Rapid BOP or Blowout Preventer Technical Assessment Technology

Major Efficiencies In Real Time Risk Management

Incorporating Digital Twin Technology And Helping Industry Take Advantage Of These Available Technology Based Solutions

Critical Questions

What is the current risk profile of Blowout Preventers (BOPs) to be placed in-service and can it be satisfactorily quantified??

Are we proactive instead of reactive ? Do we know where all of the risk is and do we have a plan in place to manage all risk before an event ever takes place?

Have we defined risk accurately and do we understand crucial criticality in regards to industry or regulatory safe operating standards?

How can the BOP or Controls be improved and can we measure/quantify its effect on its overall reliability and availability of in service BOP and their control systems. (risk hierarchy?- Eliminate?/ reduce ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) mitigate etc.)?

Have we identified which category of BOP system design carries the smaller risk profile for our application?

Has a risk management technology that can manage risk and accommodate the "Management of Change" Process in real time been deployed to respond to emergencies while in-service without delays?

Does the BOP and control system have a data analytics driven continuous improvement plan, and can it be quantified unequivocally to enhance performance and availability over time?

Does your analysis give you the basis for purely technical and reliability-based improvements to your Maintenance Plan to include criticality designators for optimization purposes?

Are your technical drawings and other technical information accurate, up to date and unequivocally representative of their function within the system?

Can you statistically evaluate the potential for event escalation based on reliability data on demand and can you communicate this information in real time without delays due to lengthy post event analysis??

BRMS Smart-Risk initiatives are the direct result of an effort to effectively communicate system integrity issues rapidly with in-service Subsea BOP or Production Control systems, and always include a full regional regulatory and industry minimum capabilities analysis.

In short, the system was designed to remove the challenges surrounding the real time traditional technical assessment protocols used by nearly every Drilling Contractor and Major Operators that can take many hours, days or even weeks to accomplish successfully.

The Smart-Risk system allows the stakeholders an ability to focus on what's really important which is the "safety and efficiency of the operation", and it is intended to communicate the system capabilities in a proactive way that allows for true realization of the system reliability before the system is deployed into service. Advanced knowledge and preparedness is the key to prevention when it comes to reliability in critical operating safety systems!

The goals and objectives of this type of endeavor are to reduce communications of total effective systems capabilities to their technically accurate and simplest format as quickly as possible for decision makers. The benefit is to present and communicate integrity issues in a manner which anyone familiar with the subject matter can quickly assess system impacts competently and react swiftly with a high degree of confidence to prevent event escalation.

Utilizing tools such as;

Specifically designed and industry recognized reliability analytics available in real time to generate an on demand certified third party technical analysis Smart-Risk report or Certified "Statement of Fact" (SOF).

Smart-Sim Digital Twin based VES (Virtual Environment Simulator)

Family of Function Block Diagrams used to simplify communication of circuit design articulating paths of control lost vs paths of control that remain available due to component or system faults/failures.

RBD's (Reliability Block Diagrams) and FTA's (Fault Tree Analysis) with easily understood criticality designators to determine severity of fault/failure impact.

a case can be assembled and understood quickly that includes troubleshooting and validation guidance, advanced and pre-planned operational contingencies, made comprehensive in a very short period of time for combinations of faults/failures totaling in the millions for critical well control equipment. A capability designed specifically to respond rapidly to prevent event escalation and possible loss of control from a basic to top event scenarios.

The analytics formulas utilized in the BRMS Smart-Risk system goes above and beyond the typical analysis by incorporating mandatory fields, such as;

Symptomology and component/system specific failure mode identification (based on actual design rather than generic failure modes).

Articulating troubleshooting/fault validation criteria to limit the possibility of misdiagnosis.

Contingency plans based on the design of the system that incorporates regulatory and industry minimum criteria and ensures the full capability of the system is utilized in the loss mitigation process (Designed to prevent event escalation).

Clearly presented technical information to communicate regulatory or industry minimum criteria, impacts on critical well control and emergency response systems to ensure a rapid reaction to any level of threat/degradation from minimal system impacts to catastrophic loss of function failure modes.

The BRMS Smart-Risk system is tailor made and unique for each individual BOP system and bolsters its inherent design merits.

Once a case has been prepared using this technology-based solution, it can be distributed to relevant parties such as the drilling contractor's or operators management teams and regulators globally. With this communication all parties involved can make rational decisions on action plans based on factual, fully vetted and accurate information that is easy to understand, technically correct, and in a fraction of the traditional timeline for loss mitigation.

Decisions are made with more confidence that a thorough systems reliability analysis has been considered using all the relevant information required for and applied to informed decision making that limits exposure to unnecessary risk.

Analytics Based System Modification/Adding Supplemental Equipment For Temporary Use Such As SAMs Units

The Smart-Risk system has been used to evaluate potential modification to ensure that proposed system changes do not have unintended consequences on the reliability or availability of the overall operating system. Understanding exactly how a proposed modification will effect your reliability and evaluating all of the options available ensures that modification proposals always produce the desired results without sacrificing the critical reliability.

BRMS has captured the original design reliability analytics in great detail, using this as a baseline to evaluate modification proposals its easy to distinguish between sound design changes and those that pose any risk to the overall operating system.

Often times modification proposals are designed to overcome a challenge that has been experienced in the as built system design. While the modification in most instances will effect a solution to the problem presented, it often lacks an engineering evaluation of conflicts in other operating systems which can reduce the overall reliability or availability.

Using an analytics approach to evaluating modifications it is easy to quantify system design changes and prevent costly mistakes before committing precious resources. An example of how the system has been used in this regard is, the proposal of a multiple design variations including a semi autonomous, and a fully redundant/autonomous dual deadman system.

While the analysis rendered an increased in availability and overall reliability of the DMAS emergency response system in the semi autonomous version analyzed. The fully autonomous dual deadman proposal analysis produced a significant increase in reliability by demonstrating a 70% reduction in operational risk/threat due to this critical emergency response system. Point being the equipment owner was able to quantify and articulate a technical case communicating a cost/benefit analysis using pure data analytics for justification to add this to their 5 year continuous improvement plans for the effected rigs.

Analytics Based Maintenance Optimization

Once a system has been analyzed using the BRMS Smart-Risk System, the data analytics have many other specific uses such as Maintenance Optimization. Understanding the criticality of each individual component within any "family of function" can assist the equipment owner identify the appropriate maintenance strategy to deploy while safeguarding reliability of critical safety systems and system availability most importantly.

Once a BRMS Smart-Risk system has been fully developed and delivered, the full suite of reliability tools and analytics have been successfully utilized to place precious capital in maintenance strategies that statistically enhance the reliability of the equipment while also giving us as an industry a means to identify specific information such as defining "Usable Life" by allowing us to operate equipment, track utilization and its operating environment to identify where in its service life, age related degradation begins to identify itself. This information can then be utilized to assign appropriate maintenance on condition based criteria rather than a calendarized based criteria saving industry resources and capital that can be used for other similar optimizations in efficiency.

Data Analytics Based Probabilistic Calculators

Also using the criticality data and analytics from Smart-Risk as a basis, BRMS can develop "Probabilistic Calculators" using industry or client reliability data sets for individual components within any system.

This tool can then be used to identify, based on the reliability data available, a percentage of change from a basic event to any top event possible. This allows the user to evaluate and communicate the probability of event escalation from a basic event to the top event possible.

Basically the user can enter a fault/failure basic event into the specifically designed interactive FTAs and receive an output that communicates the probability of event escalation within a family of function or the top event respectively. This ability can assist the operations team when predicting operational outcomes and exposure to an elevated level of Risk to aid in the decision to suspend operations to effect repairs or safely remain in service.

This particular tool has been used in submissions to justify an ability to extend BOP test periodicities from 14 to 21 days as well as being utilized to analyze heightened levels of risk to the operations for critical phases of well construction to assist in operational decision making.

This is just another example of how the BRMS technology can be used to further streamline decision making in the oil and gas industry.

More Information On The Many Other Applications and Uses For The Smart-Risk System

INTRODUCTION

This article is generated to describe the effort undertaken by BOP Risk Mitigation Services, LLC, or BRMS, to combat the issue of competently communicating faults within "In-Service BOP's" (Blowout Preventers). Integrity issues in Subsea BOP systems are inevitable, and the industry as well as regulators are demanding greater stack and controls capabilities, and reliability as we operate in ultra-Deepwater environments.

Today it is common to assess how capabilities have been affected by integrity issues without assessing all the mitigating design capabilities. Redundancy is emphasized both in BOP stack configurations as well as their controls capabilities.

By assessing every failure and combination of failures in advance and considering varying levels of impact in a controlled, stress free environment out of critical path, we can afford ourselves a standardized in-depth technical evaluation of our systems capabilities to mitigate potential losses. This should be accomplished while still maintaining our core responsibility to safeguard our people, the environment, drilling operations, the drilling asset, and the industry’s reputation from losses.

Once a full study has been performed using the BRMS patent pending system, it is easy to evaluate the information on several key levels, identifying specific weaknesses within the system and evaluating improvement opportunities to increase the overall reliability.?We can clearly identify all the faults or failures which, if were to occur, would significantly increase the likelihood of a top event occurring such as a loss of control, and identify those events which need a detailed and specific emergency response procedure where one may not exist.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT OR DIGITAL TWIN ANIMATED BOP SIMULATORS

BRMS Smart-Sim, gives us our first ability to communicate clearly any failure and its impact on our BOP systems. Once we have identified the failure through troubleshooting and validation, we can now introduce the failure (in any variation) into a fully interactive, engineering simulated set of P&ID's, with full HMI controls to depict or give an example of the effects of the issues being assessed.

Each simulation can be recorded via an AVI, MP4, or other file type and submitted with the total assessment, to make it much easier for decision makers to quickly understand the issues and their system capabilities to mitigate the loss, or to demonstrate why the BOP stack or LMRP (Lower Marine Riser Package) must be retrieved to the surface to effect repairs after safeguarding the well.

Animated P&IDs can also add to the ability of the Subsea Technicians and Engineers to understand their systems capabilities, run failure scenarios for training purposes, and to easily navigate an entire set of P&IDs, using quick links to rapidly go from one control path on a drawing to another drawing seamlessly. This ability makes the technical assessment much quicker and less confusing and helps eliminate the potential for mistakes made while trying to navigate the P&IDs in the traditional way.

Other uses for the tool can be validation of the operator’s skills and understanding, giving them the ability to learn their contingency plans in the event they operate the system and failure occurs. In some instances, when the equipment which needs to be on demand fails, the operators (Drillers, Ads, Toolpushers etc.) may not have time to wait for instruction and must know the next step fluently.

The digital twin BOP simulators can also be used within an equipment monitoring environment. analyzing by comparison of the real world data and the digital or perfect world application and understanding the differences in system behaviors.

FAMILY OF FUNCTION BLOCK DIAGRAMS

The Family of Function Block Diagrams are the second way to decrease the complexity of hydraulic circuit examination.?The block diagrams depict the entire control path on a single sheet and separates the family members. For example, the USBR (Upper Blind Shear Rams), outlining the closed family including Auto Shear or EHBS and Acoustics, the open family, the ram locking family, and of course the ram itself.

This makes it very easy to highlight the effected component and its control path, while also graphically depicting all remaining control paths and capabilities.?This makes it possible for even the novice to be capable of evaluation and understanding subject matter for better and more confident decision making.

In the scenario of multiple faults or failures within a system, these types of block diagrams make it possible to evaluate whether single or multiple families have been affected. The block diagrams assist in clearly communicating the impacts on more complex capabilities, such as an EDS or other emergency functional capabilities where a failure can affect multiple families.

In multifamily, or multiple failures in several families, it is often very difficult to examine, and lends itself to the reviewer’s skills in rapid review of a systems total functional control, for determination and communication of relevant facts on functional losses in multiple well control scenarios.

RELIABILITY BLOCK DIAGRAMS

Reliability Block Diagrams, or RBD’s, are yet another method for depicting component criticality and failure impact. This tool is widely recognized by the risk and reliability community globally and is outlined in the IEC 60812 Standard.

These diagrams are developed and delivered by BRMS as part of a multi-level system review process.By delivering this redundant information in this format, it allows us to validate the assessment findings, requiring that every component or system undergo a secondary validation. The relevant block diagrams would be delivered with the submission of the assessment report to support the findings and to further clarify the event being discussed.

FAULT TREE ANALYSIS

In the event of integrity or reliability issues occurring in a stack, LMRP (Lower Marine Riser Package), or controls capability, the fault tree is a form logic, recognized by the risk and reliability industry as the format most preferred for analysis and depiction of system impact escalation, or a depiction of the top event possible for the fault or failure being assessed. Easily used, this tool adds yet another in the toolbox to ensure the integrity or failure event can be easily communicated and understood by all audiences or vested parties.

??THE "STATEMENT OF FACT" TECHNICAL ANALYSIS REPORT

?????????(FAILURE MODE EFFECTS AND CRITICALITY ASSESSMENT)

The technical assessment articulated in the Smart-Risk Rapid Assessment System meets or exceeds regulatory reporting requirements and is a full comprehensive regulatory and industry review of the technical design capabilities of the system it has been prepared to represent.

The FMECA evaluation of the acceptable risk level is based in the IEC 60812 (Analysis techniques for system reliability – Procedure for (FEMA) -Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) Risk analysis standard. Most probable consequences are assessed to identify possible injuries to personnel, harm to the environment, loss of financial assets, and a negative reputation to our clients and the industry. The risks associated with all BOP integrity issues shall always lie within the mitigatable area of the matrix, and as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).

The FMECA format used in the development of this project was strictly adhered to, which ensures reliable and consistent result outcomes throughout the lengthy and detailed technical assessments and evaluations.

Assessing the capabilities of BOP or Production control systems in this way, and answering all the questions throughout the FMECA workshop, allows us quick assessment capabilities and contingency planning in advance of any known integrity issues, and before critical path operations are negatively affected.

CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY

With all the aforementioned technology working in unison, it is now possible to assess all of the relevant information in the event of reduction of integrity, regardless of severity of system impact or multiples of event. When building a case for either remaining in service or pulling the BOP stack, the LMRP or Production control systems, it is now possible to technically assess quickly, and build an easy to understand report based on the FMECA assessment. Adding to the effective and proactive system, is also providing the supportive information in many formats to ensure competent and quick evaluation by all parties, including the drilling contractor's operational management team, the Operators management team, the Regulator's, and any other stakeholder in the decision-making process.

A tool such as the BRMS Smart-Risk, built out of simplicity, makes it proactive. It now gives us a tool we can use to investigate the future and evaluate our greatest risks to our operations, while possibly addressing them in advance of having to deal with them while in service, safeguarding the industry’s drilling operations. It has an enormous amount of power to realize our systems full design potential, and most importantly, its weaknesses, to drive future actions or modifications, either in design or operational procedures, to ensure the safety of the major oil and gas operations, our industry workforce, and our physical assets in the field.

A Smart- Tool chest built with these proactive elements can now be used for all failures, regardless of whether it’s a small leak in a hydraulic line or a BOP operator catastrophic loss of functionality, including any variation in between. Rapid assessment capability, coupled with simplifying the way we accurately communicate failures, assists the industry in many ways.

The ability to introduce any failure and evaluate how it affects or will affect our system, makes it a powerful competency enhancement tool. With little instruction, end users can operate and manipulate the model to learn systems capabilities, troubleshooting skills, or just to enhance skills in quick system capabilities recognition and aid in quick situational response.

BOP Risk Mitigation Services is a company dedicated to total systems reliability from the subject matters of proactive assessments thru competency of the equipment operators and education of personnel whom have any role to play during critical assessment periods.

Thank you for taking the time to review this abstract of our unique Risk Assessment technology Smart-Risk.

All presentations at conferences include a live demonstration of the BOP Simulator and risk assessment tools to demonstrate the power of the system!

For a demonstration or more specific information, please contact Garry Davis at [email protected] or check us out at www.bopriskmitigation.com