METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTAINING A DEFECTIVE BLOWOUT PREVENTER (BOP) STACK USING BOPSTOPPER ASSEMBLIES HAVING REMOTELY CONTROLLED VALVES AND HEATING ELEMENTS
A method and apparatus are described for containing oil and/or gas spewing from a defective blowout preventer (BOP) stack located on a floor of an ocean using BOPstopper assemblies. A BOPstopper containment assembly is submerged below a surface of the ocean and positioned on a portion of the ocean floor that circumvents the defective BOP stack. Then, a BOPstopper valve assembly is submerged below the ocean surface and positioned on top of the BOPstopper containment assembly to contain the oil and/or gas. Each of these BOPstopper assemblies may comprise a plurality of flooding valves used to submerge the BOPstopper assemblies. Furthermore, each of these BOPstopper assemblies may comprise a plurality of reinforcement material input valves for reinforcing the assemblies with reinforcement material (e.g., cement and/or mud). The flooding valves and the reinforcement material input valves may be remotely controlled from a vessel floating on the ocean surface.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/822,324, filed Jun. 24, 2010, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis application generally relates to a method and apparatus for containing an oil and/or gas spill originating from the bottom of an ocean.
BACKGROUNDAn offshore platform, often referred to as an oil platform or an oil rig, is a large structure used in offshore drilling to house workers and machinery needed to drill wells in the ocean bed, extract oil and/or natural gas, process the produced fluids, and ship or pipe them to shore. Depending on the circumstances, the platform may be fixed to the ocean floor, may consist of an artificial island, or may float.
Remote subsea wells may also be connected to a platform by flow lines and by umbilical connections. These subsea solutions may consist of single wells or of a manifold center for multiple wells.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also called the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill or the Macondo blowout, was a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and is considered the largest offshore spill to ever occur in U.S. history. The spill stemmed from a sea floor oil gusher that started with an oil well blowout on Apr. 20, 2010. The blowout caused a catastrophic explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling platform that was situated about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of the Louisiana coast in the Macondo Prospect oil field. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others. Another 98 people survived without serious physical injury.
Although numerous crews worked to block off bays and estuaries, using anchored barriers, floating containment booms, and sand-filled barricades along shorelines, the oil spill resulted in an environmental disaster characterized by petroleum toxicity and oxygen depletion, thus damaging the Gulf of Mexico fishing industry, the Gulf Coast tourism industry, and the habitat of hundreds of bird species, fish and other wildlife. A variety of ongoing efforts, both short and long term, were made to contain the leak and stop spilling additional oil into the Gulf, without immediate success.
After the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion on Apr. 20, 2010, a BOP should have activated itself automatically to avoid an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill originated from a deepwater oil well 5,000 feet (1,500 m) below the ocean surface. A BOP is a large valve that has a variety of ways to choke off the flow of oil from a gushing oil well. If underground pressure forces oil or gas into the wellbore, operators can close the valve remotely (usually via hydraulic actuators) to forestall a blowout, and regain control of the wellbore. Once this is accomplished, often the drilling mud density within the hole can be increased until adequate fluid pressure is placed on the influx zone, and the BOP can be opened for operations to resume. The purpose of BOPs is to end oil gushers, which are dangerous and costly.
Underwater robots were sent to manually activate the Deepwater Horizon's BOP without success. BP representatives suggested that the BOP may have suffered a hydraulic leak. However, X-ray imaging of the BOP showed that the BOP's internal valves were partially closed and were restricting the flow of oil. Whether the valves closed automatically during the explosion or were shut manually by remotely operated vehicle work is unknown.
BOPs come in a variety of styles, sizes and pressure ratings, and usually several individual units compose a BOP stack. The BOP stack used for the Deepwater Horizon is quite large, consisting of a five-story-tall, 300-ton series of oil well control devices.
The amount of oil that was discharged after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion is estimated to have ranged from 12,000 to 100,000 barrels (500,000 to 4,200,000 gallons) per day. The volume of oil flowing from the blown-out well was estimated at 12,000 to 19,000 barrels (500,000 to 800,000 gallons) per day, which had amounted to between 440,000 and 700,000 barrels (18,000,000 and 29,000,000 gallons). In any case, an oil slick resulted that covered a surface area of over 2,500 square miles (6,500 km2). Scientists had also discovered immense underwater plumes of oil not visible from the surface.
Various solutions have been attempted to control or stop an undersea oil and/or gas spill. One solution is to use a heavy (e.g., over 100 tons) container dome over an oil well leak and pipe the oil to a storage vessel floating on the ocean surface. However, this solution has failed in the past due to hydrate crystals, which form when gas combines with cold water, blocking up a steel canopy at the top of the dome. Thus, excess buoyancy of the crystals clogged the opening at the top of the dome where the riser was to be connected.
Another solution is to attempt to shut down the well completely using a technique called “top kill”. This solution involves pumping heavy drilling fluids into the defective BOP, causing the flow of oil from the well to be restricted, which then may be sealed permanently with cement and/or mud. However, this solution has not been successful in the past.
It would be desirable to have a method and apparatus readily available to successfully contain oil and/or gas spewing from a defective BOP stack, until an alternate means is made available to permanently cap or bypass the oil and/or gas spill, or to repair/replace the defective BOP stack.
SUMMARYA method and apparatus are described for containing oil and/or gas spewing from a defective blowout preventer (BOP) stack located on a floor of an ocean using BOPstopper assemblies. A BOPstopper containment assembly is submerged below a surface of the ocean and positioned on a portion of the ocean floor that circumvents the defective BOP stack. Then, a BOPstopper valve assembly is submerged below the ocean surface and positioned on top of the BOPstopper containment assembly to contain the oil and/or gas.
The BOPstopper containment assembly may comprise a plurality of flooding valves. At least one of the flooding valves may be opened to submerge the BOPstopper containment assembly below the ocean surface. The at least one flooding valve may be closed after the BOPstopper containment assembly is positioned on the portion of the ocean floor that circumvents the defective BOP stack. The flooding valves of the BOPstopper containment assembly may be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
The BOPstopper containment assembly may comprise a hollow wall having a reinforcement cavity, and a plurality of reinforcement material input valves. The BOPstopper containment assembly may be reinforced by filling the reinforcement cavity of the hollow wall of the BOPstopper containment assembly with reinforcement material via at least one of the reinforcement material input valves. The reinforcement material may comprise at least one of cement or mud. The reinforcement material input valves of the BOPstopper containment assembly may be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
The BOPstopper valve assembly may also comprise a plurality of flooding valves. At least one of the flooding valves may be opened to submerge the BOPstopper valve assembly below the ocean surface. The at least one flooding valve may be closed after the BOPstopper valve assembly is positioned on top of the BOPstopper containment assembly. The flooding valves of the BOPstopper valve assembly may be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
The BOPstopper valve assembly may comprise a hollow cavity and a plurality of reinforcement material input valves. The BOPstopper valve assembly may be reinforced by filling the hollow cavity of the BOPstopper valve assembly with reinforcement material via at least one of the reinforcement material input valves. The reinforcement material may comprise at least one of cement or mud. The reinforcement material input valves of the BOPstopper valve assembly may be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
The BOPstopper valve assembly may further comprise at least one large diameter high pressure valve that is surrounded by the hollow cavity. The large diameter high pressure valve may be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
The large diameter high pressure valve is maintained in an open position when the BOPstopper valve assembly is submerged below the ocean surface. The large diameter high pressure valve is maintained in a closed position after the BOPstopper valve assembly is positioned on top of the BOPstopper containment assembly.
A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The present invention described herein, otherwise known as the “BOPstopper”, proposes the undertaking of a potentially expensive method and apparatus, due to the substantially large size of a defective BOP stack that must be circumvented and sealed under thousands of feet of water in response to a catastrophic event, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. However, it has recently been discovered that there are currently no procedures or apparatus available for effectively dealing with such events, and that the consequences of other similar events occurring over a period of time have the potential to destroy life on Earth as we know it.
Instead of tapping off various points of the defective BOP stack 120′, the BOPstopper uses its various embodiments to substantially isolate the BOP stack 120′ from the ocean by completely circumventing and encasing the defective BOP stack 120′. Thus, the amount of ocean that mixes with the spewing oil and/or gas 210 is minimized. Furthermore, a combination of one or more heating elements and measurement equipment, as well as the addition of one or more valves, allows the BOPstopper to better contain and/or control the spewing oil and/or gas 210.
The BOPstopper contains oil from a subsea oil and/or gas blowout. An apparatus constructed from this design will mitigate the spread of oil slicks from subsea oil and/or gas blowouts, with the benefit of allowing oil and/or gas exploration to proceed with diminished risk of environmental damage. The BOPstopper has particular application where coastal wetlands or other delicate ecosystems may potentially be damaged by an oil spill. There currently appears to be no alternative method or apparatus for containing the oil from such blowouts. The BOPstopper has market potential in basins subject to offshore oil exploration where deepwater rigs are active.
The reinforcement material mentioned herein, such as cement, is used underwater for many purposes including, for example, in pools, dams, piers, retaining walls and tunnels. There are many factors that must be controlled for successful application of cement underwater. Of these, the hardening time, that between mixing and solidification, is particularly important because, if it is too long, the cement does not solidify at all but simply dissolves in the surrounding water, herein the environmental water. Compositions containing exothermic micro particles have been found very advantageous for underwater cement applications. The exothermic micro particles produce very high rates of exothermic heating when combined with base cement and water. The exothermic heat produced is sufficient to raise the reaction temperature to a point where the cement composition solidifies underwater, even in cold environmental water.
The inner wall 306 and the outer wall 308 may be steel-reinforced, or consist of any other metal of a suitable strength and thickness. The cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300 may further comprise at least one seal (e.g., an inner seal 312 and an outer seal 314) that is mounted along the entire top perimeter of the hollow wall 302. Optionally, the cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300 may include one or more mud flaps 316 to stop the cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300 from sinking too far below the ocean floor 115, especially after the reinforcement cavity 304 is filled with reinforcement material. The cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300 may further comprise a CCU 318 and at least one antenna 320.
A more sophisticated system of mud flaps 316 may be implemented, whereby the mud flaps 316 may be located at different heights along the outer wall 308 of the cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300, and may be remotely activated (either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection from a vessel floating on the ocean surface 105) to protrude or retract, or be raised or lowered, to control the depth of the cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300 as more weight is added on top of it in order to contain the spewing oil and/or gas 210. Furthermore, the mud flaps 316 may be designed to break off, based on how much weight is applied to the top perimeter of the hollow wall 302 of the cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300.
The cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300 is submerged below the ocean surface 105 and positioned on a portion of the ocean floor 115 that circumvents a defective BOP stack 120′. Although it may be possible to position the cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300 to circumvent the defective BOP stack 120′ if the riser assembly 125 remains in a vertical position by letting the riser assembly 125 pass through the center of the cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300, the riser assembly 125 needs to be disconnected (i.e., cut off) near the top of the defective BOP stack 120′ if a catastrophic event caused the riser assembly 125 to collapse (i.e., fold over), as what occurred due to the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion (see
Alternatively, the cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300 may consist of a plurality of sections and/or components that may be constructed and stored onshore close to areas where deepwater rigs are active. The sections and/or components may include seals and/or gaskets, and may be assembled together as they are submerged just under the ocean surface 105.
Preferably, the reinforcement material input valves 310 and the flooding valves 324 may be configured to be remotely controlled (either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection from a vessel floating on the ocean surface 105) to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position, as desired.
Although a cylindrical geometry has been proposed for the BOPstopper containment assembly to minimize leakage of the spewing oil and/or gas 210 at joints (i.e., corners) of a containment system, any other geometric configuration may be used. For example,
As shown in
As shown in
Preferably, the large diameter high pressure valve 402 and the reinforcement material input valves 410 may be configured to be remotely controlled (either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection from a vessel floating on the ocean surface 105) to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position, as desired.
In its open position, the high pressure valve 402 is configured with an opening of such a large diameter that the spewing oil and/or gas 210 would pass through it without being sufficiently impeded by ice-like crystals (i.e., icy hydrates) that may form near the bottom of an ocean.
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The cylindrical BOPstopper valve assembly 400 may also comprise a plurality of hoist rings 428 that may be used during the submersion and positioning of the cylindrical BOPstopper valve assembly 400 by using a vessel floating on the ocean surface 105, and/or by using at least one ROV. In addition, the cylindrical BOPstopper valve assembly 400 comprises a pressure sensor 430, located near the floor 420 of the hollow cavity 412 just inside the entrance to the large diameter high pressure valve 402, that communicates with the pressure monitor unit 414, and optionally, with a vessel floating on the ocean surface 105, via a wired connection and/or a wireless communication link. Optionally, the cylindrical BOPstopper valve assembly 400 may further comprise one or more heating element(s) 432 for heating up the large diameter valve 402. Preferably, the heating element(s) 432 may be configured to be remotely activated (either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection from a vessel floating on the ocean surface 105).
Although a cylindrical geometry has been proposed for the BOPstopper valve assembly 400 to minimize leakage of the spewing oil and/or gas 210 at joints (i.e., corners) of a containment system, any other geometric configuration may be used. For example,
As shown in
As shown in
When the cylindrical BOPstopper valve assembly 400 is submerged below the ocean surface 105 and is positioned on top of the reinforced cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300′, the large diameter high pressure valve 402 is maintained in a fully open position such that the oil and/or gas 210 spewing from the defective BOP stack 120′ is allowed to pass through the large diameter high pressure valve 402. By leaving at least one high pressure valve 402 of a suitable diameter in a fully open position, buoyancy problems due to the pressure of the spewing oil and/or gas 210 may be minimized, while the hollow cavity 412 of the cylindrical BOPstopper valve assembly 400, surrounding the large diameter high pressure valve 402, is filled with reinforcement material (e.g., cement and/or mud).
A riser assembly 125 may be attached between the large diameter high pressure valve 402/452 and a containment vessel floating on the ocean surface 105. The large diameter high pressure valve 402/452 may then be opened to allow the oil and/or gas 210 to be stored by the containment vessel.
The pressure of the oil and/or gas 210 may be monitored by the pressure monitor unit 414/464 after the large diameter high pressure valve 402/452 is closed. The large diameter high pressure valve 402/452 may be automatically opened by the pressure monitor unit 414/464 when the pressure sensor 430/480 detects a pressure within the reinforced BOPstopper containment assembly 300′/400′ that reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold.
The hollow wall 302/352 of the reinforced BOPstopper containment assembly 300′/350′ may be of such a large width (e.g., 10 feet or more), that it may be unlikely that the reinforced BOPstopper containment assembly 300′/350′ would sink very far below the ocean floor 115, and thus the mud flaps 316/366 may not be necessary. However, the extreme weight applied to the top perimeter of the hollow wall 302/352 of the reinforced BOPstopper containment assembly 300′/350′ may be so great, that the reinforced BOPstopper containment assembly 300′/350′ may sink many feet below the ocean floor 115. Thus, it is important to perform initial tests and analysis in a laboratory setting to determine more precise and optimal dimensions that may be applicable to a particular BOP stack failure situation.
In step 1005 of the procedure 1000 of
In step 1030 of the procedure 1000 of
As an example, the diameter/width of the BOPstopper containment assembly 300/350 may be on the order of 80 feet, and the height of the BOPstopper containment assembly 300/350 may be on the order of 60 feet. The width of the hollow wall 302/352 of the BOPstopper containment assembly 300/350 may be on the order of 10 feet. The diameter/width of the BOPstopper valve assembly 400/450 may be the same as the diameter/width of the BOPstopper containment assembly 300/350, and the height of the BOPstopper valve assembly 400/450 may be on the order of 80 feet. Thus, the hollow cavity 412 of the of the cylindrical BOPstopper valve assembly 400 may be able to hold on the order of 400,000 cubic feet of reinforcement material (e.g., cement and/or mud), whereas the hollow cavity 462 of the square cuboid BOPstopper valve assembly 450 may be able to hold on the order of 510,000 cubic feet of reinforcement material.
For example, depending upon the type of reinforcement material used, which may range from 90 to 140 pounds per cubic foot, and how much is poured into the hollow cavity 412 of the cylindrical BOPstopper valve assembly 400, the weight applied to the top perimeter of the reinforced cylindrical BOPstopper containment assembly 300′ to counter the pressure of the spewing oil and/or gas 210 may be on the order of 25,000 tons. The enormous mass of the reinforced cylindrical valve assembly 400′, combined with the large mass of the cement-filled reinforcement cavity 304 of the reinforced cylindrical containment assembly 300′, should insure that the oil and/or gas 210 would not be able to pass through the bottom of the reinforced cylindrical containment assembly 300′, since the annular rim 322 would be applying a huge force to the ocean floor 115, causing it to compress and form an watertight seal with the bottom of the reinforced cylindrical containment assembly 300′.
The diameter of the valve 402/452 is critical to the first embodiment of the present invention, and may be on the order of six feet. For example, the diameter of the valve 402/452 may be similar to the diameter of jet flow gates used for dams, such as the Hoover Dam, which may range in diameter from 68 to 90 inches. The valve 402/452 is designed to operate under high pressure (e.g., 10,000-15,000 pounds per square inch (PSI)), and may include a steel plate that may be opened or closed to either prevent or allow the spewing oil and/or gas 210 to be discharged.
As would be known by one of ordinary skill, smaller or larger dimensions may be applicable to the components used to implement the various embodiments of the BOPstopper in accordance with the particular BOP failure situation that the assemblies 300, 350, 400 and 450 are designed for. For example, initial tests and analysis should be performed in a laboratory setting to determine more precise dimensions that may be applicable to a particular BOP stack failure situation.
The first embodiment of the present invention, as described above in conjunction with
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Still referring to
The primary containment assembly 1100/1200 is lowered below the ocean surface 105 and positioned on a portion of the ocean floor 115 that circumvents the defective BOP stack 120′. Although it may be possible to lower the primary containment assembly 1100/1200 over the defective BOP stack 120′ if the riser assembly 125 remains in a vertical position by letting the riser assembly 125 pass through the first opening 1105/1205 and the second opening 1125/1220 of the primary containment assembly 1100/1200, the riser assembly 125 needs to be disconnected (i.e., cut off) near the top of the defective BOP stack 120′ if a catastrophic event caused the riser assembly 125 to collapse (i.e., fold over), as what occurred due to the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion.
Preferably, it would be desirable to grade the portion of the ocean floor 115 that circumvents the defective BOP stack 120′ before the primary containment assembly 1100/1200 is positioned, in order to optimize the reduction of the pollution of the ocean caused by the oil and/or gas 210 spewing from the defective BOP stack 120′. Such ocean floor grading may be performed by at least one ROV. Furthermore, the ROV may be used to assist in the lowering and positioning of the primary containment assembly 1100/1200.
Alternatively, the primary containment assembly 1100/1200 may consist of a plurality of sections and/or components that may be constructed and stored onshore close to areas where deepwater rigs are active. The sections and/or components may include seals and/or gaskets, and may be assembled together as they are submerged just under the ocean surface 105.
In accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention,
Claims
1. A method of containing at least one of oil or gas spewing from a defective blowout preventer (BOP) stack located on a floor of an ocean, the method comprising:
- (a) submerging a containment assembly below a surface of the ocean;
- (b) positioning the containment assembly on a portion of the ocean floor that circumvents the defective BOP stack;
- (c) submerging a valve assembly below the ocean surface; and
- (d) positioning the valve assembly on top of the containment assembly to contain the at least one of oil and gas.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the containment assembly comprises a plurality of flooding valves configured to be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
- (e) opening at least one of the flooding valves to submerge the containment assembly below the ocean surface; and
- (f) closing the at least one flooding valve after the containment assembly is positioned on the portion of the ocean floor that circumvents the defective BOP stack.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the containment assembly comprises a hollow wall having a reinforcement cavity, and a plurality of reinforcement material input valves, the method further comprising:
- (e) reinforcing the containment assembly by filling the reinforcement cavity of the hollow wall of the containment assembly with reinforcement material via at least one of the reinforcement material input valves, wherein the reinforcement material comprises at least one of cement or mud, and the reinforcement material input valves are configured to be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the valve assembly comprises a plurality of flooding valves configured to be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising;
- (e) opening at least one of the flooding valves to submerge the valve assembly below the ocean surface; and
- (f) closing the at least one flooding valve after the valve assembly is positioned on top of the containment assembly.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the valve assembly comprises a hollow cavity and a plurality of reinforcement material input valves, the method further comprising:
- (e) reinforcing the valve assembly by filling the hollow cavity of the valve assembly with reinforcement material via at least one of the reinforcement material input valves, wherein the reinforcement material comprises at least one of cement or mud, and the reinforcement material input valves are configured to be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the valve assembly further comprises at least one large diameter high pressure valve that is surrounded by the hollow cavity.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the large diameter high pressure valve is remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein the large diameter high pressure valve is maintained in an open position when the valve assembly is submerged below the ocean surface, and the large diameter high pressure valve is maintained in a closed position after the valve assembly is positioned on top of the containment assembly.
11. Apparatus for containing at least one of oil or gas spewing from a defective blowout preventer (BOP) stack located on a floor of an ocean, the apparatus comprising:
- a containment assembly configured to be submerged below a surface of the ocean and positioned on a portion of the ocean floor that circumvents the defective BOP stack; and
- a valve assembly configured to be submerged below the ocean surface and positioned on top of the containment assembly to contain the at least one of oil and gas.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the containment assembly comprises a plurality of flooding valves configured to be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein at least one of the flooding valves is opened to submerge the containment assembly below the ocean surface, and the at least one flooding valve is closed after the containment assembly is positioned on the portion of the ocean floor that circumvents the defective BOP stack.
14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the containment assembly comprises a hollow wall having a reinforcement cavity, and a plurality of reinforcement material input valves, and the containment assembly is reinforced by filling the reinforcement cavity of the hollow wall of the containment assembly with reinforcement material via at least one of the reinforcement material input valves, wherein the reinforcement material comprises at least one of cement or mud, and the reinforcement material input valves are configured to be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the valve assembly comprises a plurality of flooding valves configured to be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein at least one of the flooding valves is opened to submerge the valve assembly below the ocean surface, and the at least one flooding valve is closed after the valve assembly is positioned on top of the containment assembly.
17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the valve assembly comprises a hollow cavity and a plurality of reinforcement material input valves, and the valve assembly is reinforced by filling the hollow cavity of the valve assembly with reinforcement material via at least one of the reinforcement material input valves, wherein the reinforcement material comprises at least one of cement or mud, and the reinforcement material input valves are configured to be remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the valve assembly further comprises at least one large diameter high pressure valve that is surrounded by the hollow cavity.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the large diameter high pressure valve is remotely controlled, either wirelessly or via a wired or hydraulic connection, from a vessel floating on the ocean surface to maintain an open position, a partially open position or a closed position.
20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the large diameter high pressure valve is maintained in an open position when the valve assembly is submerged below the ocean surface, and the large diameter high pressure valve is maintained in a closed position after the valve assembly is positioned on top of the containment assembly.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 20, 2010
Publication Date: Dec 29, 2011
Applicant: Subsea IP Holdings LLC (Sewell, NJ)
Inventor: Scott Wolinsky (Sewell, NJ)
Application Number: 12/860,001
International Classification: E21B 34/04 (20060101); E02B 15/06 (20060101);