US 12,188,323 B2
Controlling a subsea blowout preventer stack
Oladele Owoeye, Dhahran (SA); and Peter Ido Egbe, Abqaiq (SA)
Assigned to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Dec. 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/075,067.
Prior Publication US 2024/0183243 A1, Jun. 6, 2024
Int. Cl. E21B 33/06 (2006.01); E21B 33/064 (2006.01); E21B 47/10 (2012.01)
CPC E21B 33/064 (2013.01) [E21B 33/063 (2013.01); E21B 47/10 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A subsea well control system comprising:
a plurality of subsea blowout preventer stack sensors coupled to a subsea blowout preventer stack and a subsea blowout preventer control system, the subsea blowout preventer control system operatively coupled to the subsea blowout preventer stack, the plurality of subsea blowout preventer stack sensors configured to:
sense a condition of the subsea blowout preventer stack and the subsea blowout preventer control system, the condition comprising at least one of a temperature, a pressure, a fluid type of a fluid in the subsea blowout preventer stack, a specific gravity of the fluid, a flow rate of the fluid, a presence of a tool joint of a work string, a location of a plurality of annular preventers, a location of a plurality of rams, a position of the plurality of annular preventers, a position of the plurality of rams, a wear measurement of the plurality of annular preventers, a wear measurement of the plurality of rams, a closure blockage of at least one of the plurality of annular preventers or the plurality of rams, or a pressure of the subsea blowout preventer control system; and
transmit a signal representing a value of the condition of the subsea blowout preventer stack and the subsea blowout preventer control system; and
a well control programmable logic controller operatively coupled to the subsea blowout preventer control system, the well control programmable logic controller configured to perform operations comprising:
receiving the signal representing the value of the condition of the subsea blowout preventer stack and the subsea blowout preventer control system from the plurality of subsea blowout preventer stack sensors;
comparing the value of the condition of the subsea blowout preventer stack and the subsea blowout preventer control system to a subsea blowout preventer stack and subsea blowout preventer control system preset value; and
in response to the value of the condition of the subsea blowout preventer stack and the subsea blowout preventer control system greater than or equal to the subsea blowout preventer stack and subsea blowout preventer control system preset value, transmitting a command signal to the subsea blowout preventer control system to seal, by at least one of the plurality of annular preventers and the plurality of rams of the subsea blowout preventer stack, a fluid flow through the subsea blowout preventer stack, wherein sealing the fluid flow through the subsea blowout preventer stack comprises:
activating at least one ram of the plurality of rams to seal the subsea blowout preventer stack;
after activating the at least one ram of the plurality of rams, waiting a predetermined delay time; and
after waiting the predetermined delay time, activating another of the plurality of rams or the plurality of annular preventers to further seal the subsea blowout preventer stack.