Personnel Benefit From Advanced Drilling Simulators for Well-Control Training
Authors: Carpenter Chris 
Published: December 2019

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 194181, “Advanced Drilling Simulators for Well-Control Training: Bringing Together People, Procedures, and New Technology,” by Robert Howell, Brian McKenzie, Craig Leslie, and Isabel Poletzky, Maersk Training, prepared for the 2019 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition, The Hague, 5–7 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

As new technologies enable the drilling of increasingly complex and challenging wells, well control remains a critical operation that requires personnel to possess not only technical skill but also the ability to communicate effectively during stressful situations. This paper focuses on the preparation for, and implementation of, well-control training, while highlighting the integration of people skills into curricula and what advantages operators and drilling contractors have obtained.

Conventional Well-Control Training

Well control is of paramount importance and relies on trained teams to maintain well integrity throughout the drilling process. Conventional courses remain the cornerstone in competency training and provide a solid foundation for understanding the fundamental physics associated with well control, and should always remain part of the core curriculum. Crews that use high-fidelity simulations with integrated crew resource management (CRM) will be equipped to mitigate challenges in deepwater drilling environments better.

Students who score consistently above average on an individual well-control examination should then be considered for advanced training. Such intensive courses involve a fully immersive simulated drilling rig that mimics real-life situations and well-control scenarios while being guided by drilling and human-factors specialists. On the first day of class, participants will be tested and, upon completion of the course, will be awarded the appropriate certification. Throughout the remainder of the week, participants will be immersed in a realistic and advanced simulated environment where their behavior and interactions, as well as their technical knowledge, will be assessed.

First Steps for Training

As deepwater drilling operations become more complex using managed-pressure-drilling (MPD) technology, it is fitting that crews receive specialized training focusing on the rig and on company-specific equipment, procedures, and well-control situations. Typically, the training is completed in conjunction with the service company using MPD software and a high-fidelity drilling-floor simulator.

To prepare for this training, the MPD provider and operator meet 5 to 6 months before the training date to discuss the details of the venture and develop rig-specific procedures. Then, typically 2 to 3 months before training commences, the providers begin involvement with the operator to establish expectations. During this period, the schedule is developed on the basis of the crew’s experience with MPD and the software being used; well data are also provided to build different scenarios in the simulator to make them as realistic as possible, and to mirror the actual well that will be drilled. The degree of difficulty for each scenario varies depending on the operator and the crew’s experience with MPD operations capabilities. Given the limited exposure that offshore rig contractors have had with MPD, initial scenarios are used to familiarize participants with the software, the limitations of their equipment, and appropriate procedures. Scenarios evolve throughout the course of the training as participants become more knowledgeable. Part of this evolution includes gaining an understanding of how problems with other departments, such as marine, engine-room, and crane personnel, can affect rig-floor activities.