Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE)

Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, Blowout Prevention Act, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, macondo, oil spill, safety, well control | 1 Comment

One Response

1. on June 27, 2010 at 7:09 am | Reply Colin Leach

   The draft legislation captures some significant changes. However:

   I think there are 2 aspects to well design:

   A: Imagining what can happen to the well given the well configuration chosen
   B: Calculating the stresses generated by the “load case” on the configuration chosen

   The second activity (B) is reasonably easy to check and is probably performed well today (and in the past).

   The 1st activity (A) is much more difficult. It is dependent on recognizing a situation that is unlikely and potentially which has never happened before (Macondo is an example). The key will be to come up with well designs that are so simple that it is very apparent what can happen, given the chosen design.

   Devising legislation to cover this aspect of the process is very difficult.

   Regarding 2 sets of shear rams. I think we also should consider whether, it is always best to always shear and then use the EDS (Emergency Disconnect). Even with the new regulations, will this system always work? In particular, if no well control event is occurring, such an event can be induced if the shears are used and fail to seal. The alternative (staying connected – the (DP) rig “moored” by the riser) may result in some damage to the riser system, but might enable hydrostatic head to be maintained. It would be worth having analyses carried out by the operator/contractor to see which course of action is preferred.

   Finally, I would like to see some addition to legislation which requires the operator to determine up front what the rig crew will see during a particular operation or situation, such that when events deviate from this baseline, the rig team is on the same page in recognizing the situation and taking corrective action. This is aimed at removing the “human factor” from the operation wherever possible.