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Quest Training

Well Control Principles for Engineers and Supervisors Training Course

A non-certification course for engineers and supervisors on kick detection, shut-in, kill methods and BOPs, not leading to IWCF or IADC certification.

UPS · Upstream Operations, Exploration, Drilling, Reservoir & ProductionAll Levels#2976ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Oil & GasCategories:Upstream Operations, Exploration, Drilling, Reservoir & Production

Course Overview

The Well Control Principles for Engineers and Supervisors Training Course gives drilling, completion, and intervention engineers, well site supervisors, and wells managers a dedicated, in-depth understanding of how well pressure is kept under control, how kicks occur and are detected, and how wells are shut in and killed safely. It is a knowledge course: it does not lead to IWCF or IADC well control certification and does not replace the accredited certification that operators and regulators may require for rig and well site personnel. Instead, it builds the engineering judgment needed to plan, review, supervise, and approve well control decisions, and it goes well beyond the single well control session of a general drilling operations course. The course covers the full well control chain. Participants learn pressure fundamentals, including hydrostatic, formation, and fracture pressure, equivalent circulating density, swab and surge, leak-off and formation integrity tests, and maximum allowable annular surface pressure, together with primary and secondary well barriers. The program then addresses kick causes, warning signs, flow checks, trip monitoring, and gas behavior, followed by shut-in procedures, shut-in pressure interpretation, kill sheet calculations, and the driller's, wait and weight, volumetric, lubricate and bleed, and bullheading methods. Participants also examine blowout preventers and other well control equipment, equipment testing, well control in completed wells during workover and intervention, well control complications, and emergency response and blowout contingency planning. The course is delivered through kill sheet calculation exercises, shut-in and kill scenario walkthroughs, equipment schematics, and case studies of well control incidents and the lessons drawn from them. Participants leave with a kick detection and shut-in checklist, a worked kill sheet example, a well barrier review guide, a well control equipment test review checklist, and an emergency response plan outline.

Learning Objectives

  • Explain primary and secondary well control and the role of well barriers in drilling, completion, and intervention on Day 1.
  • Calculate hydrostatic, formation, and fracture pressures, equivalent circulating density, and maximum allowable annular surface pressure.
  • Interpret leak-off and formation integrity tests and assess how swab and surge affect bottomhole pressure.
  • Identify the main causes of kicks, including insufficient mud weight, failure to keep the hole full, swabbing, and lost circulation.
  • Recognize kick warning signs and positive indicators and use flow checks, trip sheets, and pit monitoring to detect influxes early.
  • Explain gas expansion, migration, and solubility in water-based and oil-based muds.
  • Apply shut-in procedures while drilling and tripping, and interpret shut-in drill pipe and casing pressures.
  • Prepare kill sheets and compare the driller's, wait and weight, volumetric, and bullheading methods.
  • Describe blowout preventer configurations, control systems, choke and kill manifolds, and testing requirements.
  • Apply well control principles to completed wells during workover and intervention, including kill fluid selection and barrier verification.
  • Analyze well control complications such as hydrates, choke problems, lost circulation during a kill, and shallow gas.
  • Develop well control roles, drills, and emergency response plans that protect people, assets, and the environment by the end of Day 5.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for drilling, completion, and well intervention engineers, well site and drilling supervisors, completion and workover supervisors, and wells superintendents and managers who plan, review, or approve well control decisions. It is also relevant for well integrity engineers, petroleum and production engineers working with well operations, and HSE professionals supporting drilling and well operations. It is particularly valuable for professionals in national and international oil and gas companies, drilling contractors, oilfield and well service companies, and regulators overseeing well operations who need a solid, principles-level understanding of well control alongside, not in place of, accredited certification.

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
  • Explain how well control and well barriers keep a well safe.
  • Calculate key well pressures and kill mud weights.
  • Interpret leak-off and formation integrity tests.
  • Identify the practices that cause kicks.
  • Detect kicks early from warning signs and trip data.
  • Explain how gas behaves in the wellbore.
  • Apply the correct shut-in procedure.
  • Prepare and check a kill sheet.
  • Select a suitable kill method for each situation.
  • Describe how blowout preventers and well control equipment work and are tested.
  • Plan well kills for workover and intervention.
  • Recognize and respond to well control complications.
  • Contribute to well control drills and emergency response planning.

Course Outline

Course Outline:

Day 1

Pressure Fundamentals and Well Barriers

  • Primary and secondary well control, well barriers, and barrier envelopes
  • Hydrostatic, formation, and fracture pressure and abnormal pressure
  • Equivalent circulating density, swab, and surge
  • Leak-off tests, maximum allowable annular surface pressure, and kick tolerance
  • Practical application: participants calculate pressure gradients and maximum allowable annular surface pressure for a case study well
Day 2

Kick Causes and Detection

  • Causes of kicks while drilling and tripping
  • Warning signs and positive kick indicators
  • Flow checks, trip sheets, and pit volume monitoring
  • Gas expansion, migration, and solubility in different muds
  • Practical application: participants review trip and pit data to spot early influx signs and decide when to shut in
Day 3

Shut-In Procedures and Kill Methods

  • Hard and soft shut-in while drilling and tripping
  • Shut-in pressures, influx type, and kill mud weight
  • Kill sheets, circulating pressures, and constant bottomhole pressure
  • Driller's, wait and weight, volumetric, and lubricate and bleed methods
  • Practical application: participants complete a kill sheet and work through a step-by-step kill
Day 4

Well Control Equipment and Completed Wells

  • Blowout preventer stacks, annular and ram preventers, and shear rams
  • Accumulators, choke and kill manifolds, and mud-gas separators
  • Equipment testing and standards such as API Standard 53
  • Completed well barriers, kill fluids, bullheading, and reverse circulation
  • Practical application: participants review a blowout preventer test record and prepare a workover kill plan
Day 5

Complications and Emergency Response

  • Hydrates, choke and string problems, and losses during a kill
  • Shallow gas, high-pressure, high-temperature wells, and riser gas
  • Roles, bridging documents, and well control drills
  • Emergency response, blowout contingency planning, and incident lessons
  • Final workshop: participants manage a scenario from kick detection to final kill and present an emergency response outline

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Cape Town · 16 – 20 Nov 2026 · Classroom

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BarcelonaScheduled
2 – 6 Nov 2026€6,000—
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CairoScheduled
8 – 12 Nov 2026€3,800—
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Cape TownScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€7,700—
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CasablancaScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€4,700—
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DammamScheduled
22 – 26 Nov 2026€4,800€4,320until 2 Nov
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DohaScheduled
29 Nov – 3 Dec 2026€4,700€4,230until 9 Nov
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DubaiScheduled
6 – 10 Dec 2026€4,700€4,230until 16 Nov
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ErbilScheduled
6 – 10 Dec 2026€4,000€3,600until 16 Nov
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FrankfurtScheduled
14 – 18 Dec 2026€6,200€5,580until 23 Nov
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JeddahScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,800€4,320until 30 Nov
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IstanbulScheduled
21 – 25 Dec 2026€5,300€4,770until 30 Nov
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KigaliScheduled
28 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027€7,700€6,930until 7 Dec
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Kuala LumpurScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€4,700€4,230until 14 Dec
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LisbonScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€6,000€5,400until 14 Dec
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LondonScheduled
11 – 15 Jan 2027€5,800€5,220until 21 Dec
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MadridScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€6,000€5,400until 28 Dec
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MadinahScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€4,800€4,320until 28 Dec
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MakkahScheduled
25 – 29 Jan 2027€4,800€4,320until 4 Jan
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MarbellaScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€6,000€5,400until 11 Jan
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ManamaScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€5,300€4,770until 11 Jan
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MuscatScheduled
8 – 12 Feb 2027€6,300€5,670until 18 Jan
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OnlineScheduled
14 – 18 Feb 2027€2,700€2,430until 25 Jan
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ParisScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€6,700€6,030until 1 Feb
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AbujaScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€7,700€6,930until 1 Feb
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AccraScheduled
1 – 5 Mar 2027€7,700€6,930until 8 Feb
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AmmanScheduled
7 – 11 Mar 2027€4,000€3,600until 15 Feb
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AmsterdamScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€6,000€5,400until 15 Feb
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BakuScheduled
15 – 19 Mar 2027€5,300€4,770until 22 Feb
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BarcelonaScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€6,000€5,400until 1 Mar
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BangkokScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€6,700€6,030until 1 Mar
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Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Doha · Amsterdam

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