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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (190535)	4/30/2010 12:22:03 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 362151

The BOP is the cut-off. == Thanks. I'm trying to appreciate the challenges in stuffing a cork down a pipe through "mud" dense enough to keep the oil below, well, below. It ain't easy. Something else has been piquing my curiosity. I've seen some images that purport to be the ROV trying to -it appears- move a lever arm on the BOP in order to activate it. (I think they even had labels--open and shut!) What motive force is supposed to be triggered by turning the lever-explosive? My admittedly slight knowledge of the devices reference hydraulics, which would, in this case, be gone, no? Which brings up another question. How do you regularly test a BOP when, as I understand it, the design of the device is such that it destroys the "pipe" in sealing it? Are the tests really just continuity tests of the sensors and control circuits? ROCKMAN on April 29, 2010 - 2:45pm The ROV are attempting to sting into the BOP with hydraulic lines. The BOP functions via these hydraulics. The plumbing is designed so that pressure can be applied to the different control modules to open and close the various valves/rams from this external source as a backup. If you look at one of the pics you see "SHR RAM". That's the shear ram that is suppose to cut the drill pipe. It obviously didn't make the cut. The blade may now be caught part way into the DP. They would try to back the SR off and reactivate to cut. Backing off the DP can be impossible at times given the damage. Sounds like that's what they discovered. The manual hydraulic activation by the EOV either works right away or never works. The BOP receive an extensive testing. The testing procedure is highly regulated and done by independent contractors who have to sign under oath the validity of the tests. To pull and test the BOP once a month can take 1 to 2 days. And the operated is continued to be charged for operations at this time: $500,000 to $800,000 per day. Not cheap but an absolute necessity. A couple of years ago I was on a drill ship off Africa. Pulled the BOP to test and discover sea water had leaked in and completely disabled it. If we had taken a kick there was no way to control. That discovery killed my appetite for a day. All you can do is just lay in your bunk, stare at the ceiling and wonder "What if?". All the hands take BOP testing very serious...trust me. ... ROCKMAN on April 29, 2010 - 4:19pm Different BOP tests. A function test can be done on bottom. But an inspection test requires unlatching and bring it to the surface. When the BOP is pulled specialized plugs are set in the well bore to secure it. Producing wells don't have a BOP per se. But they have other safety valves as I described the "storm choke" above. there are addition saftey controls on the surface production equipment. Not sure about the remote BOP controls. They do have what are called "walk away controls". Essetially preset operations the computer controls once activated. In many offshore blowout it's usually the rig supervisor and/or the operator's rep (the "company man") in charge that are killed because when TSHTF they are the experienced hands that will run to the BOP and try to control the situation. The standing order for the rest of the hands is to run like hell. The BOP was inplace. When the BOP's work, they work. When they don't, they don't. Not much in between the two extremes. Kinda like not being able to be a little pregnent. theoildrum.com jhm -- MMS requires testing/certification of the BOB's every 30 days. Can take as much as a day or more to complete tests. At a daily rig cost of $800,000/day an expensive but neccesary expense.