Deepwater Completions

Introduction to Deepwater Completions

• Introduction and history: an introduction to the deepwater setting, and the main challenges associated with wells to be completed in deepwater; the progressive move into deeper water, with discussion of rig generations and capabilities.

• Geological setting, pore pressure, fracture gradient, geomechanics: how the geological environment in deepwater offers challenges to the construction and completion of deepwater wells.

• Fundamentals of deepwater completions: the key drivers in designing deepwater completions.

Deepwater well planning and construction

• Well planning: the meteorogical and oceanographic environment, shallow hazards, and how these affect deepwater rigs, platforms, and wells.

• Well construction: well architecture, conductors, subsea wellheads, surface casing and subsequent casings, BOPs, Risers. 

Well Design

• Well design considerations, load cases, barriers: kep issues assocated with deepwater wells, how load cases differ from shallow water/onshore wells.

• Cementing & fluids: the impact of the deepwater setting on cementing design and operations, and on fluids selection and management.

• Design of deepwater completions: key technical aspects associated with deepwater wells, including sand control requirements and intelligent completions.

Deepwater MODUs, platforms, and intervention units; rig equipment, well control

• MODUs, Platforms, Intervention units: key drivers for MODU selection, including hull type, station-keeping requirements, generation, market, crew competence, and management system; platform characteristics and concerns; capabilities and operational aspects of deepwater intervention units.

• Risers, rig equipment: drilling, production, and “combo” risers, how these affect well construction/completions, and rig equipment in deepwater, including discussion of limitations and concerns in completions installation.

• Well control fundamentals: key aspects of well control in deepwater and how these affect completions.

Landing Strings, Risk Management, & Final Exercise

• Landing Strings: for well construction and completions installation

• Introduction to risk and risk management: key aspects of risk, risk analysis, and risk management, in the deepwater setting, with lessons identified in recent history

• Final exercise - integrate the learning outcomes to provide a springboard to continued application of learning for participants.