Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas | Drilling and Well Engineering
Introduction to Drilling, Completion and Workover Operations
Format and Duration:
5 days
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to drilling, well completion, and workover operations, covering the people, equipment, and processes involved in each discipline. No prior industry knowledge is required—concepts are introduced in simple terms and then expanded upon to build a solid foundation of understanding.
The course emphasizes well integrity and how it is maintained across all three disciplines. Participants will gain insight into how drilling, completion, and workover operations fit within the full lifecycle of an oilfield, from exploration and appraisal to development, production, and eventual well abandonment. By the end of the course, participants will be able to communicate effectively with industry professionals, understand the key processes and technologies, and see how different disciplines interact to ensure safe and efficient operations.
This course is designed for individuals new to the industry or those seeking a foundational understanding of drilling, completion, and workover operations.
This course is delivered in partnership with Black Reiver Consulting Ltd.
Schedule
Duration and Training Method
This is a classroom course comprising a mixture of lectures, discussion, case studies, and practical exercises.
- Hands on classroom demonstrations using models and simulations.
- Instructor led interactive sessions combining PowerPoint overviews, whiteboard explanations, and class discussions.
- Step by step explanations that progressively build knowledge across drilling, completion, and workover operations.
- Extensive Q&A opportunities, allowing participants to explore specific areas of interest.
- *Optional: Half Day Rig Visit at selected locations, providing real-world exposure to rig operations.
Course Overview
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn how to:
- Understand key drilling, completion, and workover concepts and how they fit within the oilfield lifecycle.
- Communicate effectively with industry professionals, understanding common terminology and acronyms.
- Recognize the roles and responsibilities of different personnel in drilling, completion, and workover operations.
- Understand how drilling equipment and well control systems ensure safety and environmental protection.
- Identify the major components of well design, including drill strings, wellheads, tubing, and completion equipment.
- Differentiate between drilling, completion, and workover fluids and their specialized roles.
- Gain insight into formation evaluation techniques and how geology influences well design.
- Recognize the importance of well integrity in maintaining safety and operational efficiency.
Course Content
1. Introduction to the Drilling Process
- Who does what? – The drilling team and their roles in planning, mobilization, and well execution.
- Drilling Equipment & Operations
- Rotary drilling rigs and specialist tools for directional control.
- Well surveying techniques – how we track and position the well.
2. Directional Drilling & Well Design
- Extended reach, high angle, and multilateral drilling techniques.
- Drill String Design.
- Components of the drill string and their role in well construction.
- Well surveying and positioning requirements.
3. Geological Considerations & Formation Evaluation
- Understanding the Rock & Wellbore Conditions
- Pore pressure & fracture gradient – Their role in well design and stability.
- Formation Evaluation Techniques
- Mud logging, coring, and electric line logging (LWD and wireline logging).
- How formation evaluation helps identify hydrocarbons and assess reservoir quality.
4. Drilling Fluids & Well Control Fundamentals
- The Role of Drilling Fluids (Mud)
- How drilling fluids cool, lubricate, and clean the wellbore.
- Choosing the right fluid properties for different drilling conditions.
- Completion & Workover Fluids
- How drilling fluids differ from completion and workover fluids.
- Use of brines and specialized fluids to maintain well control.
5. Well Control & Safety Considerations
- How the industry keeps hydrocarbons in the reservoir while drilling, completing, and working over the well.
6. Well Completion Design & Equipment
- Well Completion Components
- Tubing, packers, and wellhead design – Ensuring safe and efficient production.
- Completion Strategies
- Different types of completion configurations and their applications.
7. Introduction to Stimulation Techniques & Workover Options
- Well stimulation methods – hydraulic fracturing, acidizing, and well treatments.
8. Well Integrity & Lifecycle Management
- Ensuring Well Integrity Across the Lifecycle
- Design, installation, and operational considerations for well integrity.
- Wellhead & Subsurface Safety Systems
- Preventing blowouts, leaks, and integrity failures.
9. Workover Planning & Execution
- How workovers extend well life and optimize production.
- Workover methods to restore or enhance well productivity.
10. Well Abandonment & Decommissioning
- Safe and compliant procedures for well plug & abandonment (P&A).
This introductory course provides a comprehensive foundation in drilling, completion, and workover operations. Participants will gain a well-rounded understanding of the people, equipment, and processes involved in these critical operations. By the end of the course, attendees will be able to confidently engage with industry professionals, understand well integrity principles, and recognize the key challenges of drilling and completion operations.
*Optional Rig Visit: In select locations, participants will have the opportunity for a half day drilling rig visit to observe real-world drilling and completion activities.
Who Should Attend and Prerequisites
This course is ideal for:
- Newcomers to the drilling industry or those considering a career in oil & gas.
- Geoscientists & Reservoir Engineers seeking a better understanding of drilling and completions.
- Finance, logistics, and supply chain professionals working in the upstream sector.
- Suppliers & service providers supporting the upstream oil & gas industry.
- Individuals at any academic level with an interest in drilling and well operations.
Instructors
Kevin Gray
Kevin can offer the experience of over 5000 days of operational experience and operations support positions from an oilfield career of over 31 years as well as working as lead trainer for a multi award winning ERD engineering team based in Perth Scotland. Kevin has been consistently the highest rated drilling training instructor in a major multinational training company over the last four years and throughout his offshore career was repeatedly graded in top 5% within both offshore and onshore positions for the largest oilfield service company.
Kevin has designed and overseen the delivery of multi week training programs for offshore drilling, well intervention and fluid supervisors for a number of clients. This has included competency assessment and skills gap analysis throughout the programs. Kevin is also able to draw on his well documented teaching skills to deliver courses or programs in directional drilling and surveying, stuck pipe, extended reach drilling and various other drilling related subject areas. He wrote the first Operation support centre SOP for directional drilling which was later adopted globally. In addition, he has designed and delivered various 'Real Time Centre' training courses including human dynamics training. In his former role as directional drilling coordinator, based in Aberdeen he still holds a number of world records for drilling achievements with motor and RSS tools.
In his earlier career he led an offshore team that developed the first multi axis drill vibration measurement tool to report measurements in real time, and subsequently wrote the core documentation on vibration control for D&M. Later he was responsible for the introduction and field testing of Powerdrive RSS tools and had considerable input into their re-design as the X5 variant. Kevin has led many teams into both new fields and mature field redevelopment. Outside the industry he enjoys skiing and exploring, taking these two activities to the extreme in 2015 when he skied to the South Pole dragging a sledge behind him.
Courses Taught
- N687: Advanced Directional Drilling and Advance Surveying Techniques
- N688: Drillstring Design
- N689: Drilling Fluids
- N690: Stuck Pipe, Design and Operational Practices for Avoidance
- N691: Well Integrity Management & Barrier Verification
- N692: Well Cost Control & Forecasting
- N693: Casing Design & Well Integrity Engineering
- N694: Basic Drilling Technology
- N695: Introduction to Drilling, Completion, and Workover Operations
- N696: Drilling Rig Selection & Inspection for Performance Optimization
- N697: Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) Program
- N698: HPHT Well Engineering
Accreditation and Certification
CEU: 3.5 Continuing Education Units
PDH: 35 Professional Development Hours
Certificate: Certificate Issued Upon Completion
RPS is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. We comply with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognised internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices.
We issue a Certificate of Attendance which verifies the number of training hours attended. Our courses are generally accepted by most professional licensing boards/associations towards continuing education credits. Please check with your licensing board to determine if the courses and certificate of attendance meet their specific criteria.