Understanding and managing well integrity for mature and future well infrastructures

Sustained well integrity is increasingly important to the petroleum industry operating on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. An increasing trend of well integrity failures with loss of pressure barriers is being reported on the NCS and internationally with both HSE risk and loss of production. Extended well life in mature areas, sub-sea wells and operations in Artic and environmental sensitive areas are key areas of concern. There is a need for accelerated research within this area. The aim of this project is to raise the Institute's fundamental scientific and integrated competence on critical issues related to structural well and wellbore integrity. The work packages encompass key scientific areas important to understand a very complex picture and to iden tify further R&D needs within the industry. In-depth studies and software modelling will be performed on key integrity failure mechanisms. Examples are well chemistry impact on mechanical well components (tubular/casing, packers, seals, cement degradation etc), thermal and mechanical loads during start-up and changing well applications, and formation induced problems (shale instability, depleted reservoirs, sand production, subsalt etc). Other tasks will be on the impact of new trends related to more chal lenging well applications and operations (HPHT, CO2, monobore wells, subsea well interventions etc) and to new technology being introduced (multilaterals, through tubing sidetracks, new materials, downhole equipment etc). For long term well integrity (Ar ctic, CO2 storage) and mature wells on NCS passing the design life, assessing the risk will be a focused activity. Industry and authorities will be approached for data and experience exchange. Project results will be communicated through workshops and sc ientific publications. The potential value of managing well integrity is fewer well incidents through better design, improved well diagnostics tools and understanding of critical well operations.