Well Plugging and Abandonment (P&A) is an essential part of decommissioning offshore oil and gas infrastructure.

This course will give you a thorough overview of the process. You’ll cover the scientific, engineering, and economic rationale for abandoning wells and decommissioning fields.

Learn with a university closely allied to the North Sea oil and gas sector. Benefit from direct input from industry itself, helping you enhance and explore your career options as a graduate engineer.

Well Plugging and Abandonment is part of our unique MSc in Decommissioning, the first Masters of its kind in the world. You can use your credits from this course towards this Masters, which you can study online wherever you’re based.

What will I study?

You’ll study the technologies and procedures involved in the plugging and abandonment of oil and gas wells prior to decommissioning.

You’ll get an overview of the origins of petroleum, factors influencing the commerciality of fields, and the technical and economic requirements for decommissioning.

You’ll learn about the application and limitations of materials including cement slurries, gelled pills, mechanical plugs, inflatable plugs and sand plugs, focusing on installation procedures, reliability and long-term (decadal) monitoring of well integrity.

This course covers the following areas:

Overview of subsurface, reservoir and petroleum geology
Characteristics and challenges of depleted reservoirs
Specific regulations and legislative drivers associated with well abandonment
Assessment of different types of well plugging and abandonment methods and associated technologies
Requirements for and cost of well plugging and abandonment
Material, wellbore knowledge, reliability, and long-term monitoring of well plugs
Slurry design, plug place methods, procedure and testing
Well plugging and abandonment project planning and field operation
Threat, risk and technology challenges

The course also gives you a general overview of reservoir and petroleum geology, with an emphasis on depleted reservoirs and associated challenges for P&A.

You’ll explore key aspects of regulatory and legislative drivers, becoming familiar with P&A regulations set by regional and national governments.

To ensure you’re equipped with a comprehensive knowledge of the P&A process, you’ll also cover project planning and implementation costs, with real-life case studies used to support your learning.

Prerrequisitos

Am I ready?

Applicants for this course are expected to hold a relevant degree. However, alternative/lower qualifications, combined with an appropriate level of relevant experience, may also be considered for entry.

Proceso de aplicación

For this course, you’ll apply through our Applicant Portal. It allows you to upload relevant qualifications and documents. Our admissions team will then review these and get back to you. Read How to apply through our Applicant Portal for all you need to know.

You need to apply by the course start date to ensure you are enrolled in time.