Failsafe design for blowout preventers from BOP

BOP has responded to calls for making BOPs the last line of defense in case of a blowout and has announced the invention of a new approach, which will allow a BOP to work even if the drilling rig loses power or hydraulic pressure. Until now, the danger has been that a blowout could damage hydraulic lines that power the BOP shear rams or the rig could lose power to the BOP.

Last month, BOP Technologies announced release of CIRBOP™, its design for a revolutionary type of BOP that can deliver 5 million lbs. of shear force to the rams. That is more than twice what any existing BOP can currently deliver and more than enough to cut any pipe, tool joint, collar or other component that may be in the drill string.

BOP Technologies’ concept design places a backup system in the body of the BOP Shear Ram mechanism. This ensure that the crew are protected in the event of power or hydraulic pressure being lost, and the new technology provides a means to safely close-off the well, and prevent oil from being released into the environment.

According to Khoa Pham, BOP Technologies CEO, “Industry has been working hard ever since the Deepwater Horizon incident to prevent that tragedy from occurring again. The problem is that there are limitations to the existing technology that the industry has not been able to solve. The inventor of our BOP shear rams, Jay Read, stepped outside the box and came up with a completely new and revolutionary approach.”

As drilling moves into deeper water and higher pressures, a lightweight, easy to maintain BOP design will be essential in these extreme conditions.

Edited from various sources by Louise Mulhall

Sources:Business Wire

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/product-news/29122015/failsafe-design-for-blowout-preventers-from-bop/