Explain the primary and secondary barrier concept set out in NORSOK D-010 and why each barrier must fail independently.
Oil, Gas & Energy
Well Integrity Management and Barrier Verification across the Well Life Cycle
Covers well barrier philosophy, status classification and surveillance so well integrity engineers can verify barriers and manage risk from construction through suspension or abandonment.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
A well barrier diagram that has not been checked against actual valve status for years is not evidence of integrity, it is a record of what was true when it was drawn. This course builds well integrity management around the barrier philosophy set out in NORSOK D-010: primary and secondary barriers that must each independently prevent uncontrolled flow, and the barrier schematics used to record and verify them. Participants classify well integrity status, distinguishing routine degradation from failures that demand immediate action, and work through the surveillance data that supports that judgement, including annulus pressure trends, sustained casing pressure investigation and corrosion monitoring. Sessions cover how barrier status changes through the well life cycle, from construction and completion through production, workover, suspension and eventual abandonment, and what verification evidence, such as pressure testing and valve function tests, is acceptable at each stage. The course closes on the well integrity management system itself: how a company sets competency, audit and key performance indicator requirements so that barrier status is a current, defensible fact rather than an assumption inherited from the drilling phase.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Read and verify a well barrier schematic against current valve and plug status.
Classify well integrity status and distinguish routine degradation from an unacceptable failure.
Interpret annulus pressure trends and investigate a case of sustained casing pressure.
Track how barrier requirements change across construction, production, workover and suspension.
Specify verification evidence, such as pressure and function testing, appropriate to a well's status.
Design well integrity management system elements, including competency, audit and key performance indicators.
Who Should Attend
Well integrity engineers responsible for barrier status and verification records.
Production and wells engineers who manage ageing wells through their operating life.
Drilling and completions engineers handing over barrier documentation at well handover.
Asset integrity and HSE professionals auditing well integrity management systems.
Regulatory affairs staff who report well integrity status to a national regulator.
Well intervention and workover engineers who restore or reverify well barriers.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Well Barrier Philosophy and Standards
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Primary and Secondary Barrier Principles
- Explain the NORSOK D-010 principle that primary and secondary barriers must fail independently.
- Identify typical barrier elements, such as cement, casing, packers and valves, in a well design.
- Distinguish a barrier envelope from an individual barrier element within it.
- Relate barrier selection to the well's phase, such as drilling, production or intervention.
Session 2Barrier Schematics and Verification
- Draw a well barrier schematic showing primary and secondary envelopes for a given well status.
- Verify a barrier schematic against current valve position and plug or packer status.
- Identify when a barrier schematic must be revised following a workover or intervention.
- Communicate barrier status clearly to operations staff who rely on the schematic.
02Well Integrity Status and Risk Classification
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Status Categories and Risk Ranking
- Apply a well integrity status classification system to categorise barrier condition.
- Distinguish degraded barrier status from a loss of well integrity requiring immediate action.
- Rank well integrity risk using likelihood and consequence to prioritise remedial work.
- Justify a decision to continue production, restrict, or shut in a well on integrity grounds.
Session 2Failure Mode Identification
- Identify common failure modes affecting casing, cement, tubing and wellhead barrier elements.
- Relate a specific failure mode to the monitoring data that would first reveal it.
- Assess the consequence of a given barrier failure on well control and the environment.
- Use failure mode data from a well population to target integrity surveillance priorities.
03Monitoring and Surveillance
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Annulus Pressure Management and Sustained Casing Pressure
- Interpret annulus pressure build-up trends against expected thermal and mechanical behaviour.
- Investigate a case of sustained casing pressure to identify its likely source.
- Decide whether sustained casing pressure requires bleed-down, monitoring or remedial action.
- Apply annulus pressure management limits appropriate to casing and wellhead ratings.
Session 2Corrosion and Materials Surveillance
- Select corrosion monitoring methods appropriate to a well's produced fluid chemistry.
- Interpret corrosion coupon, probe or inspection data to assess remaining barrier life.
- Relate material selection decisions to observed corrosion and integrity performance.
- Plan inspection intervals using a risk-based approach rather than a fixed calendar schedule.
04Well Integrity Management Systems and Assurance
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1WIMS Design and Competency
- Define the core elements of a well integrity management system, including roles and records.
- Set competency requirements for staff who make well integrity decisions.
- Design a well integrity database structure that keeps barrier records current and traceable.
- Align well integrity management system requirements with relevant regulatory expectations.
Session 2Audits, KPIs and Continuous Improvement
- Plan a well integrity audit programme covering documentation, competency and physical verification.
- Define key performance indicators that reflect real barrier status rather than activity counts.
- Use audit and KPI trends to target investment in well integrity remediation.
- Close out audit findings with tracked actions and verified evidence of completion.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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