Holistic BOP Management Through Integrated Technologies
Authors: Franklin Alyssa , Spencer Bryan , Lewis Kimberly , Childers Leonard , Franklin Charles 
Published: April 2022

With digital transformation pursuits across the industry, how can operators and drilling contractors ensure their programs truly lead to safer, more efficient processes while maintaining rigorous assurance of their integrity critical equipment? This paper describes a major advancement in blow-out preventor (BOP) integrity management resulting from the compounding impact of integrated leading-edge technologies developed through cross-industry collaboration.

BOP integrity management has been transformed by combining novel technologies and integrating multiple data sets over the past two years. The foundation is advanced analyses and rigorous pressure testing criteria developed through big data analytics incorporating over 210,000 tests. This data is now live-streamed from rig-site to relevant stakeholders through a cloud-based platform. Digital BOP control monitoring now also allows for real-time streaming, alerts, and notifications in addition to generating a massive amount of data. Cloud-based digital assurance workflows allow stakeholders access to real-time information as operations evolve ensuring access to latest plans and results. This digital data may be added to the end-user's data lakes, achieved through open architecture, and automated connectivity through APIs (application programing interfaces).

Simple digital pressure testing alternatives lack an extensive database developed over 12 years which provides research insight. This extensive database has led to significant advances in test validation algorithms efficiency and robustness beyond industry standard validation criteria. Utilizing advanced algorithms to verify BOP integrity provides the highest levels of well barrier assurance.

Linking rig-site BOP testing and control system monitoring through a cloud-based application allows for live-streaming, connecting subject matter experts (SMEs) around the globe for efficient troubleshooting and sharing of best practices. Rig-site testing and maintenance data is visible in cloud-based key performance indicators (KPI) dashboards, making performance visible to optimize efficiency, accelerate learnings and increase uptime.

The combination of BOP control monitoring data with pressure testing has generated large databases that are in the initial stages of developing machine learning and artificial intelligence technology. This will enable data-driven performance-based frequency testing and condition-based maintenance.

BOP test plan assurance has historically required significant amounts of paperwork, leading to version control confusion. Customizable management of assurance processes, integrated with the testing eliminates these challenges ensuring proper documentation and archival of compliance records.

Open architecture of BOP integrity management systems creates a modular addition to existing data lakes through APIs. This provides operators and drilling contractors the ability to build a relevant and customizable technology stack.

This paper presents modern technologies developed to enable the most rigorous assurance of integrity critical equipment. This is achieved though robust research-based algorithms, more effective and efficient collaboration tools, and open-architecture data management. These technologies developed through cross-industry collaboration enable holistic BOP integrity management, enhancing safety and efficiency of operations.