Wireline Well Intervention Planning: Slickline, Electric Line and Pressure Control Course

Programme Summary

Wireline well intervention planning is the subject of this one-week training course for supervisors and managers in well services, production and drilling who plan and oversee slickline and electric line work, ending in a wireline job plan for one well. Jobs go wrong when barriers and contingencies are agreed late or by habit. The programme moves from well barrier principles through diagnosis of job risk and failure to design of job programmes, then applies them to one well. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this wireline well intervention planning programme for managers from mixed organisations.

The Business Case

A wireline job is short, yet a lost tool, a failed pressure test or a barrier breach can stop a well for days. When programmes are copied from the last job and recovery options are decided in the field, delay and exposure grow together. Managers who plan from the well barriers outward and agree contingencies in advance meet fewer surprises.

• Non-Productive Time: Falls as stuck tool causes and recovery options are agreed before the job starts.
• Well Control Exposure: Reduces as barriers and pressure control equipment are verified against the programme.
• Contractor Performance: Improves as responsibilities, hold points and changes are written into the job plan.

Principles and Evidence Base

• IWCF Well Intervention and Pressure Control syllabus: Its pressure control topics shape the equipment review in Session 1 and readiness checks in Session 2.
• ISO 16530-1: Its life cycle view of well integrity frames the barrier schematic in Session 1 and change control in Session 4.
• ISO 31000: Its risk assessment process structures the hazard ranking in Session 2 and the contingency design in Session 4.

Intended Participants

• Well services supervisors who approve wireline programmes and sign off job readiness.
• Production and operations supervisors who release wells for intervention work.
• Drilling and completion supervisors who coordinate wireline with other well activities.
• Contract managers who hold wireline contractors to agreed standards.

Typical settings include onshore fields, offshore platforms and well service companies.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to distinguish the well barriers and pressure control equipment that apply to a wireline job.
2. Participants will be able to diagnose hazards and equipment weaknesses that could lead to a loss of well control.
3. Participants will be able to analyse the causes of stuck tools and failed runs from job records.
4. Participants will be able to evaluate fishing and recovery options against risk and cost.
5. Participants will be able to construct a job programme with contingencies, hold points and change control.
6. Participants will be able to justify a wireline job plan to well owners and contractors.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Wireline Well Intervention Principles and Well Barriers

What must a wireline job protect, and which barriers and equipment control the well?

• Slickline and Electric Line Capability Table
• Well Barrier Schematic
• Wireline Unit Layout Sketch
• Pressure Control Equipment Stack Diagram
• ISO 16530-1 Life Cycle Map

Day 2: Diagnosing Job Risk and Equipment Readiness

Which hazards and equipment conditions could turn a routine job into a well control event?

• Job Hazard Register
• Pressure Test Record Review
• Wire and Tool String Inspection Sheet
• ISO 31000 Risk Matrix
• Simultaneous Operations Conflict Map

Day 3: Diagnosing Job Failure and Recovery

Why do wireline runs stick or fail, and how are recovery decisions made?

• Stuck Tool Cause Tree
• Fishing Option Decision Tree
• Weak Point and Pull Limit Sheet
• Non-Productive Time Pareto Chart
• Lessons Learned Log

Day 4: Designing Wireline Job Programmes and Controls

What must a job programme contain so the crew, contractor and well owner work to one plan?

• Job Programme Template
• Tool String Selection Matrix
• Contingency Plan Sheet
• Management of Change Form
• Contractor Interface Checklist

Day 5: Applying Planning to One Wireline Job

Does the job plan hold when it is tested on one well?

• Applying the Session 2 Risk Matrix to a Live Job
• Testing the Session 3 Decision Tree on a Case Failure
• Rehearsing the Session 4 Contingency Plan
• Revising the Programme after Peer Feedback
• Completing the Wireline Job Plan

Methodology

The programme uses a case analysis method built on anonymised job programmes, pressure test records and short written cases from onshore and offshore wells. Participants work in small groups on one well, defend choices to peers who act as well owner, contractor and safety colleagues, and receive facilitator feedback.

• Suggested activity: Reviewing a programme with a missing barrier verification.
• Suggested activity: Choosing a recovery option for a tool stuck in a deviated well.
• Suggested activity: Rewriting a contingency plan after a failed test.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a wireline job plan for one well. It holds a barrier schematic, a hazard and readiness review, a tool string selection, recovery options, contingency steps and a change control record. The plan is used at work to brief the crew, obtain well owner approval and guide supervision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is wireline well intervention planning suitable for supervisors who have not planned a job before?

Yes. Wireline well intervention planning is taught from first principles and assumes responsibility for wells, crews or contractors, not wireline engineering experience.

Which standards does wireline well intervention planning rest on in this programme?

Wireline well intervention planning here rests on the IWCF Well Intervention and Pressure Control syllabus topics, ISO 16530-1 and ISO 31000.

How is the wireline job plan used at work?

You use the wireline job plan to brief the crew and contractor, obtain approval from the well owner and guide how the job is supervised.

How does wireline well intervention planning differ from a programme on coiled tubing operations?

Wireline well intervention planning centres on slickline and electric line jobs, barriers and recovery, while coiled tubing operations centre on continuous pipe and fluid pumping.