Course Title

1. Introduction to Tubular Running Services

• TRS scope and the tubular running lifecycle including (pipe receipt, inspection, storage, drift, thread compound, make-up, running, and post-run documentation)

• Well casing program overview including (conductor casing, surface casing, intermediate casing, production casing, and production tubing — and the role of each string in wellbore integrity)

• Applicable standards and framework including (API Spec 5CT, API RP 5C1, API RP 5C5, API RP 5A3, ISO 15463, and ISO 13679)

• TRS personnel roles including (TRS supervisor, connection make-up specialist, field inspector, and tong operator — and their respective accountability within the running operation)

• Consequences of TRS failures including (connection leaks, casing collapse, string parting, and well control incidents from compromised wellbore barrier integrity)

2. Casing and Tubing Classification and Material Properties

• OCTG — Oil Country Tubular Goods — product categories including (casing, tubing, drill pipe, and pup joints — and their distinct function within the well completion program)

• API Spec 5CT steel grades including (H40, J55, K55, N80, L80, C90, T95, P110, and Q125 — minimum yield strength, tensile strength, and primary application environment for each)

• Sour service grades per API Spec 5CT including (L80, C90, and T95 Type 1 as approved sour service grades — and the consequence of running non-sour-rated grades in H2S environments)

• Dimensional designations including (outside diameter, wall thickness, weight per foot — nominal and actual, and drift diameter)

• Product Specification Levels — PSL-1 and PSL-2 per API Spec 5CT including (PSL-2 additional requirements for chemistry, impact testing, and non-destructive inspection)

• Mill certification documentation including (material test report — MTR content verification, heat number traceability, and PSL verification before accepting pipe at the wellsite)

3. End-Finish Types and Connection Systems

• API connection types including (short thread and coupling — STC, long thread and coupling — LTC, buttress thread and coupling — BTC, and extreme-line — XL — for heavy wall casing)

• Premium connection types and their applications including (metal-to-metal seal connections for gas-tight service, torque shoulder connections for high-torque directional wells, and proprietary premium connections — VAM, TenarisHydril, and Grant Prideco — for HPHT and sour service)

• Connection performance properties per API RP 5C5 / ISO 13679 including (load series — A through D — for tension, compression, internal pressure, and external pressure testing — and the CAL I through CAL IV qualification levels)

• End-finish condition assessment including (thread form identification, pin and box configuration, and coupling versus integral connection distinction)

• Thread protector types and their inspection before removal including (plastic and steel protectors, thread compound retention, and damage evidence before removing protectors)

4. Field Inspection of Casing and Tubing

• Field inspection scope per ISO 15463: Petroleum and Natural Gas Industries — Field Inspection of New Casing, Tubing and Plain-End Drill Pipe including (visual inspection, dimensional verification, end-finish inspection, and body inspection)

• Visual body inspection including (pits, seams, laps, cracks, gouges, and handling damage — and the API Spec 5CT acceptance criteria for each defect type)

• Dimensional inspection including (outside diameter measurement, wall thickness verification using ultrasonic thickness gauge, and drift diameter verification)

• Drift inspection procedure per API RP 5C1 including (drift mandrel selection for the nominal pipe size and weight, full-length drift of each joint before running, and rejection of any joint that fails to pass the drift mandrel)

• Thread inspection for API connections including (visual thread inspection for damage, corrosion, and handling damage — and gauge inspection using ring and plug gauges for thread form acceptance)

• Premium connection thread inspection including (lead and taper measurement with calibrated gauges, torque shoulder condition assessment, and metal-to-metal seal surface condition inspection)

• Inspection rejection criteria and documentation including (marking rejected joints with paint stick — red band — completing the reject log, and segregating rejected joints from the running string)

5. Thread Compound Selection and Application

• Thread compound function including (lubrication to achieve specified make-up torque without galling, sealing thread flanks against pressure, and corrosion protection on stored connections)

• API thread compound types per API RP 5A3: Recommended Practice for Thread Compounds including (API modified thread compound — MTC — and API thread compound — TC — and their respective application scopes)

• Premium connection thread compound requirements including (manufacturer-specified compound — never substituting API compound on a premium seal connection, and the torque-turn consequence of incorrect compound viscosity)

• Environmental restrictions on thread compounds including (restrictions on lead-based compounds in environmentally sensitive areas — and approved lead-free compound alternatives per ISO 13678)

• Thread compound application procedure per API RP 5A3 including (cleaning threads before application, full coverage of pin threads and coupling threads — both pin and box, and avoiding contamination of the metal-to-metal seal surface on premium connections)

• Thread compound quantity control including (applying the correct quantity to achieve the specified torque — excess compound causing hydraulic lock in coupled connections and insufficient compound causing galling)

6. Connection Make-Up and Torque Monitoring

• Make-up torque specification sources including (API Spec 5CT torque tables for API connections — minimum, optimum, and maximum make-up torque by pipe size, weight, and grade — and manufacturer specification for premium connections)

• Power tong selection and calibration including (tong capacity matching the required make-up torque, torque gauge calibration before the running operation, and backup tong placement to prevent pipe body rotation)

• Torque-turn monitoring systems including (electronic torque-turn graph generation, the three phases of make-up — shoulder engagement, elastic region, and torque shoulder — and identifying acceptable versus anomalous torque-turn signature patterns)

• Acceptable torque-turn signatures per connection manufacturer guidance including (smooth increasing torque through the elastic region, sharp torque increase at shoulder engagement, and final torque value within the minimum-to-maximum window)

• Anomalous make-up signature responses including (torque plateau without shoulder — galling or cross-thread, torque spike then drop — thread jump-out, and torque not reaching minimum — insufficient thread engagement)

• Cross-threading recognition and response including (immediate back-off on cross-thread signature, inspection of pin and box threads for damage, reject logging, and supervisor notification before any further running attempt)

• Back-off and re-make-up procedure including (de-torquing under controlled conditions, thread inspection, re-application of compound, and re-make-up with torque-turn monitoring)

7. Tubular Handling and Storage

• Pipe yard storage requirements per API RP 5C1 including (storage on pipe racks above ground level, crown-up storage to allow drainage, thread protectors fitted at all times, and segregation by grade and size)

• Tubular handling equipment including (pick-up elevators, casing elevators — slip-type and spider — stabbing guides, running tool selection by connection type, and crane and pipe-handling equipment rated capacity compliance)

• Safe handling procedures including (never dragging tubulars on abrasive surfaces, using rubber-lined stabbing guides to prevent connection damage, and the prohibition on slamming connections together during stabbing)

• Rig floor handling including (single joint elevator use for pipe transfer from catwalk to rig floor, pipe spinner for initial thread engagement, and power tong application sequence)

• Protection of premium connection seal surfaces during handling including (covering seal surfaces when the thread protector is removed for stabbing, and not placing tools on or near the metal-to-metal seal surface)

• Tubular damage prevention including (avoiding notches and dents on the pipe body that can initiate fatigue cracks under subsequent pressure cycling)

8. Running Procedures and Tally Management

• Pre-run preparation including (confirming the running program — joint tally, pup joint plan, centralizer placement, and float equipment position — before the running operation commences)

• Tally sheet management including (recording joint number, serial number, outside diameter, weight, grade, length, cumulative depth, and make-up torque for every joint in the string)

• Stabbing and initial make-up sequence including (confirming thread protector removal, stabbing guide engagement, pin-to-box stabbing, hand-tight engagement, spinner make-up to near-shoulder, and final power tong make-up to specified torque)

• Running speed management including (maximum running speed per string design — avoiding dynamic surge pressure that exceeds formation fracture gradient, and reducing speed through weak formations and tight hole sections)

• Float equipment running including (float shoe and float collar installation at the specified joint positions, confirming PDC dart landing and float activation before running-in-hole continues)

• Centralizer placement per the casing design program including (slip-on and bow-spring centralizer installation sequence, confirming centralizer start force compliance with rig hoisting capacity, and bow-spring compression in tight hole clearance wells)

• Reciprocation and rotation during running including (applying reciprocation to break gel strength in heavy mud weight programs, and confirming rig top drive torque capacity before any rotation of casing in deviated wells)

9. Landing and Cementing Interface

• Casing shoe landing procedure including (confirming total depth, final reciprocation before landing, and setting the casing weight on the landing joint)

• Wellhead casing hanger installation including (hanger selection by nominal casing weight and subsequent string clearance, hanger seal assembly, and lockdown screw engagement after cementing)

• Cementing head installation and pressure testing including (cementing head connection make-up torque, pressure test of the cementing head and manifold to the planned cement squeeze pressure, and dart and plug loading verification)

• TRS responsibilities during cementing including (monitoring annular returns during cement displacement, calling loss of returns to the cementing engineer, and casing pressure monitoring during the cement displacement period)

• Post-cement wait-on-cement — WOC — and casing pressure testing including (applying casing pressure test after WOC to confirm cement and connection integrity, and recording the test pressure, duration, and result in the TRS quality record)

10. HSE Management in TRS Operations

• Applying HIRARC to TRS operations including (dropped objects from rig floor — pipe, tools, and tong dies, pinch points during tong operation and pipe make-up, and well control risk during running in open hole)

• H2S — hydrogen sulfide — exposure management during TRS in sour service wells including (personal H2S monitor use, pre-agreed wind evacuation plan, respiratory protection availability, and muster point designation before running commences)

• Rig floor pinch point management including (hand placement discipline during tong operation — mandatory tong handles only, and the prohibition on hands near the tong dies during power tong operation)

• Well control interface during tubular running including (maintaining mud weight and volume during running, monitoring pit volume for gains or losses, and the stop-run decision criteria for well control indications)

• Integration of TRS operations within the rig site HSE management system per ISO 45001:2018 including (pre-job safety meeting, permit-to-work for critical tasks, and incident reporting for near-miss events)

• Personal protective equipment for TRS operations including (steel-toed footwear, hard hat, safety glasses, cut-resistant gloves for thread handling, and hearing protection during power tong operation)

11. Quality Management and TRS Documentation

• TRS quality management system per ISO 9001 including (TRS procedure documents, inspection and make-up records, calibration records for gauges and torque equipment, and nonconformance reporting)

• Nonconformance Report — NCR management including (initiating NCR for rejected pipe, cross-thread events, make-up torque anomalies, and handling damage — applying RCA to identify root cause and prevent recurrence)

• Torque and turn records including (electronic storage of torque-turn graphs for every made-up connection as a permanent wellbore integrity record)

• Tally reconciliation including (confirming the running tally total joint count matches the pipe tally from inspection — identifying discrepancies before the string is landed)

• End-of-well TRS report including (summary of inspection results, reject log, torque record summary, anomalous make-up events and resolutions, and wellbore integrity recommendations)

• Continual improvement applying PDCA — Plan-Do-Check-Act including (reviewing TRS reject rates by inspection category and updating pre-run inspection procedures based on recurring defect patterns)

12. Case Studies and Group Discussions

• Case studies from TRS failures in Middle East oil and gas well construction environments including (casing connection leak during pressure testing from inadequate thread compound application on a premium connection, string parting from rejected joint inadvertently run due to tally error, and cross-threading on a high-torque premium connection from incorrect stabbing guide use) and the importance of proper TRS training in protecting wellbore integrity and preventing costly remediation operations

• Group discussion on TRS operational challenges in regional environments including (managing large-diameter conductor and surface casing running in high-H2S onshore environments, maintaining inspection quality during high-speed batch drilling programs with accelerated pipe receipt and running schedules, and applying premium connection torque specifications in high-temperature wells where thread compound viscosity changes with ambient temperature)

• Quality integration discussion including (reviewing the interface between TRS quality records and the well integrity management system, and discussing how torque-turn data supports post-well barrier verification)