Subsurface safety valves: safety asset or safety liability

Conference · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1983 · Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5362637

Busch, J M; Llewelyn, D C.G.; Policky, B J

This paper summarizes the methods used to compare the risk of a blowout for a well completed with a subsurface safety valve (SSSV) vs. a completion without an SSSV. These methods, which could be applied to any field, include a combination of SSSV reliability and conventional risk analyses. The Kuparuk River Unit Working Interest Owners recently formed a group to examine the risks associated with installing and maintaining SSSV's in the Kuparuk field. The group was charged with answering the question: ''Assuming Kuparuk field operating conditions, are SSSV's a safety asset, or do numerous operating and maintenance procedures make them a safety liability.'' The results indicate that for the Kuparuk River Unit, an SSSV becomes a safety liability when the mean time between SSSV failures is less than one year. Since current SSSV mean time to failure (MTTF) at Kuparuk is approximately 1000 days, they are considered a safety asset.

• Research Organization: ARCO Alaska, Inc.
• OSTI ID: 5362637
• Report Number(s): CONF-8310121-
• Journal Information: Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States), Vol. SPE12193; Conference: SPE annual technical conference, San Francisco, CA, USA, 5 Oct 1983
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
BLOWOUT PREVENTERS
INSTALLATION
MAINTENANCE
RISK ASSESSMENT
NATURAL GAS WELLS
SAFETY
OIL WELLS
BLOWOUTS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS
NATURAL GAS FIELDS
OIL FIELDS
PERFORMANCE
VALVES
WELL COMPLETION
ACCIDENTS
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FLOW REGULATORS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESOURCES
SYSTEM FAILURE ANALYSIS
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
030300 - Natural Gas- Drilling
Production
& Processing