Patent ID: 8919430

Claim:
A system for containing and recovering from blowout of an oil or gas well having a well flow path, the system operable in place of, or as a failsafe alternative to, standard blowout preventer systems, the system comprising: a hydraulically operated gate valve positioned over the well at a wellhead, the gate valve alternating between a full open position and a full closed position, the gate valve further comprising a check valve operable to permit fluid flow into the well but not out from the well, the check valve operable when the gate valve is in the full closed position; and at least one shearing assembly positioned over the gate valve opposite the wellhead, the shearing assembly comprising at least one implosion spool oriented into a cylindrical axis of the wellbore and operable to detonate explosive charges within the at least one implosion spool; wherein operation of the system activates and detonates the explosive charges within the at least one implosion spool to clear the well flow path of any obstructions so as to permit the movement of the gate valve to the full closed position.