention operations’

http://mycommittees.api.org/standards/ecs/sc17/17g/Shared%20Documents/Reference%20Codes/WR0530%20Ver%202.pdf

15 Temporary abandoned wells on NCS http://www.ptil.no/getfile.php/Tilsyn%20p%C3%A5%20nettet/vrige/Forlatte%20br%C3%B8nner%20-%20Sintef.pdf

16 Well Integrity Resources http://wellintegrity.net/#Wellbore%20Schematic%20Programs

17 Advantages of using CAD http://www.westone.wa.gov.au/toolbox8/furniture/toolbox/shared/resources_dr/ask_expert/tony/cad_advantages.htm