250.451—What must I do in certain situations involving BOP equipment or systems?
The table in this section describes actions that lessees must take when certain situations occur with BOP systems during drilling activities.
| If you encounter the following situation: | Then you must . . . |
|---|---|
| (a) BOP equipment does not hold the required pressure during a test | Correct the problem and retest the affected equipment. |
| (b) Need to repair or replace a surface or subsea BOP system | First place the well in a safe, controlled condition (e.g., before drilling out a casing shoe or after setting a cement plug, bridge plug, or a packer). |
| (c) Need to postpone a BOP test due to well-control problems such as lost circulation, formation fluid influx, or stuck drill pipe | Record the reason for postponing the test in the driller's report and conduct the required BOP test on the first trip out of the hole. |
| (d) BOP control station or pod that does not function properly | Suspend further drilling operations until that station or pod is operable. |
| (e) Want to drill with a tapered drill-string | Install two or more sets of conventional or variable-bore pipe rams in the BOP stack to provide for the following: two sets of rams must be capable of sealing around the larger-size drill string and one set of pipe rams must be capable of sealing around the smaller-size drill string. |
| (f) Install casing rams in a BOP stack | Test the ram bonnets before running casing. |
| (g) Want to use an annular BOP with a rated working pressure less than the anticipated surface pressure | Demonstrate that your well control procedures or the anticipated well conditions will not place demands above its rated working pressure and obtain approval from the District Manager. |
| (h) Use a subsea BOP system in an ice-scour area | Install the BOP stack in a glory hole. The glory hole must be deep enough to ensure that the top of the stack is below the deepest probable ice-scour depth. |
| (i) You activate blind-shear rams or casing shear rams during a well control situation, in which pipe or casing is sheared | Retrieve, physically inspect, and conduct a full pressure test of the BOP stack after the situation is fully controlled. |