Publications

Following the Macondo blowout in 2012, there has been a game change in the Oil & Gas industry with respect to managing risks related to drilling and well operations. International standards and codes have been updated to reflect best practices with respect to managing well control and well integrity. Regulatory authorities from around the world have come together to discuss and align on the best way forward to avoid similar accidents in the future. Further, Oil & Gas E&P companies have taken major steps to better address well control and well integrity in their operations. Total E&P Indonesie (TEPI) has performed Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) studies for all their production facilities for a number of years. However, the important steps of well construction and well intervention operations have only been assessed using generic data. This generic data, which primarily is based on experience from the North Sea, may not be representative of the specific well operation being assessed. Consequently relevant risks related to the specific operations are not addressed, and may not be properly managed. This technical paper provides a systematic methodology for how to assess and quantify the risks related to a potential blowout for specific well operation. The methodology addresses the well specific operations, rigs and well control equipment used as well as the procedures and competence of the drilling and well intervention crew involved in the operation. The methodology is demonstrated through a specific case example conducted of the TEPI drilling and well operations in East Kalimantan in the Mahakam Delta and South East Mahakam, where TEPI is conducting more than hundred drilling operations and several thousand well intervention operations every year. This paper focuses on the results generated from these well specific QRA studies, and demonstrates how quantitative risk analyses can be a powerful tool in managing well control and well integrity challenges.