Aug. 19, 2024
Ram BOPs are indispensable safety devices in the oil and gas drilling industry. Safety is of utmost importance in the modern oil and gas drilling industry, whether in drilling and maintenance operations or in natural gas production. Such as Ram BOPs, are crucial equipment for ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment. Today, Sino Mechanical would like to discuss the functions, working principles, types, and prices of Ram BOPs with you, with the aim of assisting customers in selecting the appropriate blowout preventer system.
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1. Functions and Importance
Ram BOPs serve critical functions in drilling operations, with their primary roles including:
Blowout Prevention: During drilling and well servicing operations, Ram BOPs are the first line of defense against uncontrolled releases of oil or gas from the well. They can rapidly close and seal the wellbore to prevent blowouts.
Pressure Control at the Wellhead: Ram BOPs maintain wellhead pressure within a controllable range, ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment. They can quickly close off the well to contain pressure buildup.
Safety Assurance: Ram BOPs significantly reduce the risk of accidents and environmental incidents, protecting both human lives and the environment.
2. Ram BOP Working Principles
The working principles of Ram BOPs are based on their internal ram assemblies. When there is an unexpected surge in wellhead pressure, these rams move horizontally or vertically to block the wellbore, effectively sealing it. The operation of these rams is controlled by hydraulic or pneumatic systems, allowing for rapid responses to pressure changes.
3. Ram BOP Types
Ram BOPs come in various types, each with its unique characteristics:
Annular Ram BOPs: These BOPs have a flexible sealing element that can adapt to different wellbore sizes, providing a versatile solution for sealing the wellbore.
Blind Ram BOPs: Blind Ram BOPs are used to close off and seal the wellbore completely. They are effective when there are no drill pipes or tools in the well.
Pipe Ram BOPs: Pipe Ram BOPs are designed to seal around the drill pipe, making them suitable for operations involving pipe and casing.
4. Ram BOP Prices
The pricing of Ram BOPs varies depending on factors such as the model, specifications, and supplier. Standard models typically range from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, while customized solutions may have higher costs. Prices are influenced by market demand, raw material costs, and manufacturing processes.
When applying blowout preventers on-site, multiple combinations are used as needed. Typically, the upper section consists of a universal blowout preventer, the middle section has a variable bore gate valve blowout preventer, and the lower section includes shear gate valve blowout preventers, among others. Various combinations of blowout preventers are used based on the specific requirements of the site. The collective term for these various combinations of blowout preventers is referred to as a Blowout Preventer Assembly (BOP).
6.Selection of BOP Stacks
Factors to consider when selecting a hydraulic blowout preventer assembly include the well type, formation pressure, casing size, formation fluid type, personnel expertise, process technology requirements, climate impact, transportation conditions, material supply status, and environmental protection requirements, among others. In summary, the assembly should facilitate balanced drilling, ensure drilling safety, and save drilling costs.
Selection of Pressure Rating
The working pressure of a hydraulic blowout preventer assembly depends on factors such as the internal pressure resistance of the casing used, the formation fracture pressure at the casing shoe, and the anticipated maximum wellhead pressure. However, it primarily depends on the anticipated maximum wellhead pressure the blowout preventer assembly is expected to withstand. Blowout preventer pressure ratings come in five categories: 14 MPa, 21 MPa, 35 MPa, 70 MPa, 105 MPa, and 140 MPa.
Selection of Bore Diameter
The bore diameter of the blowout preventer assembly depends on the casing size in the wellbore structure design and must be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the connected casing. Blowout preventer bore diameters are available in nine sizes: 180mm, 230mm, 280mm, 346mm, 426mm, 476mm, 528mm, 540mm, and 680mm. Among these, commonly used sizes in the field are 230mm, 280mm, 346mm, and 540mm.
Selection of Combination Configuration
The choice of combination configuration is primarily based on formation pressure, drilling process requirements, drilling tool structure, and equipment compatibility.
In conclusion, Ram BOPs play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety and success of drilling operations in the oil and gas industry. Understanding their functions, working principles, types, and prices is essential for making informed decisions and ensuring the safety of both personnel and the environment during drilling operations.
Sino Mechanical's Ram BOPs offer a reliable and high-performance solution, ensuring the safety and efficiency of drilling operations. We not only provide standard configurations but also offer customized products to meet our customers' specific needs.
Over the years, Sino Mechanical has been dedicated to delivering high-quality Ram BOPs to the international market. To date, we have established long-term partnerships with drilling contractors in various countries and regions, including South America, Europe, the Middle East, and more.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website 18 3/4" Ram BOP - HRSB.
Whether you are a large oil and gas corporation or a small drilling contractor, we have the right Ram BOP solution for you. Our products have received accolades from numerous users who highly praise our reliability and exceptional performance.
If you are interested in Sino Mechanical's Ram BOP products or have any questions about our products, please feel free to contact our sales team. We are committed to providing you with assistance and offering the best solutions.
The BOP rams are the result of some eighty years of development in the BOP stack system. The first BOP ram was developed in the early s. The ram preventer will only seal on the specific condition for which the ram block is designed.
Rams are interchangeable between ram-type preventers of the same design and pressure rating. Casing rams are usually substituted for pipe rams before casing running or liner running operations.
Figure 1 : Ram Preventer (Hydril)Most pipe rams can be locked in the closed position, operated manually and hydraulically, and support the weight of the entire drill string. Pipe rams cannot be installed upside down because they are designed to hold pressure from one direction only.
The major parts of the ram preventer consist of:
There are two types of ram blocks with packer seals:
Ram blocks that seal on pipe (Figure 3) or wireline in the hole. The block is specifically designed for a particular size of drill pipe, tubing, casing, or wireline.
Figure 3: Ram Block for One Size Pipe (Hydril)Figure 4: Pipe Ram Block &#; Shaffer
Ram blocks designed for pipe should not be closed without pipe (drill pipe &#; heavy weight drill pipe &#; Casing) in them because the sealing elements may be damaged by extrusion.
Figure 5: Open pipe ramsFigure 6: Closed pipe ramsThe pipe ram block can also be a variable bore block (Figure 7) which can seal on a size range.
Figure 7: Varibore Bore Ram Block (Hydril)Variable rams became available by . Also, these rams extend the versatility of the ram-type preventer by sealing on pipes of various sizes. This flexibility could eliminate the need for changing rams when running a tapered drill string or when testing with tubing. Variable rams use steel fingers that move inward to seal around pipe smaller than the ram body.
In general, all manufacturers of ram preventers offer variable bore rams (Figure 7) which can close and seal on a range of pipe diameters. These rams can be especially useful when a tapered string is in use or when substructure space limitations restrict the addition of another ram preventer. Also if an aluminum drill pipe is being used an effective seal cannot always be assured with regular pipe rams because the diameter of the pipe is larger near the tool joints than at the middle of the joint.
Variable bore rams have limited hang-off potential, depending on the pipe size on which they are sealing. For example, Cameron variable bore rams (13-5/8&#; U for 5&#; to 2-7/8&#;) will support 450,000 pounds of 5&#; drill pipe or 150,000 pounds of 3-1/2&#; drill pipe. Most variable bore rams are constructed in a similar fashion with the key element being a feedable rubber packer.
Generally, there are two types of rams that do not have pipe openings and can be closed on open hole. The most widely used is the blind rams (Figure 8);
Figure 8: Blind Ram (Hydril)The other type of BOP ram that we can close in the open hole is the shear ram. The shear ram (Figures 9 & 10) is designed to cut through the tubing, drill pipe, or casing, and in addition, it can seal on an open hole (Shear rams are used mostly in a subsea stack).
Figure 9 : Lower blade on shear ram (Hydril)Figure 10: Upper blade on shear ram (Hydril)Figure 11: Shear rams operationFigure 12: Shaffer Shear RamsShear/blind rams include a single-piece body with an integrated cutting edge to shear the pipe that is in front of the ram. Then, by bending the lower section of the pipe, the rams can close and provide a seal. It can also function as a blind ram and close & seal when there is no pipe in the hole. The operating pressure that you will need to shear pipe is 3,000 psi and the maximum size of pipe that you can cut is 5 ½&#; OD. Actually, the advantage of the shear ram is that you can use it many times without making damage to its cutting edge. Remember, we can always utilize it as a blind type during drilling operations
Figure 13: UI & UII BOP Shear/Blind RamThe casing rams are available to provide pack-off on the casing annulus when running casing. Casing shear rams are also available but may require &#; booster &#; pistons or higher closing pressure to assure shearing of certain-sized casings.
The front elements of ram seals have steel &#;extrusion&#; plates bonded to the rubber. As the rams close the steel plates meet and begin to force elastomer to pack into the sealing area. When stripping operations, the front face of the ram sealing element will wear. This self-feeding feature will allow the sealing to be maintained during the stripping operation.
Figure 14: Self Feeding Action
On many ram preventers, there is a &#;weep hole&#; located on the underside of the preventer body. This hole is lined up with the &#;travel&#; of the ram. The weep hole is actually in line with secondary rod shaft seals and is there to indicate leaks in those seals. If needed, the cap screw is removed, and using an Allen wrench, the plastic sealant is injected through a check valve and around the ram shaft between seals to temporarily stop the leak.
Figure 15: Secondary Ram Shaft SealMany rams feature a manual locking device. The lock is activated after the ram is in the fully closed position. In this case, a ram manufactured by Hydril, is locked by clockwise rotation of the tail rod. The locking device travels down the lead screw and contacts the back of the piston mechanically locking it into the closed position. The locking device must be backed out in order to re-open the ram.
Should hydraulics fail, the locking device can be used to close the ram. If this is done, the ram can only be re-opened hydraulically.
Figure 17: Ram Locking DeviceThe MPL Locking mechanism is controlled by a unidirectional clutch and lock nut. The clutch maintains the nut and ram in a locked position until the clutch is disengaged by applying hydraulic opening pressure. This disengages the clutch plates permitting the lock nut to freely rotate and the ram to open. The ram will stay closed and locked even if the closing pressure is bled to 0 psi.
Figure 19: Hydril MPL Ram LockAs closing pressure is applied the piston along with the locking cone moves inward and closes the ram. When the piston reaches the fully closed position, the locking segments slide toward the piston OD over the locking shoulder because the locking cone is forced inward by closing hydraulic pressure and spring action.
The locking cone holds the locking segments in position. It acts like a second piston inside the main piston and is forced inward by closing pressure and outward by opening pressure. As opening pressure is applied, the locking cone moves outward causing the locking segments to slide toward the piston ID along a tapered locking shoulder. The piston then freely moves to the fully open position.
One note of interest &#; the Pos-Lock may not allow for self-feeding of ram rubber elements in worn rams as it locks in one position only.
Figure 20: Shaffer Pos &#; Lock Ram LockIn the below table, there are different closing and opening ratios for different Ram BOPs in the market.
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Closing/Opening RatiosSIZEWP (psi)CAMERON &#;U&#; OPENCAMERON &#;U&#; CloseSHAFFER &#;SL&#; OpenSHAFFER &#;SL&#; CloseHYDRIL RAM OpenHYDRIL RAM Close7 1/16&#;3,.36.9&#;&#;1.55.47 1/16&#;5,.36.9&#;&#;1.55.47 1/16&#;10,.36.9&#;&#;1.78.27 1/16&#;15,.36.93.377.116.67.69&#;2,000&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;9&#;3,000&#;&#;&#;&#;2.65.39&#;5,000&#;&#;&#;&#;2.65.39&#;10,000&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;11&#;2,.57.3&#;&#;&#;&#;11&#;3,.57.3&#;&#;26.811&#;5,.57.3&#;&#;26.811&#;10,.57.37.627.112.47.611&#;15,.29.92.87.113.247.613 5/8&#;3,..542.15.213 5/8&#;5,..542.15.213 5/8&#;10,.374.297.113.810.613 5/8&#;15,.68.42.147.113.567. 3/4&#;2,000&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;16 3/4&#;3,.36.8&#;&#;&#;&#;16 3/4&#;5,.36.82.035.54&#;&#;16 3/4&#;10,.36.82.067.112..618 3/4&#;10,.67.41.837.111.910.618 3/4&#;15,.19.71..852.157. 1/4&#;2,.37&#;&#;0.985.221 1/4&#;3,.37&#;&#;0.985.221 1/4&#;5,.16.2&#;&#;1.910.621 1/4&#;10,.17.21.637.11&#;&#;26 3/4&#;2,000&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;&#;26 3/4&#;3,&#;&#;&#;&#;Closing and opening ratiosPrevious: None
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