Accumulator Pre-charge

Specifications
Table 5- B in BOPE Manual
Accumulator

Minimum

Working

Acceptable

Pressure

Operating

Rating, psi

Pressure, psi

3,000

Precharge Pressure, psi

Recommended

Maximum

Minimum

Pressure

Acceptable

Acceptable

3,000

1,000

1,100

900

2,000

2,000

1,000

1,100

900

1,500

1,500

750

825

675

1-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures

Accumulator Volume
Field Test

Objective
verify accumulator capacity

Required at initial rig up

Procedure

position pipe in BOP stack

close supply from pumps
record initial pressure
adjust regulator to 1500 psi
close all pipe rams & annular
if blind ram in stack, open 1
pipe ram
open HCV
record final accumulator
pressure

Table 5- C in BOPE Manual

Accumulator

Precharge

Minimum

Working

Pressure,

Final

Pressure

Pressure,

Rating, psi

psi

psi

3,000

1,000

1,500

2,000

1,000

1,385

1,500

750

1,265

2-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures

Control Lines

Use hard piping (3000 psi WP) or

Banded hoses

Interlocking armor
Stainless steel
5000 psi WP; tested to 10K by vendor
API 16D certified
Test hoses on rig up to 3000 psi

Annular
BOP

Open

Chicsan line
must be 5000 psi WP
nitrile packing backed with stainless steel anti-extrusion rings

Close

Isolation Valves on annular lines

prevent overstress of annular element during line test
lock in pressure if required in an emergency situation

3-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures

Drill String Float Valves

Shall be installed in drill string

just above the bit

only OEM valves

Solid flapper prior to setting

surface casing

Solid float may be run below

surface casing with exception

Check for wear on each trip

Fill drill string from top

On live wells (UBD)...

Solid Flapper

Ported Flapper

use 2 tandem dart type valves

replace on every trip
4-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures

Drill Pipe Safety Valves

One for each size pipe in use must be on rig

floor at all times, with wrench

Full opening ball valve

Must have lift clamp for stabbing

API Spec 7, Class 2 valves preferred

seals externally applied pressure (2000 psi)
seals pressure from above and below

Consider one piece body for 10K and greater

Minimum requirements in BOPE Manual

(Sect 8.5)
5-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures

Valve Types
API Specification 7
Type 1 Valve
Pressure test from below to 250 psi and full
working pressure.
Type 2 Valve
Pressure test from below and above to 250
psi and full working pressure.
Stem seal will hold a minimum of 2000 psi
external pressure.
Preferred for stripping operations.
Valves shall be stamped with manufacturer name, class of service, serial number, manufacture date, working
pressure, and mud flow rotation for Class 1 valves.
6-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures

Valve Types & Designs

Single Piece Body
Hydril Kellyguard
M&M International
ITAG
Hi-Kalibre
Two Piece Body
OMSCO
Texas Iron Works

Recommended for wells with BOPs greater

than 10k and depths exceeding 10k ft.
Design usually requires less torque for
operating under pressure.

Proprietary threads provides an additional

failure point.
Over-torqued proprietary thread is common
and is rarely inspected.
Over-torqued threads can increase torque to
operate the valve stem.

7-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures

Operating Valves
Closing Valves
When closing valves with flow, the valve should be close rapidly
and in one complete motion as pressure differential will increase as
the valve is rotated to the close position.

Opening Valves
Higher torque will be noted when opening valves with internal
pressure. Increased torque is caused by;
1. differential pressure acting against the ball
2. differential pressure across the stem
Equalizing the pressure above the valve with the same pressure
below, will decrease the torque required to actuate the valve.

8-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures

Other Equipment Specs

Refer to the BOPE manual (July 2000) for:

Choke & Kill Lines (Section 6.2)

Drilling Chokes (Section 6.3)
HCV (gate valves) (Section 8.1)
BOP Wear Bushings (Section 8.3)
BOP Test Plugs (Section 8.4)
Mud Pit Sensors (Section 8.6)
Standpipe Choke & Manifold (Section 8.7)
Accumulator Sizing & Calculations (Section 5)
9-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures

Summary

Use only ExxonMobil approved stack configurations

Refer to ExxonMobil Corp BOPE Manual (July 2000) (Note Section

12 has local drilling group specifications)

Select stack on an individual well basis

Use HCV & manual gate valves on kill lines when BOP working
pressure > 5000 psi

Use only pump fill trip tanks

Do not ever use lower ram for stripping

Do not hang-off on lower rams

Reference API Specs 16A, 16D, RP 53

10-Surface Well Control Equipment Policy & Procedures