Expert profile

Gordon Duncan

Well Integrity, Completions, Interventions & Abandonment Expert 

Gordon’s Background:

Gordon has worked in the O&G industry for over 40 years. Over the last 15 years has been providing technical training to O&G Operators, Service Companies as well as Government Regulators worldwide.

As a subject matter expert in Well Integrity, Completions & Well Interventions, Gordon provides bespoke training and peer reviews to oil & gas companies at all levels from graduate engineers to senior management and board-level committees. Gordon has also been actively involved in the training and peer reviews of various Government Regulators with the primary focus on Well Integrity as well as P&A consideration throughout the well life cycle.

In his 40 years of Oilfield experience, Gordon, coupled with his self-starting attitude in life, has had the opportunities to establish himself as an all-rounded technical and commercial Drilling, Completions, Intervention and Well Integrity professional through his various engagements with some of the world-renowned Oil & Gas companies including Shell EP InternationalSantosPetro-CanadaPetroleum Development Oman and BP.  

Prior to moving into full-time training & consulting, Gordon has conducted and facilitated several training courses across the world.  He is the brains and brawn behind some of the more popular training courses on Well Integrity ManagementCompletions:  Applications, Types, Installation and WorkoversRigless Interventions:  Slickline, Coiled Tubing, Hydraulic Workover and New Technologies and Deepwater Completions.  He has also, delivered training to BP and Chevron via the DTA on Completion Practices under the platform of BP Well Site Leaders of the Future and the Chevron “Horizon Programme”.  To date, he has delivered this training on six continents.

Gordon started from a humble background, starting from junior Oilfield positions with several Oilfield Service companies in Aberdeen (for some years, he worked as a Technical Service Technician with Baker Oil Tools Aberdeen).  Gordon found his specialised forte in Oilfield Well Services & Completions when he engaged with Camco UK, seconded to BP commencing as a Wireline Trainee, progressing to the position Well Services / Completions Supervisor.  It was here, that he developed his first training programme and competency scheme for Completions and Slickline while acting as the Operations Supervisor for Subsea Intervention activities. 

From thereon, Gordon had progressed very quickly through the industry and corporate ladder with brief professional engagement with MB Petroleum Oman as the BDM & Operations Manager in establishing and developing business (drilling & all aspects of Well Services)

Gordon then moved on to Petroleum Development Oman as the Contracts Engineer for  Completion Equipment and Services. 

During his time with Shell Gordon became actively involved as a member of the Global Well Integrity Team, was responsible for the drafting of a Well Failure Model (currently being used by many IOC’s worldwide), provided technical input to the Well Integrity Management Systems for Shell, PetroCanada & Santos; and was further involved in the compilation and review of the new ISO Standard 16530 for “Well Integrity during the operational phase of wells”. Gordon is well placed to offer “gap analysis” for all operating companies Well Integrity Management Systems to ensure compliance with this new standard.

In addition to his busy schedule of conducting and facilitating training across the continents, Gordon was engaged with Shell Iraq as the Field Supervisor Completions & Well Intervention in the Majnoon Field.  He had been fully responsible, and in charge of a relatively young and inexperienced team of engineers, for overseeing the Completion Operations (from design thru to installation), perforating, stimulation and well testing of new wells, as well as major interventions on old wells.  With 100% onsite focus required, Gordon was onsite and hands-on to ensure deliverance of safe and efficient operations.  Some years back, Gordon was also engaged with Shell EP International Dubai as the Senior Well Engineer for 6 years, responsible for completion design, the supervision and coordination of all Completions and Well Services activities for Shell Iran on the Soroosh & Nowrooz Development, including the first Offshore Hydraulic Workovers in Iran and installation of Completions Underbalanced. 

Prior to Shell Iraq, Gordon was the Completions Operations Superintendent with Santos Australia, assisting the RO’s / Engineers in the office as well as field supervising 4 workover rigs, 2 frac spreads, 2 CTU and other rigless operations. Before moving to Santos, Gordon was engaged by PetroCanada in Syria where responsibilities included performing side-tracks, re-entries, perforating, acid stimulation, testing and completion activities as well as providing technical support as relief Drilling Supervisor on drilling rigs as well as coordinating Completions & Intervention activities on the Drilling Rigs and all rigless interventions

As his biography can attest, Gordon, with his self-starting and never-say-never attitude, has indeed established himself as an all-rounded technical and commercial Well Integrity, Completions and Interventions professional.  Remembering his humble background, Gordon, with the support of rp² will now bring his field experience to the classroom to benefit and extend his legacy through the new generations of the Oil & Gas Professionals.

Other Services Available:

  • Well Engineering Services:- from Project Concept to Completion
  • Well Operations Services – Plan, supervise and close out support to the well Engineering Team
  • Remote Location feasibility studies
  • Review Wells Management Systems – ensuring accuracy for local content as well as regulatory compliance
  • Review and Advise Content for Well Integrity Management Systems & facilitate roll out sessions to field personnel for same.
  • Conduct Completion Design reviews regarding change of use whilst ensuring well integrity and barrier management are considered.
  • Conduct full Well Life Cycle reviews for ageing well stock including P&A considerations.

"


Great instructor. The course has certainly made me understand well integrity Issues that may have been overlooked in our normal diagnostic work. Recommended for all production and petroleum engineers associated with production assets.


Senior Petroleum Engineer 

Papuan Oil Search Ltd.

"


The course is very useful, it discussed several problems related to well integrity, presented good solutions on solving wells problems. It added a lot to my knowledge, especially on important of MAAS, standards barriers, completion/well control equipment, procedures, HSE issues of risk assessment. 


Well Intervention Manager 

Daleel Petroleum

"


The trainer was excellent. He was successful in transferring knowledge to all the participants. He communicated very effectively with the participants and has shared many of his experiences related to this training, It was a great experience for me.


Well Integrity Engineer
BP Indonesia

Notable Career Highlights:

  • Co-authored SPE 100361, PDO’s Approach to Swellable Elastomers for Zonal Isolation, with Mark Laws.
  • Chairman of MEALF (Middle East Artificial Lift Forum) 2001 -2006.
  • ATW Co-Chairman 2005, Bangkok, Multilateral Applications.
  • Asia Pacific Drilling Technology (APDT) Conference 2006, Theme of “Meeting the Value Challenge : Performance, deliverability and Cost” was selected and Gordon co-hosted 3 sessions.
  • Lead presenter at SPE Complex Wells Forum Sharm el-Sheikh 2006.
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