Blowout Prevention (Section 1)

Course Summary:

This course serves as a guide for Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (division) engineers, the manual is designed to help operator personnel in planning their well operations. By serving as a single-source guide to blowout prevention equipment (BOPE) used in oil, gas, and geothermal operations in California, the manual will help operators conform to the BOPE requirements of the Public Resources Code and the California Code of Regulations.

The course is oriented primarily toward the equipment involved in blowout prevention. Therefore, several important aspects of kick control and blowout prevention practices, such as casing programs, kick-control procedures, and crew training are discussed only briefly, if at all. This does not mean that the division places reduced emphasis on these aspects of blowout prevention.

Learning Objective:

This course serves as a guide for Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (division) engineers, this course covers the following:

• Outlines the division’s requirements for BOPE, emphasizing the fact that the requirements are tailored to the individual well.
• The function and operating characteristics of BOPE components. For the purposes of the manual, BOPE components are grouped into five major functional areas: preventers, actuating system, choke and kill system, auxiliary equipment, and hole-fluid monitoring equipment. In most cases, a list of division requirements for a component follows the operational explanations.
• Describes the additional equipment and modification of BOPE components necessary for installing and operating blowout prevention equipment on the ocean floor.
• Describes the equipment and modification of BOPE components necessary for drilling geothermal wells.
• Outlines inspection and testing procedures for all components of the BOPE array, except the hole-fluid monitoring system.

Review the quiz before studying the course.

Course Content

Course Author: California Department of Conservation