Pipe ram improvement facilitates hang off
Hard facing on the top surface of ram blowout preventors (BOPs) can prevent deformation when hanging off drill pipe. A new ram body features this hardfacing. This improvement is important to floating drilling because it transfers potential damage from critical pressure components to relatively inexpensive and less critical drill pipe upsets. National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) specifications for H/sub 2/S resistance often mean that pipe rams do not have the hardness required to hang off long strings without deformation to the ram. Conventionally, the problem has been solved by welding a harder material to the portion of the ram on which the tool joint lands. This method, although widely used, can result in cracking in the inlaid area of the ram. In a typical sequence, weather requires a floating drilling rig to disconnect. The pipe rams are closed after the bit is pulled off bottom. The string is lowered until a tool joint is in the rams. The drillstring is backed off, leaving downhole string weight on the rams. Upper rams are shut, and upper marine riser package, riser, and drillstring are disconnected, freeing the vessel from the well. On reentry, the operator can find that the ram bodies are damaged or the inlay is broken. This can necessitate pulling the riser for BOP stack maintenance.
- OSTI ID:
- 5719447
- Journal Information:
- Oil Gas J.; (United States), Vol. 84:22
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
03 NATURAL GAS
42 ENGINEERING
BLOWOUT PREVENTERS
SURFACE HARDENING
DRILL PIPES
HOISTING
NATURAL GAS WELLS
OFFSHORE DRILLING
OIL WELLS
CORROSION RESISTANCE
CRACK PROPAGATION
DAMAGE
DEFORMATION
DRILLING RIGS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
MARINE RISERS
WELDING
CHALCOGENIDES
DRILLING
DRILLING EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
HARDENING
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
JOINING
MATERIALS HANDLING
PIPES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE TREATMENTS
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
030300 - Natural Gas- Drilling
Production
& Processing
423000 - Engineering- Marine Engineering- (1980-)