March 25, 2011 by offshoreenergy
Everyone agrees that a series of failures and mistakes leading to the use of containment systems is totally unacceptable. Capping stacks and containment devices, while necessary and important, should never have to be used in the post-Macondo offshore world.
The same cannot be said for blowout preventers. BOPs will be used and will have to work when needed. No matter how carefully drilling programs are planned and executed, there will be hydrocarbon influxes into well bores. While most of these influxes will be “routine kicks,” the equipment must work and the personnel must be trained to use it properly and to function effectively as a team.
The DNV report on the Deepwater Horizon BOP failure included some unexpected findings. These findings will be discussed at the Joint Investigation hearings which begin on 4 April, and will hopefully be televised or streamed live. While attention will focus on specific components, BOPs must be evaluated as complete systems. What new risks have been identified? What are the options for addressing these risks? What risks are posed by the solutions? What other risks, related and unrelated, need to be addressed?
I doubt that there will be any argument with the DNV recommendations. These include studies on elastic buckling, shear blade surfaces, the effectiveness of ROV intervention, and well control procedures (including the sequencing of annular preventer and pipe ram closures); revised testing procedures for backup control systems; improved capabilities for monitoring of the status of BOP functions; and requirements for backup control system performance.
BOP stacks with redundant blind shear rams are becoming more common, and would generally seem to be appropriate for subsea wells. However, attention must be paid to the entire stack with the goal of optimizing overall performance and most effectively managing risks for the type of well that is being drilled and the site-specific conditions.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, DNV, drilling, macondo, offshore drilling, offshore oil, safety, well control | 1 Comment »
March 25, 2011 by offshoreenergy
When an investigation has been completed and corrective action is necessary, the PSA (Norway) approach is to make the operator take ownership of the problem. The operator is directed to develop solutions and implementation schedules that are acceptable to the regulator. See the PSA directive to Statoil below following the investigation of the Gullfaks B gas release.
In contrast, there is a tendency in the US for the regulator to take ownership of the problem and thus assume responsibility for developing solutions. The regulator dictates these solutions to the operator (and perhaps the entire industry), sometimes without sufficient discussion or analysis. Of course, US regulators may not have a choice in the matter as the political system often demands that the regulator take action, perhaps before the investigation is even completed (or started!).
Which approach presents the greater opportunity for success? Most regulators would say the former, and that was the consensus view at the International Regulators’ Offshore Safety Conference in Vancouver.
Posted in accidents, Regulation | Tagged Gulfaks B, international regulators' conference, IRF, PSA, vancouver | Leave a Comment »
March 24, 2011 by offshoreenergy
From Cheryl Anderson based on Coast Guard information:
- Anglo-Suisse WD 117 well samples match samples from the beach
- Anglo-Suisse responsible for paying cleanup costs
- USCG & BOEMRE investigating cause of spill
- No new oil on shore since Monday
- Substantial resources still on water: 8,400 feet boom. 2 MARCO skimmers, 4 drum skimmers, and 5 barge boats.
Posted in accidents | Tagged Grand Isle, Gulf of Mexico, oil spill | Leave a Comment »
March 24, 2011 by offshoreenergy
While C-SPAN has broadcast some of the proceedings, the Deepwater Horizon Joint Investigation hearings have inexplicably not been streamed live by the Coast Guard (USCG) and Department of the Interior (DOI). The National Commission and Chemical Safety Board streamed their hearings live, but the USCG and DOI have not done so. Why? This is perhaps the most significant accident in the history of the US offshore oil and gas program, and the most notable worldwide offshore disaster since Piper Alpha in 1988. Eleven men died on the Deepwater Horizon. Economic costs will total in the tens of $billions. Major regulatory changes, some of which don’t appear to address identified risks, are being imposed.
The upcoming hearings are particularly important because the BOP issues that will be discussed have enormous international significance. In this era, the world shouldn’t have to travel to New Orleans to observe the hearings, rely on sketchy press reports, or wait months for transcripts to be released. (And how is it that the Montara Inquiry Commission in Australia was able to post transcripts within hours after the conclusion of each day’s hearing?)
Accident prevention is dependent on complete and timely information. Had more people paid attention to Montara, Macondo may have been prevented. The upcoming Deepwater Horizon BOP hearings are of critical importance, and should be streamed so that all interested parties can follow the proceedings.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, Australia, blowouts, BOP, Coast Guard, CSB, Deepwater Horizon, DOI, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, hearings, macondo, Montara, National Commission, oil spill, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
March 23, 2011 by offshoreenergy
A shortened and simplified summary from information provided in the DNV report:
- The Upper Variable Bore Rams (VBRs) were closed prior to the Emergency Disconnect Sequence (EDS) activation at 21:56 on April 20, 2010.
- A drill pipe tool joint was located between the Upper Annular Preventer (closed) and the Upper VBRs (also closed). Forces from the flow of the well pushed the tool joint into the Upper Annular element. Because the tool joint was trapped beneath the closed annular preventer (and could not move upward), forces from the flowing well caused the pipe to push upward and buckle.
- The drill pipe deflected until it contacted the wellbore just above the Blind Shear Ram (BSR). The portion of the drill pipe located between the shearing blade surfaces of the BSR was off center and held in this position by buckling forces.
- A portion of the pipe cross section was outside of the intended BSR shearing surfaces and did not shear as intended.
- As the BSR closed, a portion of the drill pipe cross section became trapped between the ram block faces, preventing the blocks from fully closing and sealing.
- Since the deflection of the drill pipe occurred from the moment the well began flowing, trapping of the drill pipe would have occurred regardless of which means initiated the closure of the BSR.
- In the partially closed position, flow continued through the drill pipe trapped between the ram block faces and subsequently through the gaps between the ram blocks.
- When the drill pipe was sheared on April 29, 2010, using the Casing Shear Ram (CSR), the flow expanded through the open drill pipe at the CSR and up the entire wellbore to the BSR and through the gaps along the entire length of the block faces and around the side packers. The CSR was designed to cut tubulars, not seal the well bore.
sheared off-center drill pipe
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, DNV, drilling, macondo, oil spill, safety, well control | 3 Comments »
March 23, 2011 by offshoreenergy
Just released.
The DNV report will be discussed in the upcoming hearings:
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)/U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Joint Investigation Team, which is examining the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill, today announced that it will hold a seventh session of public hearings the week of April 4, 2011. The hearings, which will focus specifically on the forensic examination of the Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer (BOP), are scheduled to take place at the Holiday Inn Metairie, New Orleans Airport, 2261 North Causeway Blvd., Metairie, La.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, BOP, Deepwater Horizon, DNV, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore drilling, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
March 23, 2011 by offshoreenergy
Bob Bea
Dr. Bob Bea, UC Berkeley Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, and his Deepwater Horizon Study Group have issued their final report on the Macondo blowout. I look forward to reading the full documents.
Bob has been at the vanguard on risk management issues for many years. While he jokes that there are two things engineers can’t deal with – uncertainty and people, Bob is an engineer who understands both! Kudos to Bob and his group for their leadership and initiative.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Bob Bea, Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, macondo, oil spill, safety, UC Berkeley, well control | Leave a Comment »
March 23, 2011 by offshoreenergy
Our oil spill expert, Cheryl Anderson, has been monitoring the Gulf of Mexico slick reports, and has provided the following update:
Excerpt from a NOLA.com article below published 4-5 hours after yesterday’s Coast Guard media briefing regarding the source of the latest slick in Louisiana state waters :
A state official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of a continuing Coast Guard investigation, said the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries traced the emulsified oil on the west side of the river to its apparent source at West Delta Block 117. He said tests by a state-contracted lab confirmed that was the source of the oil.
Wildlife and Fisheries officials found the source of the oil Monday evening and encountered workers in a boat trying to restore a cap on the well using a remotely operated submarine.
There was a USCG Media Briefing at 2 pm local time Monday [4-5 hours before the NOLA.com article was published]. The briefing confirmed that the 100-mile sheen on Saturday was not petroleum, just sediments from water disturbances.
With regard to the most recent slick, the Coast Guard said:
–no source had been identified,
–no active spill incidents had been identified,
–spill had been Federalized,
–testing showed that it was Louisiana crude, and
–LSU was still working on the tests to see if the oil matched the Macondo well or any recorded previous spill incident.
Posted in accidents | Tagged Coast Guard, Gulf of Mexico, oil sheen, oil spill | Leave a Comment »
March 22, 2011 by offshoreenergy
from SeabedRig.com
Advances in drilling technology tend to be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Floating rigs, dynamic positioning, top-drive systems, measurement-while-drilling, automated rig floors, and other important advances were logical next steps, not radical makeovers.
Many of us have long been fascinated by the possibility of locating drilling equipment on the seafloor, particularly for deepwater wells. Why operate from a massive floating vessel that requires a sophisticated stationkeeping system and a long riser to connect to the wellhead? Why link surface personnel to seafloor risks? Why increase the complexity of balancing well pressures (without fracturing formations) by adding thousands of feet to the mud column? Why heave and roll on the surface when you can operate from the seafloor?
It’s not that easy, of course, and there are many questions and issues. While fully automated drilling systems are no longer a reach, what about reliability and repairs? How will casing be set and cemented? How will downhole measurements be transmitted to the control center? Cuttings samples? Coring? Well testing? The list of challenges is daunting.
At least one company, Seabed Rig, is committed to developing and demonstrating seafloor drilling technology. Earlier this month, Seabed Rig reached agreement with NASA to create the first autonomous drilling rig. While a lot of work remains, Seabed Rig and other pioneering companies are applauded for their innovative thinking and willingness to challenge conventional practices and wisdom.
Posted in drilling, offshore, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized | Tagged automated drilling, Deepwater, offshore drilling, Seabed Rig | 1 Comment »
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Everyone agrees that a series of failures and mistakes leading to the use of containment systems is totally unacceptable. Capping stacks and containment devices, while necessary and important, should never have to be used in the post-Macondo offshore world.
