There are several fail safes considered standard mandatory safety equipment on every modern oil drilling rig. Each safety procedure and item has been proven over time to be a major factor in saving human lives, securing capital equipment and protecting the environment by preventing and/or shutting-down a potential danger, e.g., over-pressure, explosion or oil spill before irreparable harm is done.
The main fail safe of defense on an oil rig is the blowout preventer (BOP), which is a stack of valves that may be activated to close the wellhead immediately in the event of an emergency where a swell of pressure mixing with oil and/or gas rises up. If not shut-down may cause an explosion causing severe damage to the crew and rig and thereafter possibly permitting oil to disperse into deep waters,
The BOP has 3 fail safe options built into its capability. The first is the manual shutdown practiced by the crew during operation via random drills. The second fail safe option after an exposion is an immediate and automatic self-activation of the BOP via an acoustic switch to shut-down operation and to stop oil from spilling. The third fail safe option of the BOP is to activate via electronic remote. The BOP installed on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig did not function in any of the 3 fail safe modes; consequently, there was an explosion that killed 11 of the crew and then allowed the release of oil into deep sea waters.
Another safety mechanism are hydrostatic valves that are used in case there is any over-pressure that could cause overheating of the hydrostatic pump. The valves are mechanisms that permit the release of the excess pressure relieving equipment tension and possible burnout and/or a massive build up of pressure that could cause an explosion.
The oil riser is another fail safe type of equipment that is designed to ensure the proper flow of oil, gas and sand mixtures. A poorly designed or problem oil riser could cause “mud” to cake up in the pipe, which would elevate pressure that could cause an explosion if not monitored properly and detected.
While there are several fail safe options and equipment on an oil rig, many will say that it is not enough to protect the crew and the environment. In addition, the maintenance, safety precautions and reliability of the devices have been proven to be inadequate at best and must now undergo further scrutiny, impoved oversight and better maintenance procedures and requirements. Oil companies must step-out to a safety-first priority, not profits first.
