Blowout Preventers

PREPARED BY:
Keshav Madan
Pulkit Bhatnagar
Rizwana Hussain K
Rutvi Jain
Sudhanshu Goel
How a blowout occurs?
Blowout happens when

underground pressure is
encountered.
Mud weight is not
sufficient and the drill bit
penetrates in the zones.
What is a BOP?
It is a large specialized valve.

Developed to cope with

extreme erratic pressures and

uncontrolled flow (KICK).

Kicks can result in a blowout.

BOPs are intended to prevent

the tubing and drilling fluid

being blown out of a well bore.

TYPES

RAM

ANNULAR
RAM Types
Brought to market in
1924 by Cameron iron
Single Double
works
Similar in operation to a
gate valve
Packers (elastomeric
seals)
Ram actuator
 Pipe

Blind
RAM
BLOCKS
Shear

Blind
Shear
Annular
Granville Sloan Knox in 1946
Spherical blowout preventer - spherical-faced head
Drill pipe -moved vertically while pressure is
contained below
Two moving parts - piston and packing unit
Seal around the drill pipe
“Wedge-faced” piston
BOP SELECTION CRITERIA
• Maximum expected well head pressure.
• Size of casing, casing hanger, bit and other
• Drilling tools to be lowered through the BOP
• Stack.
• Substructure height.
• Matching flange connection according to size and
pressure rating of well head flange.
• Service environment.
Working of BOP
When a kick occurs, rig
operators or automatic
systems close the blowout
preventer units.
Denser mud is then
circulated into the wellbore
known as “Kill weight” mud
Once “kill weight” mud
extends from the bottom of
the well to the top, the well
has been “killed”
Features of different BOP’s
Ram blowout preventer
- Pipe rams close around a drill pipe, restricting flow
in the annulus.
- Blind rams close off the well - seal it.
- Shear rams cut through the drill string or casing
- Blind shear rams seal a wellbore
Annular blowout preventer
- Controls the hydraulic closing pressure
- Maintains a seal around the drill pipe even as it is
rotates during drilling
Need for maintenance of BOP
Blowout preventers should be inspected and tested every month.

Even with optimal maintenance; however, they do fail, especially under

the extreme and somewhat experimental conditions of deep sea drilling.

 Failure to properly inspect and maintain blowout preventers increases

their failure rate exponentially.

 If a blowout preventer fails, a pressure-related accident, possibly a

blowout, becomes a near certainty.

Impacts due to improper maintenance
The most notorious failure of a blowout preventer to

date is the one that led to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon

drilling rig disaster ( also referred as BP oil spill)
Several serious maintenance issues have been identified.

Cameron TL blowout preventer may not have been the

proper model for the conditions.

BP oil spill –BOP failure problems
According to a May 26, 2010 article on Nola.com, an internal BP

investigation summarized blowout preventer failure problems as:

The failure of its emergency disconnect system.

The failure of its deadman switch.

The failure of the BOP's shearing functions.

The failure of the remote operated vehicle interventions.

Maintenance Strategies
Preventive type Maintenance program

Maintenance program for surface equipment is low in quality

and less comprehensive than programs for subsea equipment

Periodic & Routine Maintenance

Compile a list of information based on readings to determine

if the equipment is beginning to wear

Industry Recommends
BOPs should be recertified every 3-5 years

Procedure followed by companies

Between-well maintenance

Complete stack is disassembled, the process takes 90

days
Maintenance Procedures
A. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE

1. Preparations and Safeguards prior to maintenance .

2. Inspection and change out of the packer and donut.

3. Between well-servicing.

4. Disassembly and cleaning.

5. Reassembly.
B. PERIODIC MAINTENANCE

-Every two years , completely disassemble the preventer end .

a. Clean all parts . Don’t use wire brushes on the sealing
areas.

b. Replace all rubber seals, gaskets.

c. Replace the donut and packer according to its physical
condition.
d. Repair or replace damaged metal parts.
THANK YOU