BLOWOUT PREVENTER STACK (BOP) 3.3.2
Description
Essentially, a blowout preventer (BOP) shuts off the valve leading underneath the machinery to stop any liquid from surfacing in a dangerous explosion, or a kick. A containment level must be maintained when working with the mud and substances that could cause breaks in the extraction flow. Although found in deposits at depths of around 10,000 ft (3048 m) or greater, these pressures are quite dangerous to drilling rig personnel and the environment. These abnormal pressure reservoirs have only been discovered in the past four decades and the successful commercially exploited for their oil and gas deposits in the past three decades. The discovery of these abnormal pressure reservoirs has prompted the development of new high-tech blowout detection instrumentation and prevention equipment (or the BOP stacks).
