A well plan is a set of linked decisions. Casing points come from the pore pressure and fracture gradient profile; hole sizes come from the casing scheme; mud weights come from the same pressure profile and from wellbore stability; bit and hydraulics selection follows hole size; rig selection follows hook load, pump and pressure requirements. Change one and the rest move.

Offset analysis is where most of the real information comes from. Previous wells in the area show what pressures were seen, where hole problems occurred, what rates were achieved, how long sections took and what went wrong. A planner who reads offset end-of-well reports carefully will produce a better plan than one who relies on standard practice.

Common planning failures are recognisable: casing schemes with no contingency string in a well with pressure uncertainty, trajectories that look smooth on a plan view but generate torque and drag, time estimates built from best-case section times, and risk registers that list hazards without defining what will be done about them. This course covers the process that avoids those.

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

• Define well objectives and the data required to plan a well.
• Carry out offset well analysis and extract usable planning information.
• Build a subsurface profile of formation tops, pore pressure, fracture gradient and temperature.
• Design well trajectories to meet targets within drillability limits.
• Select casing setting depths, sizes and hole sizes.
• Plan drilling fluids, cementing, bits and bottomhole assemblies at programme level.
• Select rig and equipment against well requirements.
• Estimate well time and cost with appropriate contingency.
• Carry out risk assessment and define contingency plans.
• Produce a well plan and drilling programme to a professional standard.

The course is instructor-led and built around a planning exercise that runs through the week. Participants plan a well from offset data and subsurface inputs, producing a trajectory, casing scheme, fluid and cement plan, time estimate and risk register. Each step is reviewed against how the well was actually drilled. Participants are encouraged to bring their own planning problems for discussion.

Organisations sending participants to this training will:

• Improve the quality and consistency of well plans.
• Reduce drilling problems that originate in planning decisions.
• Improve time and cost estimates and their contingency basis.
• Make risk assessment and contingency planning part of routine planning.
• Shorten the time new engineers take to plan wells competently.

Participants will:

• Be able to plan a well from objective to programme.
• Be able to use offset data properly.
• Be able to design trajectories and casing schemes.
• Be able to estimate time, cost and risk.
• Be able to write a drilling programme others can work from.

• Drilling and well engineers
• Completion engineers involved in well design
• Reservoir and geoscience staff contributing to well plans
• Operations engineers and supervisors
• Service company engineers supporting well planning
• Graduate engineers in well engineering roles

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.