§ 78.72. Use of safety devices—blow-out prevention equipment.
(a) The operator shall use blow-out prevention equipment when well head pressures or natural open flows are anticipated at the well site that may result in a blow-out or when the operator is drilling in an area where there is no prior knowledge of the pressures or natural open flows to be encountered.
(b) Blow-out prevention equipment used shall be in good working condition at all times.
(c) The operator shall use pipe fittings, valves and unions placed on or connected to the blow-out prevention systems that have a working pressure capability that exceeds the anticipated pressures.
(d) The operator shall conduct a complete test of the ram type blow-out preventer and related equipment for both pressure and ram operation before placing it in service on the well. The operator shall test the annular type blow-out preventer in accordance with the manufacturer’s published instructions, or the instructions of a professional engineer, prior to the device being placed in service.
(e) When the equipment is in service, the operator shall visually inspect blow-out prevention equipment during each tour of drilling operation and during actual drilling operations test the pipe rams for closure daily and the blind rams for closure on each round trip. When more than one round trip is made in a day, one daily closure test for blind rams is sufficient. Testing shall be conducted in accordance with American Petroleum Institute publication API RP53, ‘‘API Recommended Practice for Blowout Prevention Equipment Systems for Drilling Wells.’’ The operator shall record the results of the inspection and closure test in the drillers log before the end of the tour.
(f) During drilling when conditions are such that the use of a blowout preventer can be anticipated, there shall be present on the rig floor a certified individual responsible to the operator. Satisfactory completion of a United States Geologic Survey (U.S.G.S.) approved well control course or equivalent study shall be deemed adequate certification for purposes of this subsection.
(g) The minimum amount of cemented casing to which blow-out prevention equipment may be attached, shall be in accordance with the following:
| Proposed Total Depth (in feet) | Minimum Cemented Casing Required (in feet of casing cemented) |
| Up to 5,000 | 400 |
| 5,001 to 5,500 | 500 |
| 5,501 to 6,000 | 600 |
| 6,001 to 6,500 | 700 |
| 6,501 to 7,000 | 800 |
| 7,001 to 8,000 | 1,000 |
| 8,001 to 9,000 | 1,200 |
| 9,001 to 10,000 | 1,400 |
| Deeper than 10,000 | 1,800 |
(h) Upon completion of the drilling operations at a well, the operator shall install and utilize equipment, such as a shut-off valve of sufficient rating to contain anticipated pressure, lubricator or similar device, as may be necessary to enable the well to be effectively shut-in while logging and servicing the well and after completion of the well.
The provisions of this § 78.72 adopted July 28, 1989, effective July 29, 1989, 19 Pa.B. 3229.
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