Effect of Well Capping as a Blowout Risk Reduction Measure
ABSTRACT Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (Macondo) oil spill incident it became clear that further focus is required in order to understand and control blowout risks. The control measures are also essential in reducing potential environmental consequences given a blowout event. The latest development in well capping techniques indicates that this might be a viable technical solution for controlling subsea oil and gas well blowouts. The limited field experience with this technology makes it however difficult to presume the effectiveness of the technology as an environmental risk reducing measure. It is assumed that successful implementation of a capping device, given a subsea blowout, would reduce the blowout duration, and thereby limit the total amount of hydrocarbons released into the environment. By combining OPERAto, a dynamic tool for assessing environmental risks from offshore oil and gas activities, and an in-house blowout duration model, the authors have evaluated the use of capping as an environmental risk reduction measure. Uncertainties related to capping used as a solution for subsea blowouts are also discussed.