ShellWellControlIntroduction

RestrictedtoShellPersonnelOnlyEP2002-1500PressureControlManualforDrillingandWorkoverOperationsSponsor:WellEngineeringForumReviewedby:A.H.Haldane,EPT-AWVApprovedby:S.H.Brouwer,WEFChairmanDateofissue:January2002Revision:0Periodofwork:July-November2001Accountcode:A-007457-100ECCNnumber:EAR99ThecopyrightofthisdocumentisvestedinShellInternationalExplorationandProductionB.V.,TheHague,TheNetherlands.Allrightsreserved.Neitherthewholenoranypartofthisdocumentmaybereproduced,storedinanyretrievalsystemortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,reprographic,recordingorotherwise)withoutthepriorwrittenconsentofthecopyrightowner.Thisversionsupersedesthepreviousversion(EP89-1500)ThisdocumentisclassifiedasRestrictedtoShellPersonnelOnly.'ShellPersonnel'includesallstaffwithapersonalcontractwiththeShellGroupofCompanies,designatedAssociateCompaniesandContractorsworkingonShellprojectswhohavesignedaconfidentialityagreementwithaShellGroupCompany.IssuanceofthisdocumentisrestrictedtostaffemployedbytheShellGroupofCompanies.NeitherthewholenoranypartofthisdocumentmaybedisclosedtoNon-ShellPersonnelwithoutthepriorwrittenconsentofthecopyrightowners.Copyright2002SIEPB.V.SHELLTECHNOLOGYEP,RIJSWIJKEP2002-1500-II-RestrictedtoShellPersonnelOnlySUMMARYThiseditionofthePressureControlManualrepresentssignificantdeparturefrompreviousversions,notsomuchincontent,butmoreinthephilosophyofapplication.Previously,themanualwouldhavebeentakenasasetofproceduraldirectivessuchas;Whenoverpressuredformationsareanticipated,theminimumbarytesstockshallbe100tons.Whilethesetypesofdirectivesremainvalidforsomeoperations,ithasbeenrecognizedthatthenatureofmanyoperationshaschangedfromacommonapproach/methodologytowardsthoserequiringamorespecific/focusedengineeringapproachwheretheconceptofstandarddirectivesmaynolongerapply.ItisalsorecognizedthatwithShellbeingaglobaloperator,asetofdirectivesapplicableinonecountry/regionmaynotberepresentativeinanother.InaddressingtheseconcernsandtodevelopaPressureControlManualthattrulyrepresentsShellphilosophyandhasglobalapplicationthismanualhastwokeycomponents:A.PoliciesB.Procedures&Practices.PoliciesThePoliciesareconcise,unambiguousstatementsthatreflectthebasictenetsofhowShellconductsitswellcontrolbusiness.APolicystatementnowcapturesthedirectivequotedaboveasfollows;Adequatematerial,suppliesandreservestoeffectivelydealwithwellcontrolsituationsinatimelymannershallbeavailable.ThequantityandqualityofmaterialsandsuppliesshallconformtoOperatingCompanyproceduresandnormallybedocumentedinthewellprogramme.Policieshelpdefinehowweoperate,andundernormalcircumstancesaretobecompliedwithtotheletter.Itisrecognizedthatinsomecircumstancesitmaybeimpossible,impractical,irresponsibleorimprudenttoadherestrictlytopolicy.Intheseinstancesdispensation(Variance)mustbesoughtthroughproceduresinatimelymanner.AlldispensationsaretobecapturedforfeedbackviaEPT-AWVonbehalfoftheWellEngineeringForum,forinputintofutureupdatesofthismanual.Procedures&PracticesTheProcedures&Practicesarenowtobeconsiderednotasdirectives,butasacollectionofRecommendedProceduresthatmaybeapplicableandappliedtoaparticularoperation.TheresponsibilityhoweverliesdirectlywiththeWell/RigTeamandOperatingUnitManagementtoputintoeffectortogenerateproceduresthatwillmeetPolicyobjectives.Forexample,theymustnowdeterminehowmuchisadequateinthePolicystatedabove.Becausewellteamsnowhavetheresponsibilityofspecifyingwellcontrolproceduresasanintegralpartoftheplanningandexecutionofdrillingandworkoverprogrammes,theyalsohavetheresponsibilitytojustifytheadoptionofproceduresandwillbeheldaccountable.Wherethereisthepossibilitytotakemorethanonecourseofactionitisrecommendedthatariskassessmentbeconductedtodeterminethepreferredcourseofaction.Thisriskassessmentcanbeeitherqualitativeor,preferably,quantitative.TheriskassessmentcouldEP2002-1500-III-RestrictedtoShellPersonnelOnlyentailacomprehensivestudy,butitalsocouldsimplyinvolvejusttheengineermakinganddocumenting:1Asubjectiveevaluationofthelikelihoodthateventswillhappen.2Thelikelihoodthatparticularconsequenceswilloccur.3Theacceptabilityofthiscombinationoflikelyeventsandconsequences.WellControlProceduresthereforemustbedesignedwiththedocumentedmanagementofrisks,notwiththeavoidanceofrisks.TheseassessmentsarerecommendedtobeprocessedandrecordedusingthebestQualityManagementprocedures.GeneralThismanual,althoughintranetbased,issetoutsothatitcanbeprintedandisalsoavailableonCDROM.However,onlytheonlineversioniscontrolledandallotherformatsmustbecheckedagainsttheonlineversionforvalidity.NavigationthroughthemanualisthroughtheTableofContentsandappropriatehyperlinks.Asearchengineisalsoaccessibletoempoweruserstosearchbytopic.EP2002-1500-IV-RestrictedtoShellPersonnelOnlyACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThisManualisanupdate,basedonEP89-1500PressureControlManualForDrillingAndWorkoverOperations.Thisreleasewouldnothavebeenpossiblewereitnotforthegoodworkperformedbytheauthorsofearliereditions.WellControlcanbeacontentioussubjectandwhilethebasicprinciplesmayberelativelysimple,thepracticecanbemadedifficultbywellconditio