Part 4 - Documented Blowout Contingency Plans:

The first step to reduce vulnerability posed by a potential

blowout is a documented emergency management and
response system that will advise you of initiatives that must
be addressed
John W. Wright and James F. Woodruff, Blowout Advisors, John Wright Co., and
David Thompson, Blowout Specialist, Boots & Coots L.P.
This article discusses Blowout Contingency Plan development with
discussions on: 1) document scope and content- why a BCP is needed
and what it should cover, and 2) BCP organization-how a typical five-part plan is
developed, including example outlines. Also described is the need for a separate
Workbook to backup the BCP organization and keep it up to date. Part 1 of this
series discussed strategy and planning, and introduced the concepts of Blowout
Contingency Plans (BCPs) and the Blowout Task Force. Two types of BCPs, general
and specific, were defined and what an effective contingency plan should include
was listed and described.
Figure above: Relief well and snubbing operation at time of blowout
intersection illustrates the many tasks that must be coordinated through proper
planning.

INTRODUCTION
In view of stringent environmental and safety issues faced by today's operators,
emergency contingency plans are no longer an optional, risk-management
business decision. Today's managers who have the responsibility for responding
to emergencies that affect the general public or the environment must either be
prepared or face the consequences.
The following discussion explains the basic blowout contingency plan document
with respect to the following:

A BCP rationale
Contingency planning goals
Document structure

Project life-cycle

BCP DOCUMENT SCOPE, CONTENT

A BCP rationale. Hazardous waste, occupational health and safety, and air/water
pollution and the effect on the environment are primary public issues. Most
companies have emergency contingencies, but many are not prepared for rapidly
responding to natural or man-made disasters. Unfortunately, several emergencies
have occurred in recent years that have escalated into major crises, as perceived
by the general public.
Public inquiries into these crises, in some cases, indicated the companies at fault
were not properly prepared in their response. Therefore, it follows that, through
public and regulatory logic, the whole industry must not be prepared. And
aftermaths of these inquiries typically result in new government regulations with
increasingly complex laws and compliance issues that substantially increase costs,
limit operational capabilities and may not be fully appropriate across the board.
These laws affect the entire oil and gas industry, not just the companies involved,
as the subsequent imposed emergency preparedness statutes evolve into an
industry-wide problem. A viable emergency management program advertises a
company's commitment to protect its workers, the general public and the
environment. It meets compliance with federal, state and local regulations and it
protects stockholders from liability and litigation. Failure to address these issues
may have disastrous results.
Contingency planning goals. The primary purpose of a BCP is to minimize danger
to life, and protect the environment and valuable assets by minimizing response
times and incorrect actions taken under stress. Obviously, in an emergency, the
more details that have been worked out in advance, the more efficient the
response will be. All blowouts and subsequent intervention techniques are
inherently different. The range of situations can vary from a minor event in an
easily accessible unpopulated land location, to a catastrophic worst case scenario
near a populated area or a sensitive offshore location, with thousands of
variations in between.
This makes it impractical to cover all possibilities in a general contingency
document. However, for rapid response, a structured organization and technical
guidelines, with examples and trigger mechanisms, is essential.

The key to efficient risk management, with respect to contingency planning, is

being able to weigh risk vs. con sequence of the current preparedness plan
against cost (insurance) of doing more. One objective of a BCP is to help a
company determine an efficient level of preparedness.
Document structure. A BCP should ideally be a subset of a general "All hazards"
emergency response plan.6 The general plan would cover emergency
management issues for a variety of typical hazards faced by an operating
company, e.g., natural disasters (storms, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes);
production/process failures (fires, explosions, spills/releases); society hazards
(kidnapping, hostages, terrorism, war); transportation hazards; and blowouts.
The purpose of making the BCP a subset of a general response plan is to establish
a standard format for emergency management regardless of the hazard type. If
the framework of the general plan is properly designed, it should fit a wide variety
of operations and locations. This should simplify the emergency management
portion of the BCP as a framework has already been adopted by the company for
other emergencies.
Fig. 6. Example emergency management organization to satisfy Phase 1 of the
BCP's Part 1.
Project "Life-cycle" concept. Every project has a life-cycle, i.e., the beginning and
end of its evolutionary phases. A description of this cycle would describe those
phases in a systematic fashion. Critical objectives are used to describe turning
points in the process and mark transitions from one phase to the next. Thus,
understanding the evolution of events necessary to complete a blowout control
project is obviously a pre-requisite to developing BCP objectives.
Global objectives for a control operation may be generally described as follows:
1. Emergency response activated
2. Management team in place
3. Blowout control team in place
4. Blowout data analyzed
5. Control options(s) chosen
6. Necessary logistics initiated
7. Blowout control plan complete
8. Blowout control completed
9. Well P&A'd or put in service
10. Clean-up complete
11. Legal implications settled
12. Final reports completed.

The BCP must address each action required to achieve the example 12 life-cycle
objectives. As development of the BCP is a project in itself, its life cycle must also
be defined along with a method for periodic revision, audit and testing.

EXAMPLE BCP ORGANIZATION

There is no best approach that should be universally utilized for developing a BCP.
A non-mainstream approach taken by one company may be more appropriate for
its organization and resources than trying to utilize a technique applied
successfully by another firm. Each company must look inside its own house and
evaluate its philosophy, organization and resources with respect to confronting a
control operation in its operating area.
The BCP organization presented here is a simple example based on the program
of an international company with operating districts in diverse geographic and
political areas around the world. It will require input from each local district to
complete a plan that is customized to its particular internal resources,
management structure and operating environment.
The BCP Workbook. The required initial input noted above can be facilitated by a
Workbook that acts as a guideline and bridging document for local management,
for completing its specific BCP. It is recommended that this Work book be the
vehicle which assures a consistent framework throughout the company and lets
the local management team and responders provide plan input. Experience has
shown that plans developed by one person or one group will not be used in an
emergency.
The Workbook document will be developed at a corporate level with assistance of
management, safety and environment, engineering and operations personnel. An
outside blowout advisor should be consulted, as well as any service company
specialist who might be called to assist in a blowout emergency. It will guide a
local operating district in developing Parts 1 through 5 of a custom BCP. And it will
contain reasoning, suggestions and examples behind these actions, along with
instructions for the local district on customizing the BCP for its area and keeping it
up to date. Keep the Workbook separate to allow the actual emergency
document to be brief and to the point.
Five-part BCP organization. The completed BCP can be divided into five major
parts, as described below and illustrated in Fig. 5, excluding the Workbook. This
organization is based on functionality and actions required.

1. Part 1-Blowout control management. This document will address

organization, management and actions required to respond to an actual
blowout emergency. This section will be relatively brief, stating only policy
and actions required during intervention phases. This will include
responding to the initial emergency through final blowout control, P&A,
spill clean-up, and any legal insurance or other financial obligations
resolved. Fig. 6 details the emergency management phase of Part 1.
2. Part 2-Pre-blowout contingency, risk. This document will address
organization, management and actions required to perform "Pre blowout"
risk and consequence assessment and procedures for various levels of
specific contingency planning of existing fields, structures, individual wells,
and planned future drilling pro grams. These specific plans will be based on
a risk vs. consequence equation. This equation would justify additional
expenditures for being better prepared than relying only on management
and logistics procedures covered in Part 1. This section is also designed to
be relatively brief, stating only policy and required actions.
3. Part 3-Contractors database. This document presents a database of critical
contractors and services, which includes items such as. blowout control
contractors, specialty equipment, materials, related service companies,
consultants and software. It would be categorized and contain phone
numbers, addresses, contact personnel, relevant services, brochures,
special blowout control services (how they would fit into a local control
project), company experience, alliances with other companies, and
personnel CVs. Further, contract requirements and terms/conditions for
working on a project in a particular part of the world should be included.
4. Part 4 -Technical library. Documents identified in this part address
reference materials and procedures and would be voluminous compared to
the other sections. This should include all in-house and external approved
procedures for blowout control operations, risk analysis, specific
contingency planning, blowout control tools, blowout control materials,
published papers, industry blowout database records, case histories, and
other relevant material. References would be made from the other
management and actions portions of the BCP to this section.
5. Part 5 - Company confidential files. This final document addresses
confidential files such as pre-qualification ranking, evaluation discussion
and call-off contracts with critical con tractors and service companies.
Blowout insurance policies, legal procedures and associated
documentation requirements should also be included. Also, any other
relevant items including emergency financing arrangements. Public
relations, press, or legal documents and procedures of a confidential
nature should be kept in this file.

Table 2. Sample blowout control contingency plan, Parts 1 and 2

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Nondisclosure statement
1.2 Approval sheet
1.3 Distribution sheet
1.4 Preface
1.5 Executive summary
1.6 Table of contents
1.7 Amendments
1.8 Instruction on how to use the plan
2.0 Part 1-Blowout control management
2.1 Administration section
2.1.1 Purpose and objectives of Part 1
2.1.2 Company policy and strategy
statements
2.1.3 Definitions and acronyms related to
Part 1
2.1.4 Blowout control project phase
descriptions
1 - High risk, potential blowout situation
2 - Blowout to task force in place
3 - Blowout control planning phase
4 - Blowout control execution phase
5 - Cleanup, P & A and/or remedial work
6 - Final legal and financial settlement

2.6 Implementing procedures & actions

2.6.1 Actions at the blowout site
2.6.2 Actions at the office
2.6.3 Check lists

2.7 Blowout control planning, Phase 3

2.7.1 Blowout data acquisition requirements
2.7.2 Blowout severity classification
2.7.3 Strategy to evaluate blowout control
options
2.7.4 Iterative design process
2.7.5 HAZOP study
2.7.6 Logistics review
2.7.7 Emergency facilities and equipment

2.8 Blowout control execution, Phase 4

2.8.1 Plan implementation and project
forecasts
2.8.2 Daily planning meetings
2.8.3 Safety and environmental protection
2.8.4 Regulatory agency involvement
2.8.5 Data collection and evaluation
2.8.6 Progress monitoring
2.8.7 Identifying milestones
2.8.8 Planning alternative actions
2.8.9 Judging completion-Is it over?

2.2 Management and response organization

2.2.1 Executive management
2.2.2 Support management
2.2.3 Emergency management organization
2.2.4 Blowout control task force
2.2.5 Blowout control crises team
2.2.6 Technical support organization
2.2.7 Operations and logistics support
2.2.8 Field control group (capping)
2.2.9 Field control group (relief well)

2.3 Organization project responsibility definitions

2.3.1 Contingency planning responsibilities

2.9 Post blowout control-Phase 5 & 6

2.9.1 Post blowout safety
2.9.2 P & A or remedial procedures
2.9.3 Clean-up
2.9.4 Legal and financial issues
2.9.5 Final reports
3.0 Part 2-Pre-blowout contingency plans
3.1 Field and well specific data archival
3.2 Risk assessment of existing producing fields and
planned drilling activities
3.2.1 Identification of blowout possibilities

2.3.2 Actual blowout responsibilities

2.4 Emergency communication
2.5 Blowout response level classification
2.5.1 Level 1-High risk operation, no blowout
has occurred, but probability of escalation is
high or consequences are high.
2.5.2 Level 2-Blowout has occurred, flowrates
are low, complexity of control operation is
low, there is little chance of escalation, there
is no pollution and no danger to local public
and total company exposure is low.
2.5.3 Level 3-A blowout has occurred and
control complexity is high. Blowout rates are
high, or there is a chance for escalation, or
there is pollution, or there is danger to local
population, or the total exposure to company
is high.

3.2.2 Estimate of probability of the event

3.2.3 Estimate of consequences of the event
3.2.4 Risk assessment of the event

3.3 Judging need for a specific contingency plan

3.4 Contingency plan evaluation
3.5 Establishing and maintaining emergency
readiness
3.6 Training
3.7 Pre-qualification of critical contractors

A simplified BCP outline is shown in Table 2. The selected outline should coincide
with a format consistent with your company's existing "All hazard" emergency
management and response program. The basic objectives of the final plan should
not change, however, from company to company. Note that the exact wording of
this example follows the general subsections of Fig. 5, Parts 1 and 2 in context
even though the terminology differs somewhat. The chart of Fig. 6 also
corresponds generally to Part 1, Section 2.2.

Coming Next
The central component of all blowout control operations is planning and
execution of the kill hydraulics. Key questions include: what fluid should be used,
what density, how much volume is required, what pressures will be exerted on
the system, what flowrate and rate of change should be used, and how much hhp
needs to be mobilized? These and associated questions will be covered.

Literature Cited
1. Sikich, G. W, " It can't happen here: All hazard crisis management planning ", PennWell Publishing Co., Tulsa,
Okla., 1993.

The authors
James F. Woodruff, a principal in John Wright Co., which specializes in blowout
intervention and control, contingency planning, relief well engineering and rigsite
execution, graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with
a BS degree in mining and civil engineering. He began work with Dowell
Schlumberger Drilling Services in 1981, as a directional drilling engineer in the Far
East In 1986, he joined Eastman Christensen and served in various positions from
drilling services coordinator to relief-well team drilling engineer. He has authored
manuals on steerable motors and horizontal drilling. Recently, he supervised
intervention planning and execution for an underground blowout in Nigeria and
assisted Mr. Thompson in Argentina with a high-volume underground blowout.
Mr. Woodruff is a registered professional engineer in Texas and a member of SPE.
David Thompson is a fire fighter for Boots & Coots L.P., with expertise in cap ping,
wellhead equipment, and blowout control team management. He began his
career in the oilfield in 1973 with Amoco ProductionCo. He was subsequently
employed by Cameron Iron Works, and joined Boots & Coots in 1984. His work
has emphasized on-site specialized equipment, services and procedure
development for blowout control. Blowout control experience since joining the
present company includes capping a burning H2S well in Mississippi; re-entering
and killing a subsea blowout offshore Italy; action as lead firefighter while in
Kuwait; and recent capping, snubbing and killing of a unique high-volume under
ground blowout in Argentina.