Blowout Preventer Locking Door Assembly for High-Pressure Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blowout preventers (BOPs) lack effective mechanisms for selective access and secure sealing of tubulars during high-pressure wellsite operations, posing risks of fluid leakage and environmental threats.
Innovation Solution
A door assembly with a lock mechanism, featuring a housing with a bore and channel, and a sliding door with locking members having teeth that can move between locked and unlocked positions, providing secure access and sealing capabilities for BOPs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a door assembly is added to provide selective access to BOP components, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: the door itself, the locking mechanism with movable locking members, and the receptacles. This segmentation allows the door to be operated independently for access while the locking members provide secure closure, resolving the contradiction by making the complex assembly manageable through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking members are designed to be movable between engaged and disengaged positions relative to the receptacles. This dynamic capability allows the door assembly to transition between locked and unlocked states, providing selective access when needed while maintaining security during operation, thus improving ease of operation without permanently increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If a lock mechanism with movable locking members is implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is extracted as a separate mechanism with movable locking members that can be independently actuated. This extraction allows the locking mechanism to be optimized for reliability through dedicated design features such as positive engagement with receptacles and resistance to high-pressure forces, while the overall door assembly structure remains relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking members act as intermediaries between the door assembly and the housing, providing a mechanical connection that ensures secure sealing. These intermediaries transfer and distribute the locking forces across multiple contact points, enhancing reliability while keeping the overall mechanism straightforward through clear force transmission paths.
3Ease of operation
If the door assembly is made retractable for access, then ease of operation is improved, but sealing reliability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The locking members are positioned and engaged in advance before the door assembly is retracted. This preliminary locking action ensures that the door is securely held in place during retraction operations, preventing accidental opening or loss of sealing integrity while allowing controlled access when the locking members are deliberately disengaged.
Solution Approach 2:
The door assembly design allows the locking mechanism to automatically maintain engagement during normal operation, with the door itself providing the necessary force to keep locking members engaged with receptacles. This self-service capability ensures sealing reliability is maintained without requiring additional active components, while still allowing easy access when needed.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
A locking door assembly, blowout preventer and method are provided. The blowout preventer is for sealing about a tubular extending from a wellbore of a wellsite. The blowout preventer includes a housing having a bore and a channel therethrough. The tubular is positionable through the bore and engageable therein. The blowout preventer also includes a door assembly including a door slidably positionable along an axis of the channel and providing selective access to the channel, and a lock. The lock includes at least one locking member having at least one raised portion extending along the door assembly in a direction transverse to the axis of the channel. The locking member is extendable into at least one corresponding receptacle of the housing and movable therealong between an unlocked and a locked position whereby the door assembly is selectively retractable from the housing.