American Petroleum Institute

Recommended Practice for Well Control Operations - SECOND EDITION
 N RP 59

Annotation

PURPOSE

The purpose of these recommended practices is to provide information that can serve as a voluntary industry guide for safe well control operations. This publication is designed to serve as a direct field aid in well control and as a technical source for teaching well control principles. This publication establishes recommended operations to retain pressure control of the well under pre-kick conditions and recommended practices to be utilized during a kick. It serves as a companion to API RP 53, Recommended Practice for Blowout Prevention Equipment Systems for Drilling Wells and API RP 64 Recommended Practice for Diverter Systems Equipment and Operations (reader should check for the latest edition). RP 53 establishes recommended practices for the installation and testing of equipment for the anticipated well conditions and service and RP 64 establishes recommended practices for installation, testing, and operation of diverters systems and discusses the special circumstances of uncontrolled flow from shallow gas formations.

BOP INSTALLATIONS

The recommended practices are separated into two main systems:

1. Blowout preventers (BOPs) at the surface within reach and sight of the driller or well service unit operator, and

2. BOPs installed on the seafloor with relatively long choke and kill lines.

In this publication, sections have been prepared to establish practices and procedures pertaining to both surface BOP installations and subsea BOP installations. The delineation between surface BOP installations and subsea BOP installations is mainly on an exception basis, and the recommendations made for surface installations apply to subsea installations unless exceptions are stated. The recommended practices can apply to drilling, well service unit, and coiled tubing unit operations. The fundamentals of well flow and well control are the same.