Blowout Preventer Adapter System for Hydrocarbon Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional blowout preventers fail in hostile conditions, leading to uncontrolled hydrocarbon releases from oil wells, causing environmental and economic disasters, as seen in the Deepwater Horizon incident, due to electrical failures, mechanical jamming, and corrosion, with existing remedial methods like cofferdams and pipe plugging being ineffective.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a flange sealable capping and hydrocarbon capturing pipe adaptor, multi-port branched pipe adaptor, and well head protection base plate is deployed to anchor and protect the blowout preventer, allowing for safe capture and containment of hydrocarbon flows, enabling quick response and minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional blowout preventer is used to protect the well head, then the well is protected against hydrocarbon releases, but the device fails under hostile conditions due to electrical failures, mechanical jamming, and corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the protection function into multiple independent components: a first adapter with a first valve, a second adapter with a second valve, and a third adapter with a third valve. Each adapter handles a specific flow path, so that failure of one component does not compromise the entire system. This segmentation isolates potential failure points and maintains reliability under hostile conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-establishes multiple redundant flow paths and valve configurations before a blowout event occurs. The adapters and valves are positioned and configured in advance to automatically redirect hydrocarbon flows away from the well head without requiring real-time decision-making or mechanical intervention during the emergency, thereby preventing failure under time-critical hostile conditions.
2Stress or pressure
If the blowout preventer is designed to be massive and complex to handle high pressure, then it can contain the hydrocarbon flow, but the complexity increases the risk of electrical and mechanical failures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential protection function from the complex conventional BOP system. Instead of using a massive multi-stage device with electrical components, the system employs simple adapter- valve assemblies that directly redirect hydrocarbon flows. This extraction eliminates unnecessary complexity while maintaining the core capability to contain high-pressure hydrocarbon flows through passive flow redirection.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter and valve assemblies are designed as simpler, potentially replaceable components rather than a permanent complex structure. If corrosion or damage occurs, individual adapters can be replaced without replacing the entire blowout prevention system, reducing the penalty of failure and allowing for maintenance in hostile environments.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If conventional remedial methods like cofferdams and pipe plugging are used to stop hydrocarbon flow, then attempts are made to capture the spill, but these methods are ineffective under high pressure
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of trying to stop the hydrocarbon flow directly at the well head with plugging methods that fail under pressure, the system inverts the approach by providing alternative escape paths for the hydrocarbon flow through the adapters and valves. The hydrocarbons are redirected through controlled paths to safe locations, effectively stopping the harmful spill without opposing the high-pressure flow directly.
Data Source
AI summary
Protection at a hydrocarbon well is enhanced by placing a blowout preventer over a well head. An adapter is connected to the blowout preventer. The adapter includes a valve that when turned off prevents non-production flow from the blowout preventer to a riser pipe.