Best Practices and Operational Excellence of Well Integrity Surveillance in Oil and Gas Fields

Abstract Maintaining excellent well integrity is a life-cycle obligation extended from drilling to abandonment. Well integrity is a key element in maintaining the safety of fields. Best practices were developed over many years to enhance surveillance practices and deploy new technologies to detect well integrity issues and prolong the life of wells. This paper will discuss integrity surveillance best practices related to casing integrity monitoring, testing wellhead valves and subsurface safety valves (SSSVs). Casing integrity is a major element of the integrity of the wells. It is being mentioned by close monitoring of the annulus pressures and fluid, running temperature surveys and corrosion logs. The through tubing corrosion logs are the latest technology with the added benefit of providing great insight about the integrity of the wells without the need for removing a completion by a costly workover rig. These logs provide metal loss measures for all casings, utilizing electromagnetic technology. In case a well requires a workover, a number of measures can be taken, such as pressure testing the casings, running logs and repairing leaks by running additional tubulars to maintain the integrity of the well. The integrity of wellhead valves is another major aspect of well safety. It is associated with preventing uncontrolled releases of formation fluids outside the well. Preventive maintenance and testing for wells are needed through the life cycle of each well. Regular greasing is needed to safely maintain the integrity of valves. Additional frequent testing is needed to detect any faulty valves in a timely manner. In case the valves require replacing, stringent measures are taking place to secure the wells and replace the tree valves. Last, the paper will go through the SSSV surveillance excellence best practices. Proper testing and troubleshooting of SSSVs is a key element of well integrity. Procedures were developed with a set frequency to test these valves. Troubleshooting is needed in case of questionable testing results. Finally, tubing retrievable SSSVs are converted to wireline valves through rigless operations to maintain the safety of the wells and avoid costly workovers. Those best well integrity practices are carried out through a well’s life cycle to maintain excellent well integrity, protect the environment and optimize the cost of workovers.