Economics Division Studies

Contract Publication Number

BOEMRE 2011-020  

Date of Summary

March 28, 2011

Subject

Drilling Risk Reduction Study

Performing Entities

Midé Technology Corporation

Principal Investigator

Marthinus Van Schoor

Contracting Agency

BOEMRE

Description

This study uses event tree analysis to estimate the
reduction in risk associated with alternative configurations
of blowout preventer (BOP) systems used in deepwater
drilling. The report summarizes information from the
SINTEF database, which covers 573 blowout events,
dating back to 1/1/1955 and as recent as 11/23/2009 and
builds on an earlier study on the same subject done by
DNV for the Canadian National Energy Board. This study
determines the risk reduction associated with BOPs
having two sets of blind shear rams and the risk reduction
associated with each of several alternative emergency
back-up control systems. The main contributions of this
study are sensitivity analyses on the reliability
assumptions for individual BOP subsystems used in the
earlier analysis and an identification of which alternative
back-up control systems offer the best improvement in
overall system reliability.

Report

Risk Reduction Assessment

Deep Water Drilling Risk Reduction Assessment (August
23, 2010)