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

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 (CO2, H2, 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 CO2 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 CO2 and H2 storage—and advocates for a proactive, digitally enabled approach to lifecycle well integrity.