US 12,404,736 B2
Electrically-actuated blow-out preventer
Suman Katanguri, Sugar Land, TX (US); Matthew Givens, Houston, TX (US); Matthew Olson, Cypress, TX (US); and Jesse Hardt, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed on May 16, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/318,197.
Prior Publication US 2024/0384618 A1, Nov. 21, 2024
Int. Cl. E21B 33/06 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 33/063 (2013.01) [E21B 33/062 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for operating a blow-out preventer (BOP), the method comprising:
electrically-actuating the BOP in response to a pressure in a well exceeding a predetermined pressure threshold, wherein electrically-actuating the BOP comprises moving two rams toward or away from one another using two electric motors, and wherein the two electric motors each comprise a variable-frequency drive (VFD);
capturing sensor data with a plurality of sensors as the BOP is electrically-actuated, wherein the sensor data comprises position data, speed data, and torque data;
determining a plurality of parameters with a controller based upon the sensor data, wherein a first of the parameters comprises positions of the two rams based upon the position data, wherein a second of the parameters comprises speeds of the two rams based upon the speed data, and wherein a third of the parameters comprises torques of the two electric motors based upon the torque data; and
controlling the two electric motors based upon the parameters, wherein controlling the two electric motors comprises controlling a frequency and/or a voltage of a power supplied to the VFDs of the two electric motors, wherein controlling the frequency and/or the voltage causes the two electric motors to operate in a first mode as the two rams move toward a pipe therebetween and in a second mode as the two rams cut through the pipe, wherein the speeds of the two electric motors are greater than a predetermined speed threshold in the first mode and less than the predetermined speed threshold in the second mode, and wherein the torques of the two electric motors are less than a predetermined torque threshold in the first mode and greater than the predetermined torque threshold in the second mode.