New JIP for Subsea BOP Reliability in Norway

ExproSoft has launched a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to assess the reliability of BOPs (blow-out preventers) used for subsea drilling in Norway. The project is supported by Equinor, AkerBP, Lundin, VNG Norge, Faroe Petroleum, and Wellesley Petroleum, and will give recommendations to reduce the NPT (non-productive time) caused by BOP failures and testing, and provide a risk-based approach towards BOP failure handling.

During subsea drilling, BOP failures and testing are major contributors to rig downtime. Previous subsea BOP studies carried out by SINTEF and ExproSoft shows that 6% - 8% of available drilling time is used for repairing and testing the BOP. In addition to the added NPT, the rig may be exposed to unnecessary risk when the BOP is pulled and re-run for repair.

The JIP will analyze data from wells spudded in Norwegian waters in the period 2016 – 2017, primarily related to BOP failures, maintenance, and well kick occurrences. Data is extracted from the operators’ daily drilling reports, and structured and analyzed in ExproSoft’s proprietary systems. The Norwegian PSA (Petroleumstilsynet) is also supportive of the project and provides drilling reports for the participating operators.

“From a risk perspective it is observed that many of the failures in the BOP can be repaired at opportunity and not immediately. Further, the detailed testing of every function in the BOP may not contribute significantly to a reduction in risk,” says Per Holand, Well Risk & Reliability Specialist at ExproSoft, and project manager for the JIP.

The JIP was initiated in June 2018, and will be completed by Summer 2019. Late entrants to the JIP are still accepted.