Blowout preventer

Drilling Equipment & Components

A Blowout Preventer (BOP) is a large, specialized high-pressure valve system installed at the wellhead to seal the wellbore in the event of a kick (uncontrolled influx of formation fluid). It is the critical secondary barrier in well control, designed to prevent a catastrophic blowout by closing around the drill pipe or shearing it completely to seal the open hole.

BOP stacks typically consist of multiple rams (pipe rams, blind shear rams) and an annular preventer. Pipe rams seal around specific pipe sizes, while the annular preventer can seal around almost any object in the wellbore. The system is hydraulically actuated from the rig floor or remote panels, and in subsea operations, via ROV intervention panels.