Alabama Administrative Code › Title 400 - STATE OIL AND GAS BOARD OF ALABAMA › GOVERNING SUBMERGED OFFSHORE LANDS OPERATIONS › Chapter 400-2-6 - PRODUCTION › Section 400-2-6-.07 - Subsurface Safety Devices

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 9, June 28, 2024
(1)
				Safety devices and valves shall be installed, inspected, and tested, and
				records shall be maintained in accordance with the following requirements:
(a) All wells open to hydrocarbon-bearing
				zones shall be equipped with a surface-controlled subsurface safety device,
				installed at a depth of one hundred (100) feet or more below the waters floor.
				In case of failure of the surface-controlled subsurface safety device a
				subsurface-controlled subsurface safety device may be installed, at a depth of
				one hundred (100) feet or more below the waters floor, upon approval by the
				Supervisor. All wells in which a subsurface safety device or tubing plug is
				installed shall have the tubing-casing annulus packed off above the uppermost
				open casing perforations. The control system for all surface-controlled
				subsurface safety devices shall be an integral part of the platform shut-in
				system. In addition to the activation by manual action on the platform, the
				system may be activated by and shut-in by a signal from a remote location.
				Surface-controlled Subsurface Safety Valve's (SCSSV's) shall close in response
				to shut-in signals from the Emergency Shutdown Device (ESD) and in response to
				the fire loop or other fire detection devices.
(b) Subsurface safety devices shall be
				adjusted, installed, and maintained to insure reliable operation. These
				installations shall be made within two (2) days after stabilized production is
				established. The well shall be continuously attended during the stabilization
				period and the interval preceding the installation of the safety device. If the
				subsurface safety device is not installed within this two- (2-) daytime
				interval, or other interval specified by the Supervisor, the well shall be shut
				in, unless a waiver for omitting the device has been approved by the
				Supervisor.
1. Each subsurface-controlled
				subsurface safety device shall be removed, inspected, and repaired or adjusted
				as necessary at intervals not to exceed twelve (12) months for valves installed
				in a landing nipple and at intervals not to exceed six (6) months for those
				valves not installed in a landing nipple. Prior to installation, each device
				shall be repaired as necessary and adjusted or resized to compensate for
				changes in well conditions.
2. The
				subsurface safety device may be removed from a well for routine operations
				without authorization or notice provided the well is attended while the master
				valve(s) is open. The well shall not be open to flow while the subsurface
				safety device is removed, except when flowing of the well is necessary for
				routine operations. When such operations occur, the well shall be identified by
				a sign on the wellhead stating that the subsurface safety device has been
				removed.
3. Each surface-controlled
				subsurface safety valve shall be tested in place for proper operation when
				installed or reinstalled and thereafter at intervals not exceeding six (6)
				months. Testing shall be in accordance with API RP 14B, and subsequent
				revisions thereof, to ensure proper operation. However, the Supervisor may
				require more frequent inspection and testing of these devices or valves. Prior
				to installation, each device shall be repaired as necessary and adjusted or
				resized to compensate for changes in well conditions.
(c) In all tubing installations, the tubing
				string shall be equipped with a landing nipple to provide for the setting of
				the subsurface safety device. New completions (perforated but not placed on
				production) and completions shut in for a period of one (1) year shall be
				equipped with either:
1. a pump-through-type
				tubing plug;
2. a
				surface-controlled SCSSV, provided the surface control has been rendered
				inoperative; or
3. an injection
				valve capable of preventing back flow. In lieu of, or in addition to, other
				subsurface safety devices such devices shall be set at a depth of one hundred
				(100) feet or more below the waters floor.
(d) In the event well conditions prevent, or
				make impractical the installation of subsurface safety devices, the operator
				may submit in writing a request for a waiver of the requirement for the
				installation of such a device, including a detailed statement of the efforts
				made to overcome the difficulties and, if possible, an alternate safety
				measure.
1. The Supervisor may require a
				different program under the following conditions:
(i) When artificial lift is
				required;
(ii) When the flowing
				tubing pressure at the wellhead is too low to permit adjustment of the safety
				device for proper operation;
(iii)
				When the subsurface device causes sand to plug the tubing or sand makes the
				subsurface safety device inoperative;
(iv) When flow rate fluctuation or water
				production prevents a well equipped with a subsurface device from
				producing;
(v) When the mechanical
				condition of the well does not permit the installation of a subsurface safety
				device or at the prescribed minimum depth under section (a) above;
(vi) Class II injection wells; and
(vii) Underground storage wells.
(e) Emergency Action.
				In the event of an emergency, such as an impending storm, any well not equipped
				with a subsurface safety device and which is capable of natural flow shall have
				the device properly installed as soon as possible with due consideration being
				given to personnel safety.
(f) The
				well completion report and any subsequent report of workover shall state the
				type and the depth of the subsurface safety device installed in the well or
				state that the requirement has been waived.
(g) The operator shall maintain records
				showing the present status and past history of each subsurface safety device,
				or automatic surface shut in device installed in lieu of a subsurface safety
				device, including pressure settings and setting depths (if applicable), and
				dates and details of inspections, testing, repairing, adjustment, installations
				and bench tests. Records shall be retained for a period of two (2) years during
				which time they shall be available for review by the Supervisor.
Author:
State Oil and Gas Board