30 C.F.R. § 250.515   Blowout prevention equipment.


Title 30 - Mineral Resources


Title 30: Mineral Resources
PART 250—OIL AND GAS AND SULPHUR OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF
Subpart E—Oil and Gas Well-Completion Operations

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§ 250.515   Blowout prevention equipment.

(a) The BOP system and system components and related well-control equipment shall be designed, used, maintained, and tested in a manner necessary to assure well control in foreseeable conditions and circumstances, including subfreezing conditions. The working pressure rating of the BOP system and BOP system components shall exceed the expected surface pressure to which they may be subjected. If the expected surface pressure exceeds the rated working pressure of the annular preventer, the lessee shall submit with Form MMS–124 or Form MMS–123, as appropriate, a well-control procedure that indicates how the annular preventer will be utilized, and the pressure limitations that will be applied during each mode of pressure control.

(b) The minimum BOP system for well-completion operations must meet the appropriate standards from the following table:

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------                                           The minimum BOP stack must                 When                               include------------------------------------------------------------------------(1) The expected pressure is less      Three BOPs consisting of an than 5,000 psi.                        annular, one set of pipe rams,                                        and one set of blind or blind-                                        shear rams.(2) The expected pressure is 5,000     Four BOPs consisting of an psi or greater or you use multiple     annular, two sets of pipe rams, tubing strings.                        and one set of blind or blind-                                        shear rams.(3) You handle multiple tubing         Four BOPs consisting of an strings simultaneously.                annular, one set of pipe rams,                                        one set of dual pipe rams, and                                        one set of blind or blind-shear                                        rams.(4) You use a tapered drill string...  At least one set of pipe rams                                        that are capable of sealing                                        around each size of drill                                        string. If the expected pressure                                        is greater than 5,000 psi, then                                        you must have at least two sets                                        of pipe rams that are capable of                                        sealing around the larger size                                        drill string. You may substitute                                        one set of variable bore rams                                        for two sets of pipe rams.(5) It is after February 21, 2006....  At least one set of blind-shear                                        rams. The blind-shear rams must                                        be capable of shearing the drill                                        pipe or tubing in the hole.------------------------------------------------------------------------

(c) The BOP systems for well completions shall be equipped with the following:

(1) A hydraulic-actuating system that provides sufficient accumulator capacity to supply 1.5 times the volume necessary to close all BOP equipment units with a minimum pressure of 200 psi above the precharge pressure without assistance from a charging system. No later than December 1, 1988, accumulator regulators supplied by rig air and without a secondary source of pneumatic supply, shall be equipped with manual overrides, or alternately, other devices provided to ensure capability of hydraulic operations if rig air is lost.

(2) A secondary power source, independent from the primary power source, with sufficient capacity to close all BOP system components and hold them closed.

(3) Locking devices for the pipe-ram preventers.

(4) At least one remote BOP-control station and one BOP-control station on the rig floor.

(5) A choke line and a kill line each equipped with two full opening valves and a choke manifold. At least one of the valves on the choke line shall be remotely controlled. At least one of the valves on the kill line shall be remotely controlled, except that a check valve on the kill line in lieu of the remotely controlled valve may be installed provided that two readily accessible manual valves are in place and the check valve is placed between the manual valves and the pump. This equipment shall have a pressure rating at least equivalent to the ram preventers.

(d) An inside BOP or a spring-loaded, back-pressure safety valve and an essentially full-opening, work-string safety valve in the open position shall be maintained on the rig floor at all times during well-completion operations. A wrench to fit the work-string safety valve shall be readily available. Proper connections shall be readily available for inserting valves in the work string.

[53 FR 10690, Apr. 1, 1988, as amended at 54 FR 50616, Dec. 8, 1989; 58 FR 49928, Sept. 24, 1993. Redesignated at 62 29479, May 29, 1998, as amended at 68 FR 8434, Feb. 20, 2003]

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