BOP is the acronym for Blowout Preventer and is mainly used in the oil field industry to prevent blowouts. A blowout is an unexpected and uncontrolled flow of high pressures from within the reservoir of a well. These blowouts are very dangerous and the results could be catastrophic. Blowouts not only include an immense surge of high pressure, but also include an outflow of oil and gas from below the surface. Thus, a Blowout Preventer is used as a preventive measure from these accidents. This contraption consists of a safety valve attached to the tops of oil and gas wells. When there is an indication of a possible blowout, these BOPs are activated and the opening of the oil or gas well is properly sealed off. After the blowout takes place, control over the well is taken again and normal operations begin once more. Blowouts are not only dangerous, but they also prove to be very costly as well. BOPs are used in any type of oil field – be it on land, in the sea or some offshore platform. There are two main types of BOPs – 1. Ram Blowout Preventer – This was invented in 1922 and was marketed in 1924. It uses oppositely placed horizontal plungers that are used to cover up a well-bore during the time of a blowout. 2. Annular Blowout Preventer – This was invented in 1946 and marketed in 1952. It is also known as a ‘spherical BOP’. It uses a donut shaped spherical rubber element fitted with steel ribs. There is a simultaneous downward and upward motion to close the opening of a well once a signal threatening a blowout is received. Controlling the BOP is not an easy job. There are different ways to control an offshore well, because on one hand, there are wells which have the mouths jutting out of the water surface, and on the other hand, there are some which have their mouths at the base of the sea floor. In cases, where the well head is above the water line, manual controlling of the BOP is done. There are levers and wheels which are used to close the mouth of the well to prevent blowouts. For cases where the well head is on the sea floor, automatic controlling is done. Signals are sent through cables from the BOP and control systems are activated which close the well mouth. Sometimes, ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicles) are also used to manually close them. Working in an oil field is indeed a dangerous job and many risks and hazards are associated with it. Due to internal pressures, blowouts do take place and such an incident proves to be fatal not just for the people at work, but also for the business. Oil and gas are expensive commodities and so BOPs are used at every well mouth to prevent such a catastrophic accident. They are tested and inspected at frequent intervals by professional engineers to double-check on the protection factor. On April 20, 2010 an explosion took place off the Gulf of Mexico because the BOP could not be activated on time. Thus, a careful check must always be kept, as this industry endangers the lives of many.
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BOP is the acronym for Blowout Preventer and is mainly used in the oil field industry to prevent blowouts.
Snehil Shrivastva is the author of this article on Coil Tubing Tools . Find more information about Unions here.
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