Well Engineering and Production > Advanced Well Engineering - Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT)

About this Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT)

Well engineers who are responsible for technically evaluating and authorizing programs for drilling or working over wells must have the required skills and competencies to safely design wells of varying nature. They also need to be able to confirm that well delivery and intervention programs generate intrinsic well control assurance. Such work programs must establish, verify, monitor and maintain suitable and sufficient barriers for the entire well lifecycle – from spud to abandonment. Well engineers must also be able to select a suitable drilling or workover rig, capable of safely performing the work within its operational envelope.

This 5 half-day Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) course aims to further develop and assess the knowledge required to work on and eventually, authorize a well delivery program as deemed fit for purpose. It also addresses elements of well control that must be embedded into well design, well work programming and equipment selection.

This VILT course is intended for participants who already have a sound understanding of the principles of the design and/or delivery of wells and with more than 3 years of relevant industry experience.

By the end of this VILT course, participants will be able to:

  • Feel confident to design and plan drilling and workover activities while considering geological risks, formation pressures/strengths, and any integrity or well control concerns.
  • Monitor wells operations and ensure that they can and will remain within the accepted design envelope.
  • Assess risks and then apply mitigation or recovery methods in cases where design envelopes are threatened.

Participants should be capable of assessing a drilling or workover program and then be able to answer the following key questions:

  1. Does the program delivery have a sound design and work plan that allows the well(s) to be drilled or worked over safely?
  2. Have we determined the appropriate kick tolerance for each open hole section and is it realistic for all drilling hazards that may be encountered?
  3. Have all drilling hazards been suitably assessed, and the associated risk mitigated to a level as low as reasonably practicable?
  4. Are there adequate, verifiable barriers in place throughout the operation and does everybody know their role and responsibility?
  5. And, as applicable, is the selected rig capable of implementing the work program?

The VILT course is intended for personnel directly or indirectly involved in the preparation, review or authorization of drilling and workover programs. This includes:

  • Well engineers and drilling supervisors who are responsible for planning and executing drilling and workover operations.
  • Contractor well engineers, rig managers and other senior drilling staff.
  • Senior well engineers and rig superintendents who are responsible for managing the delivery of a project or well.
  • Technical authority holders who are responsible for licensing drilling and workover operations from a regulatory perspective.

Assessment:

A satisfactory command of critical knowledge and skills is assured by a 1+ hour closed book assessment. This assessment has a mix of multiple-choice questions (MCQs), calculations and answers that must be written up. The exam is taken electronically. Participants are provided with a suitable formula sheet. The pass mark for issuing a certificate is 70% and participants who are not successful will be issued with a certificate of attendance instead.

The VILT course will be delivered online in 5 half-days consisting 4 hours per day, with 2 breaks of 10 minutes per day.

Course Duration: 5 half-day sessions, 4 hours per session (20 hours in total).

Your expert course leader has over 45 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry. During that time, he has worked exclusively in the well engineering domain. After being employed in 1974 by Shell, one of the major oil & gas producing operators, he worked as an apprentice on drilling rigs in the Netherlands. After a year, he was sent for his first international assignment to the Sultanate of Oman where he climbed up the career ladder from Assistant Driller, to Driller, to wellsite Petroleum Engineer and eventually on-site Drilling Supervisor, actively engaged in the drilling of development and exploration wells in almost every corner of this vast desert area. At that time, drilling techniques were fairly basic and safety was just a buzz word, but such a situation propels learning and the fruits of ‘doing-the-basics’ are still reaped today when standing in front of a class.

After some seven years in the Middle East, a series of other international assignments followed in places like the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Turkey, Denmark, China, Malaysia, and Russia. Apart from on-site drilling supervisory jobs on various types of drilling rigs (such as helicopter rigs) and working environments (such as jungle and artic), he was also assigned to research, to projects and to the company’s learning centre. In research, he was responsible for promoting directional drilling and surveying and advised on the first horizontal wells being drilled, in projects, he was responsible for a high pressure drilling campaign in Nigeria while in the learning centre, he looked after the development of new engineers joining the company after graduating from university. He was also involved in international well control certification and served as chairman for a period of three years. In the last years of his active career, he worked again in China as a staff development manager, a position he nurtured because he was able to pass on his knowledge to a vast number of new employees once again.

After retiring in 2015, he has delivered well engineering related courses in Australia, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Thailand, India, Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, The Netherlands, and the United States. The training he provides includes well control to obtain certification in drilling and well intervention, extended reach drilling, high pressure-high temperature drilling, stuck pipe prevention and a number of other ad-hoc courses. He thoroughly enjoys training and is keen to continue taking classes as an instructor for some time to come.

To further optimise your learning experience from our courses, we also offer individualized “One to One” coaching support for 2 hours post training. We can help improve your competence in your chosen area of interest, based on your learning needs and available hours. This is a great opportunity to improve your capability and confidence in a particular area of expertise. It will be delivered over a secure video conference call by one of our senior trainers. They will work with you to create a tailor-made coaching program that will help you achieve your goals faster.
Request for further information about post training coaching support and fees applicable for this.