Ram

Preventers
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 Ram Preventers
Table Of Contents
Section 8
Page
1. Rams, How They Operate 1

2. Cameron TL Pipe Rams 3
3. Cameron TL Shearing Blind Rams 4
4. Packer Pressure, The Secret to Maintaining a Drip Tight Seal 5

5. Closing Ratio 6
6. Manufacturers 7
7. Cameron U-II Blowout Preventers 8
8. Hydril 18 3/4 15,000 Blowout Preventers 10
9. Ram Cavity to Ram Block Allowable Clearance 11
10. Hydril Engineering Bulletin #92002 12
11. Hydril 18 /4 15,000 Shear Ram Capability 13
12. Shaffer 18 10,000 psi SL Ram 14
13. Shaffer Poslock Operation 15
14. Shaffer Ultralock II Operation 17
15. Typical Ram Problems 19
16. Ram Preventer Operation and Inspection Points 19
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 1 Ram Preventers
1) Rams, How They Operate

a) Blocks of steel push into the wellbore around drill pipe by hydraulic cylinders.
Elastomer seals on the ram blocks are made of nitrile and form the seal between
the ram blocks, pipe and preventer body. Due to the inflexible design of the ram
blocks, each set of ram blocks is designed to perform a specific function ;
Closing on : Ram Block Name
pipe of one specific size fixed pipe rams
range of pipe sizes variable, flexible, or multi-size rams
close open hole or cut the drill pipe shear/blind rams, or SBR
open hole (no pipe in the hole) blind rams or CSO rams (surface
stacks)
b) Hydraulic operators use 1,500 psi for normal operation to close and open the
preventers, but operating chambers are rated for up to 3,000 psi WP .
c) Ram rubbers seal around the drill pipe and the annulus between pipe and bore.
d) Wellbore pressure assists closing action by energizing the rams closed.
e) Shear/blind rams (SBRs) are used to seal the wellbore with no pipe in the hole.
f) Shear/Blind Rams are also used to shear pipe in an emergency.
g) Drill pipe usually requires 2,000 to 3,000+ psi to shear depending on pipe
strength, ram operating piston diameter, and ram manufacturer.
h) Super shears with 28 diameter pistons vs. the 14 or 15 standard size pistons
(4x larger area) allow shearing of drill collars with the preventers.
i) Typical stack arrangement is shear rams on top (1 or 2 cavities) with 3 sets of
pipe rams below the shears - upper, middle, and lower pipe rams.
j) What is an emergency: in order of most likely occurrence, loss of DP, (loss of
positioning reference, loss of station keeping power), loop current, or blowout.
k) While disconnected no hydraulic power is applied to the rams, so we need a
locking mechanism on the rams to maintain them in the closed position.
l) Hanging off a tool joint on a closed set of rams (Now see why shear rams are
above pipe rams), also tends to open pipe rams.
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 2 Ram Preventers
2) Cameron TL Pipe Rams
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 3 Ram Preventers
3) Cameron TL Shearing Blind Rams
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 4 Ram Preventers
4) Closing Ratio

The ram blocks are forced into the wellbore by ram shafts connected to hydraulically
driven pistons. Closing hydraulic pressure behind the piston areas forces the
pistons closed with a force equal to the hydraulic closing pressure times piston area.



Closing Force on ram shaft = Closing pressure (psi) X Piston Area (D
2
/4, in.)

When closing the preventer with pressure in the wellbore, the pressure is acting on
the ram shaft area attempting to force the ram shaft into the open position. Because
the piston area is much larger than the ram shaft area, a lower hydraulic operating
pressure will over come a larger wellbore pressure to force the ram blocks into the
closed position. The ration of piston closing area to ram shaft area gives us the
closing ratio.

In the example above 1,428 psi of hydraulic closing pressure is required to close the
ram with 10,000 psi wellbore pressure inside it. Ram preventers from different
manufactures have different piston and ram shaft diameters and therefore different
closing ratio.

For example, a Cameron 18 15,000 U-II has a closing ratio of 9.3 to one. This
means that for every 9.3 psi of wellbore pressure it requires only 1 psi of hydraulic
pressure to over come that wellbore pressure. If the preventer had 15,000 psi in the
wellbore it would require 15,000 psi / 9.3 = 1,612 psi of hydraulic closing pressure to
close the preventer.
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 5 Ram Preventers

5) Packer Pressure, the secret to maintaining a drip tight seal

Ram rubbers, or sometimes called ram packers, are squeezed and forced into
compression when the ram blocks move into the closed position. The compressive
force placed on the ram packers is called packer pressure.

Only when the pressure generated inside the rubber packers (the packer pressure)
is greater than the pressure trying to separate the packers (the well bore pressure)
can a pressure tight seal be achieved. This is a basic concept for all seals. It can
be applied to elastomer O-rings in electrical enclosures as well as steel ring gaskets
in well control equipment

Typically, when closing the ram BOP with 1,500 psi closing hydraulic pressure we
generate 1,000 to 2,000 psi of compression inside the ram rubbers. This is
adequate to form a low pressure seal, but you may ask, what happens as wellbore
pressures are raised. Ram blocks are designed to be self energizing. That is, as
wellbore pressure is raised, the pressure behind the blocks forces the blocks to
close even more tightly. This self-sealing effect raises the packer pressure so that it
is always greater than the wellbore pressure.
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 6 Ram Preventers
Wellbore pressure should always be bled off the BOP before attempting to open a
set of rams. When wellbore pressure is under a set of closed rams, you should not
attempt to open the rams. Opening the rams with 1,500 psi operating pressure may
blow the ram rubbers off the ram block. Attempting to open the preventer with 3,000
psi hydraulic opening pressure may shear the ram shaft attachment with the ram
block.

6) Manufacturers

There are 3 major manufacturers of ram preventers, Cameron, Hydril, and Shaffer.
The majority of rams on Transocean rigs are Cameron and Hydril. Only the D-534
has Shaffer rams.

Cameron rams used on subsea stacks are the Model U, U-II, T, and the model TL

Hydril rams used on subsea stacks are the standard 18-10 and 15k psi models and
the light weight (LW) models.

Shaffer rams used on subsea stacks are the model SL and SLX. They are equipped
with Poslock or Ultralock II hydraulic operators.
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 7 Ram Preventers
7) Cameron U-II Blowout Preventer
a) Hydraulic System
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 8 Ram Preventers
b) Ram Shaft Packing
c) Wedgelocks

Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 9 Ram Preventers
In the event of loss of hydraulic closing pressure on the ram closing chamber,
the wedgelock after having been activated on a closed preventer, will retain the
packer pressure in the ram rubbers and allow the preventer to continue to seal
with no closing hydraulic pressure.
Above left is the hydraulic hook-up for the sequence cap which is show in cross
section on the right. In this arrangement hydraulic opening fluid can not pass
through the sequence valve to the rams opening port until the whistle piston
has traveled to the fully open position.
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 10 Ram Preventers
8) Hydril 18 15,000 PSI Blowout Preventer
9) Multiple Position Lock (MPL) Components
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 11 Ram Preventers
9) Ram Cavity to Ram Block Allowable Clearance
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 12 Ram Preventers
10) Hydril Engineering Bulletin #92002
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 13 Ram Preventers
11) Hydril 18
3
/
4
- 15,000 Shear Ram Capability
Hydril Shear Rams are capable of shearing and
sealing wellbore pressure in one continuous
motion as required by API Specification 16 A.
This is necessary because shear rams act as the
last line of defence during wild well control
situations for preservation of life, limb, expensive
drilling equipment, and avoidance of pollution.

The Hydril 18
3
/
4
- 15,000 Ram BOP has been
supplied with three optional operator sizes for
the shear rams - 15
1
/
2
- inch, 19 - inch, or 22-
inch. The Hydril 18
3
/
4
- 15,000 Shear Rams
have demonstrated shearing and sealing
capability, as a minimum, on the following list of
tubulars. The shear rams have also demonstrated fatigue life in excess of 1
1
/
2
years
of service in fatigue testing per API Specification 16 A.

Hydril welcomes customer contracts to demonstrate shear capability and provide
statistical analysis of shear reliability on customer specified tubulars.
Description Shear Pressures (psi)
Test
Report
22-inch 19-inch 15
1
/
2
-inch
Drill Pipe
5 inch 19.5 lb/ft S- 135 TBA 1355 HO 92040
5 inch 25.6 lb/ft G-105 2250 HO 93027
5
1
/
2
inch 21.9 lb/ft S- 135 2524 HO 92040
6
5
/
8
inch 25.2 lb/ft S- 135 TBA 1251 HO 95043

Casing
7 inch 29.0 lb/ft N-80 1090 HO 96038
9
5
/
8
inch 49.0 lb/ft N-80 1250 HO 96038
Tubing
1
3
/
4
inch 0. 175 wall 450 HO 95043
2
7
/
8
inch 0. 190 wall 512 HO 95043
4
1
/
2
inch 26.5 Ib/ft C,95 2646 HO 93027
5
1
/
2
inch 29.7 Ib/ft c-90 2839 HO 92008
Production Tubulars
5
1
/
2
inch All Metal Composite Screens 1616 HO 95019
5
1
/
2
inch Prepacked Dual Screens 2046 HO 95019
6
/
8
inch Prepacked Slotted Screens 1871 HO 93053
7 Inch Prepacked Slotted Screens 2236 HO 93053
7
5
/
8
in. 29.7 lb/ft, three 2-in. Coiled Tubes, 16
Cnd lines
TBA 3114 HO 96026
Dual string 5 112 inch 17 lb/ft + 2
3
/
8
inch 1-80 2127 HO 93030

Fatigue Life Tests
104 Wellbore Pressure Cycles at 15,000 psi
(728 Closure Cycles)
HO 95037

Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 14 Ram Preventers
12) Shaffer 18 10,000 psi SL
Both the Shaffer SL and SLX rams use SL and SL-D ram blocks.
Shaffer ram assemblies
1
are different from the Cameron and Hydril ram blocks in
that the blocks are fabricated from 2 pieces of steel. The 2 pieces are called the ram
block and the holder which fits around the outside of the ram block and ram rubber.
The holder and ram block are held together by retracting screws. Retaining screws
are used to secure the ram rubber on to the ram block.
Shaffer Ram Assemblies
The SL and SL-D blocks are identical except for the addition of the hard inlay around
the drill pipe cut out in the SL-D ram block. This hard inlay allows the ram blocks to
reliably hang-off drill pipe with up to 600,000 lb. of string weight. The hard inlay cuts
into the 18
o
tapered shoulder on the drill pipe box upset to form a supporting ledge.


1
Shaffer uses the term ram assembly to refer to the block, holder and rubber as a unit. It takes 2
assemblies to close the wellbore.
Insert
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 15 Ram Preventers
13) Shaffer Poslock Operation
The Poslock operator allows the ram to move into a fully closed position and lock
into place when hydraulic closing pressure is applied. No additional hydraulic lines
or operations are required to lock the preventer in the closed position. Then, in the
event of hydraulic pressure failure, the rams will remain in the closed position. To
open the rams, hydraulic opening pressure is applied to the opening chamber, and
this automatically releases the locking mechanism, allowing the preventer to open
only upon command. The poslock operator will only lock in one closed position
therefor it can only be used with shear rams and fixed pipe rams. Ultralock II
operators are used to lock the preventer closed in multiple positions as required by
multi rams.
Generally, a low closing pressure
2
will close the rams inward until the ram rubber
contacts the pipe. At this point, the locking segments are near the locking shoulder
on the cylinder wall. As additional pressure is applied, the ram rubber is
compressed and the locking segments move out to engage behind the locking
shoulder. The locking segments move outward because they are forced by the
taper on the locking cone. Actually, the locking cone is a piston inside the main
piston and is forced inward by the same closing hydraulic pressure which moves the
main piston forward. After the locking segments have moved radially outward, the
locking cone moves forward, blocking the segments from retracting and thus locking
the rams in the closed position. The spring behind the locking cone prevents the
locking cone from vibrating out of position.
When opening, the rams the operation is reversed. Opening pressure forces the
locking cone backwards against the spring which in turn allows the locking segments
to move inward, unlocking the ram and allowing the piston to open the ram.
The poslocks have to be properly adjusted to insure that the locking segments are
engaged when there will be sufficient sealing compression at the face and the top
ram seals. If hydraulic closing fluid is slowly throttled into the preventer, pressure
drops will be observed as the locking cones suddenly move into the locked position.
The pressure at which these fluctuations occur indicates the amount of ram rubber
compression. Poslock operation should be verified each time routine maintenance
is done on the stack to insure that they are properly adjusted, particularly after
changing rams. This can be performed by installing a valve and gauge in a
hydraulic hot line at the closing port on the preventer. An alternative method is to
close the preventer with 1500 psi and then, after the preventer has closed and
locked, perform a wellbore low pressure test with the closing hydraulic pressure
remove. This will demonstrate the locking action of the poslocks.


2
This closing pressure will be typically around 200 psi
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 16 Ram Preventers
Shaffer Poslock Operation
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 17 Ram Preventers
14) Shaffer Ultralock II Operation
In a similar manner to the Shaffer Poslock, the Ultralock II closes and locks the
preventer closed with only the aplication of closing hydraulic pressure. The
application of opening pressure unlocks the preventer and moves the preventer to
the open position.
Shaffer Ultralock II
in Closed & Locked Position
Lock
Piston
Piston
Poppet
Valve
Spring
Lock
Wedge
Lock
Rod
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 18 Ram Preventers
a) Closing and Locking
When closing pressure is applied to the preventer the entire piston assembly
moves inward toward the closed position. Closing pressure attempts to drive the
lock piston toward the lock position as well. The lock piston can not move inward
due to opening hydraulic fluid trapped behind the lock piston by the poppet valve.
As the rams contact the pipe and begin to generate packer pressure, the poppet
valve is unseated as the poppet end hits the door casting. The lock piston can
then begin to move inward as well. The inward movement of the lock piston
simultaneously drives 4 lock wedges outwards into contact with the tapered
surfaces on the 4 lock rods.
Now, if closing hydraulic pressure is lost with the preventer in the closed position,
the wedge of the lock piston forcing the lock wedges out to the lock rods will hold
the preventer in the closed position. The 5
o
taper of the lock wedges is a locking
taper, meaning that the ram rubber compression or drill pipe hang-off forces will
not drive the wedges back wards to unlock the preventer.
b) Unlocking and Opening
When opening pressure is applied to the opening chamber, the pressure
attempts to shift the piston assembly towards the open position. The piston will
not move outwards since it is in the locked position. Opening pressure also
travels through the poppet valve and forces the lock piston outwards to the
unlocked position. This releases engagement of the locking wedge with the lock
rod and allows the piston assembly to travel outwards toward the open position.
After the piston assembly has traveled back a sufficient amount the spring loaded
poppet valve returns to the closed position. This will once again hold the
preventer in the unlocked position until the rams are later closed enough to
engage the lock wedges with the lock rods.
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 19 Ram Preventers
15) Typical Ram Problems :

Hydraulic operating chamber leak.
Bonnet or ram shaft packing leak
Outlet ring gasket leak
Ram packer leaking
16) Ram Preventer Operation and Inspection Points

i) All Ram preventers in general
Never close pipe rams on a open hole.
Maximum operating chamber pressure is 3,000 psi.
Perform hydraulic operating chamber pressure test on OPEN and
CLOSE ports. Check for leaks across seals and at weep hole (leak into
cavity at ram shaft indicates weep hole is plugged).
During well bore pressure testing, check for wellbore leaks at weep hole.
Function test and pressure test wedgelocks and / or MPL locks.
Ram cavity inspection Bonnet groove and seal carrier, bonnet sealing
surface on ram body, ram blocks (look for damage such as closing on
tool shoulder), and ram cavity sealing surfaces.
Check ram block to cavity clearance limits per manufactures tolerances.
ii) Cameron 18-3/4-10m Type U Ram Preventer
Check 4 bonnet bolts and hydraulic stud tensioning system for hydraulic
leaks.
Hydraulic ram change piston Close pressure Opens the bonnets and
Open pressure Closes the bonnets, use only 200-500 psi to open
bonnets. Requiring excessive pressure indicates a problem.
Hydraulic operated wedgelocks, operating procedure:
Closing -
X Close with 1,500 psi closing pressure
X Apply 1,500 psi locking pressure to activate wedgelocks
X Pressure can be released from both chambers to perform pressure test.
Note: Never close a 2
nd
ram while locking pressure is still applied to the
wedgelock
Opening
X Apply 1,500 psi closing pressure (reduces force of tail rod on wedge
piston)
X Apply unlocking pressure to wedgelocks
X Only after locks are completely open can opening pressure be applied
to the preventer
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 20 Ram Preventers
Sequence Caps are to ensure wedgelocks are fully unlocked before
pressure can be applied to the preventer Open port and the preventer
fully closed before locking pressure can be applied to the wedgelocks..
Dismantle and inspect both sequence cap assemblies every time the
rams are on the surface to ensure the mechanism and seals are in good
condition.
Cameron state that when the clearance between top of block and ram
cavity exceeds 0.060, low pressure sealing performance of the
preventer may be compromised.
3
iii) Hydril Compact 18-3/4-15m Ram Preventer
Swing out bonnet design requires that rams be in open position prior to
swinging open
Ram cavity seal seat and ram cavity wear plates. Inspect seat seal to
ensure that it is fully seated - on 10 and 15k rams the gap at the bore
from top of seat seal to preventer body is approximately .011".
Operating hydraulics are circuited through the hinge assembly. During
operator testing, check the fluid hinge assembly for leakage.
Multiple position locking (MPL) check periodically and replace the
bearings annually. A ram block attempting to rise and buck while
opening & closing the preventer with the bonnets open will be an
indicator that the bearings are going bad.
Never perform a lock out test of the MPL system without having the
bonnet bolted closed. The ram block & ram shaft will attempt to rotate
while performing this test.
For an 18-3/4 15k ram BOP Hydril state that when the clearance
between top of block and ram cavity exceeds 0.113, low pressure
sealing performance of the preventer may be compromised.
4
i) Shaffer 18-3/4-10m Ram Preventer
Swing out door design requires that rams be in open position prior to
swinging open the door.
Operating hydraulics are circuited through the hinge assembly. During
operator testing, check the hinge assembly for leakage.
Poslock check locking pressure periodically and after replacing ram
blocks. Whenever pipe rams are exchanged with shear rams, the
poslock settings must be adjusted.
Ultralock II Periodically verify proper operation by performing a
wellbore pressure test with hydraulic closing pressure bleed to zero. A
successful pressure test indicates the locks are properly maintaining the
preventer in the locked and closed position.


3
From Cameron Periodic Inspection of Cameron U & U-II BOPs.

4
From Hydril 18-3/4 15,000 psi Ram BOP Operators Manual
Subsea Engineers Handbook Section 8
In-Spec Inc. 1999 21 Ram Preventers
For an 18-3/4 10k ram BOP, Shaffer state that when the clearance
between top of block and ram cavity exceeds 0.095 for pipe rams to
hang-off drill pipe
5
and .089 for shear rams, low pressure sealing
performance of the preventer may be compromised.
6


5
or 0.125 for pipe rams not required to hang-off drill pipe

6
From Shaffer Engineering Report #124-A