You will come across many blowout prevention tips, but you should first know what blowouts are and their cause. Blowouts leave devastating consequences when they happen. Most of them are due to sudden gas release, failure of proper flow of circulating fluids, or sudden build-up of pressure during drilling operations.
Oilfield engineers should teach workers what to do when they see any sign of a kick. Blowout preventers should always be clean and well-functioning to work efficiently in case of an accident. Ensuring a proper flow of the fluids in the drill pipes and controlling the hydrostatic pressure will prevent oilfield accidents.
Human errors cause most blowouts, and learning the causes and blowout prevention tips can help to reduce the chances of accidents. Share on XWhat is a Blowout?
Blowout happens when the pressure control systems fail in an oil or gas well; there is the unchecked release of natural gas or oil. The oil or natural gas wells have blowout preventers that detect when there is a problem and prevent it from happening.
Blowouts can be very disastrous as they can cause fire outbreaks. Although there are many causes of blowouts, history records that over 85 percent of the blowouts are due to human error. The good news is, there are ways to prevent blowouts from happening.
Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance
Even with all the blowout preventers, without proper maintenance of the wells and preventers, blowouts will still happen. So, you should ensure a good balance of the hydrostatic pressure in the well because this is one of the major causes.
Keeping the blowout preventers clean and well-maintained can also go a long way in preventing blowouts. Clean them regularly to keep metal fragments away and remove all the mud to reduce the chances of leakage. Also, grease the BOP’s moving parts.
Act Fast If a Kick Happens
Educating all the workers on the signs of a kick will help them take measures fast. That could be by detecting changes in pressure, a shift in the penetration rate when drilling, or a change in pump pressure. That way, they’ll know what to do during a kick.
The operators should know how to use the blowout preventers, either the annular BOPs or the RAM type. When there are warning signs of a kick, the operators will balance the hydrostatic pressure with the formation pressure to prevent blowouts.
Be Aware
There will be some warning signs before a blowout happens, so it is essential to adopt the blowout prevention tips we’ve mentioned. It will help avoid the accident, which can cause deaths and property losses. But, most importantly, prioritize the workers’ safety.
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