CFR

CFR

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.

Code of Federal Regulations

[68 FR 8423, Feb. 20, 2003, as amended at 75 FR 63374, Oct. 14, 2010]

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