Blow-Out Preventer (BOP)

A blow-out preventer is a large, high-pressure valve stack installed at the wellhead during drilling and well intervention operations to seal, control, and monitor pressure to prevent the uncontrolled flow of formation fluids.

Definition

BOPs are safety-critical and subject to API 16A/Q1 manufacturing standards and API RP 53 / IADC inspection guidelines. Inspection scope includes pressure testing, MT/PT/UT of body and bolting, and elastomeric seal condition.

Related terms

  • Wellhead — A wellhead is the pressure-containing surface assembly at the top of an oil or gas well that provides the structural and pressure interface to the casing strings and supports the Christmas tree and other surface equipment.
  • Christmas Tree — A Christmas tree is the vertical assembly of valves, fittings, and pressure gauges mounted on top of the wellhead that controls the flow of oil or gas from the well, named for its branching geometry.
  • Valve — A valve is a pressure-containing mechanical device that regulates, directs, or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing passageways, inspected by visual, MT/PT, UT, and pressure testing.

More asset-type terms

Pressure Vessel · Storage Tank · Heat Exchanger · Fired Heater · Pipeline · FPSO · Riser · Jacket · Topsides · Flange

Where this comes up in practice

Terms like this one appear in three places that matter commercially: the written practice that governs how your personnel are qualified, the procedures and technique sheets that define how an examination is actually performed, and the evidence an auditor or client asks for when they want to know why an inspection was accepted. Getting the terminology right is the easy part; being able to produce the qualification record, the calibration traceability and the procedure revision that applied on the day of the inspection is the part that decides audits.

Atlantis NDT provides NDT training and certification against ASNT SNT-TC-1A and ISO 9712, ASNT Level III consulting for written practices and procedure approval, inspection management software that holds qualification, calibration and procedure-revision evidence in recoverable form, and an asset integrity platform that binds inspection results to the asset they describe. Browse the full NDT glossary or ask a Level III directly.