Modular BOP Stack Segmentation for High-Pressure Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional BOP stacks are inflexible and require significant disassembly to reconfigure, limiting their ability to adapt to varying drilling needs and pressures beyond 15,000 pounds per square inch, which poses safety and environmental risks in deep-sea oil and gas extraction.
Innovation Solution
A modular BOP system with stackable ram cavity sets and frame levels, allowing for easy addition or removal of BOP sections and hydraulic piping connections via junction plates, enabling customizable configurations without disassembling the entire stack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional BOP stacks are designed with a predetermined number of ram cavities for single configuration, then manufacturing and initial installation are simplified, but the system cannot adapt to varying drilling requirements and pressures
Solution Approach 1:
The BOP stack is divided into modular cavity sets that can be independently configured and stacked. Each cavity set contains complete functional components (cavity, frame level, hydraulic piping, junction plates), allowing the stack to be assembled in different configurations by stacking varying numbers of these standardized modules according to specific drilling requirements.
2Productivity
If traditional BOP stacks require significant disassembly to reconfigure, then structural integrity is maintained, but downtime and reconfiguration costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stackable cavity sets with standardized frame levels and junction plates enable rapid reconfiguration by simply adding or removing modular sections rather than disassembling the entire stack. This segmentation allows field operators to quickly adapt the BOP stack configuration to match changing drilling conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The BOP stack transitions from a static, fixed configuration to a dynamic, reconfigurable system. The modular design with standardized interfaces allows the stack to be dynamically adjusted in the field by stacking different numbers of cavity sets, enabling the system to adapt to varying operational requirements without complete disassembly.
3Reliability
If more ram cavities are added to handle higher pressures, then safety and environmental protection improve, but device complexity and hydraulic piping requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each cavity set includes its own integrated hydraulic piping and junction plates, creating self-contained functional modules. This segmentation of hydraulic systems allows multiple cavity sets to be stacked without proportionally increasing overall system complexity, as each module manages its own hydraulic connections independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized junction plates and hydraulic piping design enable the same modular components to serve multiple cavity sets. A single junction plate design can accommodate different numbers of stacked cavity sets, providing universal connectivity that simplifies the hydraulic system regardless of the total number of cavities in the stack.
4Strength
If traditional BOP stacks have concentrated weight and hydraulic piping strain, then structural support is simplified, but stress on specific components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame structure is segmented into multiple frame levels, with each frame level supporting a specific cavity set. This segmentation distributes the mechanical load and hydraulic stress across multiple support points rather than concentrating them at a single location, reducing stress on individual components while maintaining structural integrity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration reduces downtime and costs by allowing on-site reconfiguration of BOP stacks to meet specific drilling needs, enhances safety by distributing weight and alleviating hydraulic piping strain, and supports drilling operations at higher pressures.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of hydraulic piping fluidly connected to each of the two or more modular BOP ram cavity sets, the plurality of hydraulic piping configured to drive operation of the two or more modular BOP ram cavity sets
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for a configurable blowout preventer (BOP) system for use in oil and gas operations. According to an embodiment, a BOP system can include two or more modular BOP ram cavity sets, each of the BOP ram cavity sets having at least one BOP ram cavity; one or more frame levels, each of the frame levels separating each of the BOP ram cavity sets and coupling each of the BOP ram cavity sets together; and a plurality of hydraulic piping fluidly connected to each of the BOP ram cavity sets, the plurality of hydraulic piping configured to drive operation of the BOP ram cavity sets.