Subsea BOP Control Pod Redundancy for 20,000 psi Safety Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current subsea drilling technologies face limitations in drilling wells with pressures exceeding 15,000 pounds per square inch due to safety and environmental concerns, and existing blowout preventer (BOP) systems lack effective testing methods for hydraulic valves without retrieving them from the sea floor, making it difficult to ensure safety integrity level compliance.
Innovation Solution
A BOP system with a shipboard subsystem electronically, mechanically, and hydraulically connected to a subsea riser subsystem, including a safety instrumented system with surface and subsea logic solvers, and an auxiliary stack test system for pre-deployment testing to ensure compliance with safety standards, allowing operation at pressures up to 20,000 pounds per square inch and temperatures up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing BOP systems are used without pre-deployment testing, then device complexity is reduced, but safety integrity and reliability deteriorate due to inability to test hydraulic valves without retrieving from sea floor
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary stack test system enables pre-deployment testing of BOP components including hydraulic valves, actuators, and control systems on the drilling vessel before subsea deployment. This preliminary testing ensures safety integrity and proper functionality without requiring retrieval from the sea floor, resolving the contradiction by performing safety-critical tests in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary stack test system serves as an intermediary testing platform between manufacturing and subsea deployment. It includes test manifolds, hydraulic power units, and control systems that simulate subsea operating conditions, allowing comprehensive safety testing without actual subsea deployment or retrieval operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If BOP systems are designed for high pressure environments up to 20,000 psi, then adaptability to deeper formations is improved, but safety and environmental risks worsen due to greater potential consequences of leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements multiple safety barriers and redundant control systems before high-pressure drilling operations commence. The auxiliary stack test system verifies the integrity of seals, valves, and pressure containment systems in advance, while the dual independent control systems provide redundant safety mechanisms to prevent and mitigate potential leaks in high-pressure environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The BOP system is designed with adjustable pressure ratings and configurable safety parameters to adapt to different well depths and pressure conditions up to 20,000 psi. The control systems can be programmed with specific pressure thresholds and safety margins, allowing the system to maintain appropriate safety factors across varying operating conditions while managing environmental risk.
3Reliability
If redundant control systems are added for safety, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases with multiple logic solvers and control pods
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a surface logic solver for high-level control decisions, subsea logic solvers for local actuation control, and independent control pods for specific BOP functions. Each segment operates semi-independently with defined communication protocols, providing redundancy while managing complexity through modular architecture and clear interface definitions.
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
The system enhances safety and reliability by enabling testing of BOP components without extra hydraulic cycles, ensuring compliance with safety standards, and allowing drilling in high-pressure environments with improved safety integrity and reduced risk of leaks.
Implementation Method 1
A BOP system with a shipboard subsystem electronically, mechanically, and hydraulically connected to a subsea riser subsystem
Implementation Method 2
including a safety instrumented system with surface and subsea logic solvers
Data Source
AI summary
A blowout preventer system including a lower blowout preventer stack comprising a number of hydraulic components, and a lower marine riser package comprising a first control pod and a second control pod adapted to provide, during use, redundant control of hydraulic components of the lower blowout preventer stack where the first and the second control pods are adapted to being connected, during use, to a surface control system and to be controlled, during use, by the surface control system. The blowout preventer system further including at least one additional control pod connected to at least one additional surface control system and to be controlled, during use, by the additional surface control system.