BOP Skid Assembly for Cellar-Edge Installation and Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation and removal of blowout preventers (BOPs) at oil and gas wells are challenging due to their large size and weight, which complicates transportation and poses safety risks for personnel, as existing lifting vehicles lack the capacity to handle fully assembled BOPs through limited vertical clearances, necessitating disassembly and increasing exposure to hazards.
Innovation Solution
A skid assembly comprising a base and slide component allows for the secure transport and assembly/disassembly of BOPs, enabling the installation or removal of fully assembled BOPs by extending the slide assembly over the well head, reducing the time personnel spend in hazardous areas and eliminating the need for cranes or separate lifting vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a BOP is made large and heavy to withstand high pressures and provide redundant valve components, then reliability is improved, but transportation and installation become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The BOP is divided into multiple components (ram assembly, annular assembly, control assembly, etc.) that can be transported separately and assembled at the well site. This segmentation allows each component to be smaller and lighter for easier transportation while maintaining the full functionality and reliability of the assembled BOP system.
Solution Approach 2:
A skid assembly with support stations serves as an intermediary platform for assembling and transporting BOP components. The skid provides a stable base with positioning mechanisms that facilitate the assembly process, reducing the complexity and difficulty of direct installation at the well site.
2Productivity
If lifting vehicles are used to transport fully assembled BOPs, then installation efficiency is improved, but the limited vertical clearance in cellars prevents their use
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of transporting the fully assembled BOP vertically through limited clearance, the BOP is segmented into components that can be transported horizontally on skids and assembled in place. This avoids the need for vertical lifting through constrained spaces while maintaining installation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The transportation and assembly approach shifts from vertical dimension (using cranes through limited clearance) to horizontal dimension (using skids on the cellar floor). This dimensional change allows full BOP assembly without requiring vertical clearance that doesn't exist in the cellar environment.
3Length of stationary object
If BOP components are disassembled for transport through limited clearance, then transportation feasibility is improved, but personnel exposure time to hazardous areas increases
Solution Approach 1:
BOP components are pre-assembled on skid assemblies in a safe, controlled environment outside the hazardous cellar area. This preliminary assembly action is performed before the components need to be moved into the cellar, reducing the time personnel must spend in hazardous zones during the actual installation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The skid assembly acts as an intermediary platform that allows BOP components to be assembled and prepared outside the hazardous cellar area, then moved as complete assemblies into the cellar. This reduces the need for personnel to work inside the hazardous zone during component assembly operations.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate lifting operations are used to install BOP components, then adaptability to limited space is improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple BOP components are merged onto a single skid assembly platform, allowing them to be moved and positioned together as one unit. This combining of components reduces the number of separate lifting and positioning operations needed, simplifying the overall installation process while adapting to limited cellar space.
Solution Approach 2:
The skid assembly is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate and position multiple different BOP components (rams, annular, control assemblies) on a single structure. This multi-functional design simplifies the installation process by providing a consistent method for handling various components rather than requiring specialized equipment for each component type.
Data Source
AI summary
A skid assembly includes a base assembly and a slide assembly, each having a first end and a second end, wherein: the slide assembly comprises a first support station toward the first end and a second support station toward the second; each support station is configured to support a separate component of a BOP assembly; and the slide assembly is movable between a retracted position in which the first and second ends of the slide assembly overlie the first and second ends, respectively, of the base assembly, and an extended position in which the first end of the slide assembly extends beyond the first end of the base assembly to position the first support station, with the BOP assembly assembled thereon, directly over a well head located within a cellar at a well site with the base assembly supported atop a ground surface adjacent to an edge of the cellar.