Page 71 - Well Control for Completions and Interventions

62 Well Control for Completions and Interventions

1.1.13 Well control certificates
Almost without exception, operating companies and regulatory authori-
ties mandate that everyone working in drilling, completions, workovers,
and interventions must have a valid well control certificate. Currently, the
industry recognizes and accepts well control certificates administered by
two organizations. The European-based, IWCF, formed in 1992, and the
American-based IADC, formed in the 1940s.
Following Macondo, well control training came under a great deal of
scrutiny. Many in the industry were critical of the course content. For
example, several of the equipment questions were criticized for being lit-
tle more than a memory exercise and not a test of well control compe-
tence. There was also criticism of the way the training schools were
operating. Although the IWCF and IADC are responsible for course con-
tent, the actual training is carried out by commercial organizations who
must be approved of, and receive accreditation from, the IWCF or IADC
(some schools have accreditation from both).
There is a great deal of pressure on these schools to get people
through the exam. Understandable, since a candidate’s continued employ-
ment may be conditional on having a valid well control certificate. There
was a tendency to “teach to the exam,” at the expense, many argued, of
proper well control training.
There have been significant changes to the syllabus of both organiza-
tions since Macondo, well control training is now under continued scru-
tiny and review.
At the time of writing (August, 2017), the IWCF have four certifica-
tion levels, and have plans to introduce a level five course aimed at expe-
rienced candidates “who play a critical role in well design and the approval of
well designs.” i

1.1.13.1 IWCF well control training
Level one is a free, on-line, introduction to well control with seven mod-
ules covering:
• An overview of oil and gas
• The life cycle of a well
• Drilling rigs
• Well control during drilling operations
• Well interventions and workovers

i
Quote from IWCF website.