Ukrnafta has launched a new training course, ‘Fundamentals of Well Control’, for specialists at its KRS-Service Branch, directly responsible for workover management and well interventions at production sites.

Working on a well requires not only experience but the continuous knowledge updating and practising procedures in complex operational situations. Therefore, the programme combines theory and practical sessions on an interactive simulator.

Participants learn the principles of well control, the specifics of working with pressures, the causes and signs of gas, oil, and water shows, methods for well sealing and killing, the procedures for operating wellhead and BOP equipment, as well as protocols dealing with complications.

Particular emphasis is placed on practical training. Using the DrillSim Educator simulator, specialists practise operational procedures and scenarios involving gas, oil, and water shows, as well as well sealing and killing, in real time.

“Well control is an area where the stakes are particularly high. Our specialists must not only understand the technology but be prepared to act promptly and correctly in complex situations. Thus, it is important to practise such scenarios in advance, in conditions as close as possible to those in actual production. This has a direct impact on people’s safety, the preservation of equipment and the reliability of our production processes,” said Andrii Pavliuk, Director of the KRS-Service Branch of JSC ‘Ukrnafta.’

The program consists of nine thematic modules, practical exercises, and a final assessment.

The first eight foremen of the workover crews have already completed the course, and the second group has begun their training. Nearly 100 employees of the KRS-Service Branch of JSC ‘Ukrnafta’ should pass this training.

The training is delivered by the instructors and subject-matter experts from the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas, which offers the required facilities and equipment for both theoretical and practical training.

For Ukrnafta, production development is inextricably linked to the development of the professional competencies of the team. Advanced technologies, more complex operations, and new production tasks require the continuous knowledge improvement. And, above all, high safety standards at every work stage.