Abstract: A blowout preventer with a body having a central bore and aligned, opposed guideways extending outward from said central bore, a ram in each of said guideways, means for moving the rams in the guideways, each ram having a ram body with a pair of vertical face recesses and a face slot for receiving an improved packer including a packer body of resilient material with two vertical recesses aligned with the ram body recesses, said packer body also having tubing supporting means and a tubing sealing means.

Abstract: An improved string support apparatus used with a ram type blowout preventer in which improved gripping assemblies, each having a bowl body and gripping elements, are positioned in the front face packer recess or recess of the rams which is normally occupied by a ram packer. In such rams, a top seal is used and positioned in a groove in the ram body which extends from side to side across the top of the ram body and the packer extends across the face of the ram and has pins at each side extending into openings in the ram body which are engaged and secured by pins extending from the top seal into openings which intersect with the openings for the packer pins. The bowl body has the general shape of the back of the packer so that it fits into the packer slot in the ram body and it also includes the pins which extend into the openings in the ram body at each side which are secured in place by engagement with the top seal pins.