Shear Ram Buttress Structure for Efficient BOP Pipe Shearing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Blowout preventer shear rams experience damage and reduced efficiency due to high forces and stress loads during pipe cutting, necessitating thicker designs that compromise shearing action and require higher actuation pressures.
Innovation Solution
A blowout preventer system with a ram featuring a ramp buttress that increases in thickness away from the shearing edge, providing strength without adding substantial thickness to the blade, and lifts the cut tubular member out of the shearing region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the ram is made larger or thicker to provide greater strength, then the strength increases, but the shearing efficiency decreases and higher actuation pressures are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adds a third dimension to the blade structure by incorporating a buttress that extends rearward from the cutting edge. This dimensional addition provides structural support and strength without increasing the thickness of the cutting edge itself, thereby maintaining shearing efficiency while preventing ram damage from high stress loads
Solution Approach 2:
The buttress is strategically positioned at the rear of the blade where structural support is needed, while the cutting edge maintains its original thin profile for efficient shearing. This localized reinforcement allows different parts of the blade to have different thickness characteristics optimized for their specific functions
2Strength
If the ram blade thickness is increased to resist stress, then the strength increases, but the actuation pressure requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rearward-extending buttress adds structural support in the longitudinal dimension rather than increasing thickness in the radial dimension. This allows the blade to resist stress and prevent damage without requiring higher actuation pressures to move a thicker blade
3Reliability
If the ram blade thickness is increased to prevent damage, then the reliability increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is segmented into two functional zones: a thin cutting edge for shearing and a thicker rearward-extending buttress for structural support. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other, maintaining simplicity while improving reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A technique facilitates reliable operation of a blowout preventer (BOP) system. The reliable operation is achieved by utilizing a ram with improved strength so as to make it better able to resist the stresses from shearing without increasing the thickness of the ram blade. As a result, a high level of efficiency is maintained during a shearing action. According to an embodiment, a blowout preventer system comprises a blowout preventer shear ram assembly having a ram for shearing a tubular member. The ram comprises a main body and a blade extending from the main body. Additionally, a ramp buttress is secured to the blade to strengthen the blade and to improve the shearing action.