The decision rests on condition. A well with sound casing, verified cement and accessible annuli is a cheap platform for a sidetrack; one with sustained casing pressure, corroded casing and no reliable records is a liability that can consume more rig time than drilling a new well, and can end with an abandonment instead of a producer.

Records are often the limiting factor. Wells drilled decades ago may have incomplete casing tallies, missing cement records, undocumented repairs and surveys on obsolete references. Rebuilding the picture from what exists, and logging to fill the gaps, is the first real task in any re-entry project.

Slot recovery on platforms is driven by space rather than by the well. Where every slot is occupied and new targets remain, recovering a slot from a depleted or failed well is the only way to drill, and the work, including cutting and pulling casing strings and preparing the slot, has to be planned as a project in itself.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Screen re-entry and slot recovery candidates against objectives.
• Assess well and integrity condition from records and measurements.
• Gather and interpret data from old wells, including through-tubing logging.
• Identify existing barriers and plan the barriers required for re-entry.
• Plan re-entry operations, including tubing and completion recovery.
• Plan casing cutting and recovery operations.
• Select slot recovery methods and plan the sequence.
• Plan whipstock and sidetrack options from an existing wellbore.
• Apply regulatory requirements for re-entry and reuse.
• Compare costs and assess risks against drilling a new well.

The course is instructor-led. Participants assess real re-entry candidates from well records, logs and integrity data, decide whether re-entry is viable and plan the operation. Cases cover successful slot recoveries and projects that were abandoned part way, with the reasons. Participants are encouraged to bring their own candidate wells for discussion.

Organisations sending participants to this training will:

• Reuse existing wells and slots where it is cheaper than new drilling.
• Avoid re-entry projects that will fail on well condition.
• Improve assessment of old wells before committing rig time.
• Recover slots on constrained platforms.
• Meet regulatory requirements for well reuse.

Participants will:

• Be able to screen and assess re-entry candidates.
• Be able to rebuild the picture of an old well from records and logs.
• Be able to plan re-entry and recovery operations.
• Understand slot recovery methods and their sequence.
• Be able to compare re-entry against new drilling on cost and risk.

• Drilling and well engineers
• Well intervention and workover engineers
• Well integrity engineers
• Field development engineers on mature assets
• Platform operations engineers
• Technical authorities reviewing reuse proposals

Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.

Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.