Well Integrity Operations at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

Abstract

Summary This paper discusses the well-integrity-management system used at the Prudhoe Bay field located in Alaska. The focus is on systems and processes implemented to manage the well operations and interventions phase of a well's life. Well integrity is a multifaceted discipline, spanning a well's life from design to abandonment. The engineering aspects of well integrity have received increasing attention in recent years as public scrutiny and resultant regulatory requirements have evolved. The issue of sustained casing pressure (SCP) on the annulus of a well has also shaped current well-integrity practices. There have been several recent applied-technology workshops focused on well integrity, demonstrating its increasing importance. However, there is notably little well-integrity-related literature in the SPE paper library (see Michel 1995; Attard 1991; Soter et al. 2003; and Bourgoyne et al. 1999 for a listing of relevant papers). The well-integrity-management system used at Prudhoe Bay has been evolving since field startup in 1977. Extensive experience has resulted in the design and management of systems to ensure safe operations; compliance with industry standards, regulatory-agency requirements, and internal company policies; and incorporating "lessons learned" from local incidents. This paper focuses on the operational and well intervention phases of a well's life and discusses evolution of the well-integrity-management system. Current operating practices are reviewed using BP's "7 Elements of Well Integrity" categorization. Finally, the data-management system used to monitor the well-integrity-system status is reviewed.