Current through Register Vol. 18, September 20, 2024
(1) Unless otherwise provided for by the
permit to drill issued under ARM
36.22.601 and ARM
36.22.602, or by board order
issued after public notice and hearing, the owner must provide blowout
preventers and well control equipment on all wells in accordance with the
following rules.
(a) For wells in areas of
abnormal or unknown formation pressures, proper blowout preventers must consist
of hydraulically-operated single or double ram-type preventers with at least
one pipe ram and one blind ram, and an annular-type preventer. Additional
equipment must include upper and lower kelly cocks; mud pit level indicators
with alarms and/or flow sensors and alarms; and choke manifolds, kill lines,
and other well control equipment sufficient to handle all pressure kicks.
Accumulators must maintain a pressure capacity reserve at all times to provide
for the operation of the hydraulic preventers and valves with no outside source
of pressure.
(b) For development
wells and in all areas of known formation pressures, blowout prevention and
well control equipment must be installed.
(c) The owner must maintain all blowout
prevention and well control equipment in good working order.
(2) Drilling spools for blowout
preventer stacks must meet the following minimum specifications:
(a) for working pressures rated at 3,000 or
5,000 pounds per square inch (psi), flanged, studded, or clamped side outlets
of no less than 2 inches nominal diameter.
(b) for working pressures rated at 10,000 and
15,000 psi, one 2-inch side outlet and one 3-inch side outlet.
(3) The rated working pressure of
all blowout preventers and well control equipment must equal or exceed the
maximum anticipated pressure to be contained at the surface.
(4) Wellhead outlets must not be used for
choke or kill lines in areas of abnormal or unknown formation pressures. Such
outlets may be employed for auxiliary or back-up connections to be used only if
the primary control system fails.
(5) The owner or operator must test blowout
prevention and well control equipment according to the following standards.
(a) Ram-type blowout preventers and well
control equipment, including casing, must receive initial pressure testing to
the least of the manufacturer's fullworking pressure rating of the equipment,
50 percent of the minimum internal yield pressure of any casing subject to
test, or one psi per foot of the last casing string depth. Annular-type blowout
preventers must receive initial pressure testing in conformance with the
manufacturer's published recommendations.
(b) If, for any reason, a pressure seal is
disassembled, the owner or operator must test the full working pressure of that
seal before resuming drilling operations. However, if the affected seal is an
integral part of the blowout preventer stack, the owner or operator may obtain
permission from a board representative to proceed without testing the
seal.
(c) In addition to the
initial pressure tests, the owner or operator must check ram- and annular-type
preventers for physical operation each trip but not more than once each
twenty-four (24) hour period.
(d)
All blowout preventer components, with the exception of annular preventers,
must be tested monthly to the least of 50 percent of the manufacturer's rated
pressure, the maximum anticipated pressure to be contained at the surface, one
psi per foot of the last casing string depth, or 70 percent of the minimum
internal yield pressure of any casing subject to test.
(e) The owner or operator must note all tests
of blowout preventer and well control equipment on the driller's log, which
must be made available to the board upon request. The board may require the
operator or the drilling contractor to provide a signed and sworn affidavit
attesting to the sufficiency of the blowout prevention equipment and any
testing of such equipment.
(6) The owner or operator must submit a
schematic diagram of the proposed blowout prevention and well control equipment
with the application for permit to drill.
(7) In areas where hydrogen sulfide or sour
gas may be encountered, the following additional equipment and precautions are
required:
(a) a blowout preventer closing unit
located in a safe place easily accessible to rig personnel.
(b) a remote auxiliary choke control panel to
operate the choke manifold set up at a safe distance upwind from the rig
floor.
(c) a remote kill line
sufficient to permit use of an auxiliary high-pressure pump.
(d) the placement of the drilling fluid inlet
line to the degasser close to the drilling fluid discharge line from the
mud/gas separator.
(e) provisions
to flare toxic gases with an adequate degasser, discharge lines, check valves,
a vertical flare stack, and a gas ignition system.
(f) provisions for personnel training;
personnel protective equipment including sensors, alarms, and breathing
equipment; warning signs; and wind direction flags to safeguard against injury
or death.
Sec.
82-11-111, MCA; IMP, Sec.
82-11-121,
82-11-123 and Sec.
82-11-124,
MCA;
