An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Well Abandonment & Plug and Abandonment (P&A) Design
Designing Permanent Well Barriers
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,000
Starting From
10 Jan 2027
Well Abandonment & Plug and Abandonment (P&A) Design
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Well Abandonment & Plug and Abandonment (P&A) Design - DC-PNA-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC-PNA-PEA27 | 10 - 14 Jan 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours / Day |
Online |
USD |
3000 |
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Well Abandonment & Plug and Abandonment (P&A) Design
This course covers the design of permanent well abandonment. Participants study abandonment requirements and standards, barrier design philosophy, well assessment and data gathering, plug design and placement, annular barrier requirements, casing recovery and section milling, alternative barrier materials, verification, cost estimation and campaign planning.
Description
Abandonment design decides how a well will be permanently isolated and what it will cost. The requirements are set by standards and regulators, but the design, which plugs where, what must be removed, how the annulus is isolated and how each barrier is verified, is engineering work that determines whether a well takes three days or three weeks to abandon.
This course covers that design. It starts with abandonment requirements and the standards and regulations that define them, then covers barrier design philosophy: what a permanent barrier must do, where it must be placed and how it must be verified. It covers well assessment and data gathering, including cement evaluation and annulus condition, and the design of cement plugs, their length, placement and setting requirements. It then covers annular barrier requirements and the options for creating them, including perforate wash and cement and section milling, casing recovery decisions, alternative barrier materials, verification and acceptance, cost estimation and the planning of multi-well abandonment campaigns.
The annulus is the expensive part. Isolating inside the casing is straightforward; proving that the annulus behind it is isolated, and creating that isolation where it does not exist, is where the rig time goes. Deciding between perforate wash and cement, section milling and casing recovery is the main cost driver in most abandonment designs.
Design quality depends on well assessment. Cement bond logs, annulus pressure history, casing inspection and the original cement records tell the engineer where barriers already exist and where they must be created. A design built without that assessment either over-specifies, wasting money, or under-specifies and fails verification.
Campaign planning multiplies the savings. Abandoning wells one at a time repeats mobilisation, learning and equipment setup; abandoning them as a campaign with standard designs, batched operations and a learning curve reduces cost per well substantially. The design work is where that standardisation starts.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Apply abandonment requirements from standards and regulations.
- Define permanent barrier requirements and placement.
- Assess wells and gather the data needed for abandonment design.
- Evaluate existing cement and annulus condition as barriers.
- Design cement plugs, including length, placement and verification.
- Design annular barriers using perforate wash and cement or section milling.
- Evaluate casing recovery options and their cost implications.
- Assess alternative barrier materials and their qualification.
- Specify verification and acceptance for each barrier.
- Estimate abandonment cost and plan multi-well campaigns.
The course is instructor-led. Participants design abandonments for real wells of increasing difficulty, working from well records and logs through barrier design to cost estimate. Cases cover abandonments that failed verification and the remedial work required. Participants are encouraged to bring their own wells for discussion.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Design abandonments that meet requirements at the lowest practical cost.
- Reduce rig time through better assessment and design.
- Avoid failed verification and remedial work.
- Standardise designs for campaign abandonment.
- Improve abandonment cost estimates and provisioning.
Participants will:
- Understand abandonment requirements and barrier philosophy.
- Be able to assess a well and design its abandonment.
- Be able to design plugs and annular barriers.
- Understand casing recovery and section milling decisions.
- Be able to estimate cost and plan campaigns.
- Well abandonment and decommissioning engineers
- Drilling and well engineers
- Well integrity engineers
- Completion and intervention engineers
- Cost and planning engineers on decommissioning projects
- Regulatory and compliance staff
Module 1: Requirements and Standards
- Abandonment objectives
- Regulatory requirements by region
- Industry standards and barrier definitions
- Permanent and temporary abandonment
- Liability and long-term obligations
Module 2: Barrier Design Philosophy
- Permanent barrier requirements
- Placement relative to permeable zones
- Cross-sectional isolation
- Number and position of barriers
- Design basis documentation
Module 3: Well Assessment
- Records review and data gaps
- Cement evaluation logging
- Annulus pressure history
- Casing condition assessment
- Identifying existing barriers
Module 4: Cement Plug Design
- Plug length and placement requirements
- Slurry design for abandonment
- Setting and curing
- Plug verification requirements
- Common plug failures
Module 5: Annular Barrier Design
- Assessing existing annular cement
- Perforate, wash and cement
- Section milling
- Casing expansion methods
- Selecting the method by well condition and cost
Module 6: Casing Recovery
- Recovery versus leaving casing in place
- Cutting methods
- Pulling loads and stuck casing risk
- Cost and time comparison
- Regulatory expectations
Module 7: Alternative Barrier Materials
- Resins and sealants
- Bismuth and metal alloys
- Thermosetting and geopolymer materials
- Qualification and acceptance
- Field experience and regulatory acceptance
Module 8: Verification and Acceptance
- Pressure testing and tagging
- Logging verification
- Acceptance criteria
- Failed verification and remedial design
- Documentation and reporting
Module 9: Cost and Campaign Planning
- Cost drivers in abandonment
- Rigless and light intervention abandonment
- Standardising designs across wells
- Batch and campaign planning
- Cost estimation and provisioning
- Learning curve across a campaign
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
