A Comprehensive Review of Well Integrity Challenges and Digital Twin Applications Across Conventional, Unconventional, and Storage Wells

Ahmed Ali Shanshool Alsubaih (), Kamy Sepehrnoori, Mojdeh Delshad () and Ahmed Alsaedi
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Ahmed Ali Shanshool Alsubaih: Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Kamy Sepehrnoori: Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Mojdeh Delshad: Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Ahmed Alsaedi: SLB, Basra 61001, Iraq

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-67

Abstract: Well integrity is paramount for the safe, environmentally responsible, and economically viable operation of wells throughout their lifecycle, encompassing conventional oil and gas production, unconventional resource extraction (e.g., shale gas and tight oil), and geological storage applications (CO 2 , H 2 , and natural gas). This review presents a comprehensive synthesis of well integrity challenges, failure mechanisms, monitoring technologies, and management strategies across these operational domains. Key integrity threats—including cement sheath degradation (chemical attack, debonding, cracking, microannuli), casing failures (corrosion, collapse, burst, buckling, fatigue, wear, and connection damage), sustained casing pressure (SCP), and wellhead leaks—are examined in detail. Unique challenges posed by hydraulic fracturing in unconventional wells and emerging risks in CO 2 and hydrogen storage, such as corrosion, carbonation, embrittlement, hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC), and microbial degradation, are also highlighted. The review further explores the evolution of integrity standards (NORSOK, API, ISO), the implementation of Well Integrity Management Systems (WIMS), and the integration of advanced monitoring technologies such as fiber optics, logging tools, and real-time pressure sensing. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of digital technologies—including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital twin systems—in enabling predictive maintenance, early failure detection, and lifecycle risk management. The novelty of this review lies in its integrated, cross-domain perspective and its emphasis on digital twin applications for continuous, adaptive well integrity surveillance. It identifies critical knowledge gaps in modeling, materials qualification, and data integration—especially in the context of long-term CO 2 and H 2 storage—and advocates for a proactive, digitally enabled approach to lifecycle well integrity.

Keywords: well integrity; cement Integrity; casing failure; sustained casing pressure (SCP); hydraulic fracturing; corrosion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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