PROPERTY OF DRAWN BY DATE REVISION EB 538 D

Jim Britton June 23, 2015

APPROVED BY DATE D2 Page 1 of 7
Pascal Berthaud June 23, 2015

SHEARING BLIND RAMS -- OPERATION, CARE, AND MAINTENANCE

ADVISORY:
Cameron ram assemblies are designed to seal the well bore using pressure pushing upwards from the bottom
of the ram assembly only and are not designed to seal the well bore using pressure pushing downwards from
the top of the ram assembly.

Cameron does not recommend and discourages any attempt to seal the well bore in a manner that differs
from the design of the ram assembly.

ADVISORY:
Under no circumstance shall the operating pressure exceed the pressure rating specified on the Product
Nameplate.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
A. OPERATION 2
B. RECOMMENDED SHEARING PROCEDURES 2
C. SHEARING CAPABILITY 3
D. REDRESSING OF CUTTING EDGE 3
E. PACKER REPLACEMENT 3-4
F. RECOMMENDED TESTING PROCEDURE 4
AFTER PACKER REPLACEMENT
G. ROUTINE TESTING 5
H. ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLE 5-8
 PROPERTY OF DRAWN BY DATE REVISION EB 538 D
Jim Britton June 23, 2015
APPROVED BY DATE D2 Page 2 of 7
Pascal Berthaud June 23, 2015

A. OPERATION
Shearing blind rams (SBRs) are single piece shear rams with the blades integral to the body.
They replace Model III and earlier shear ram designs that had bolted on shear blades and
additional seals to seal between the blades and the ram body.
Under normal operating conditions, SBRs are used as blind rams. The large front packer in the
upper shear ram seals against the front face of the lower shear ram, resulting in prolonged packer
life similar to that of standard blind packers.
If emergency conditions make it necessary to shear the drill pipe, the closing SBRs will cut the
pipe and seal the wellbore whether the fish (the lower section of cut pipe) is suspended on the
lower pipe rams or dropped. If the fish is not dropped, the lower shear ram will bend the cut pipe
over a shoulder and away from the front face of the lower shear ram, which then seals against the
packer in the upper shear ram.

B. RECOMMENDED SHEARING PROCEDURE

(1) Raise the bit off the bottom and position drill pipe in the preventer so that the tool joint
is positively NOT located in the shear ram cavity.

(2) To ensure proper alignment for shearing, a set of pipe rams may be closed before the
SBRs are closed. Also, if the fish is not to fall downhole after being sheared, a tool joint
may be landed on closed and locked pipe rams at least 30" below the shear rams. The
tool joint and upset portion of the drill pipe must be below the lower edge of the shear
ram cavity to ensure that the pipe is sheared successfully.
(3) Close the SBRs with 3000 psi on the BOP operating system.
NOTES -- (a) Refer to EB 571 D for shearing forces required to shear various grades
and weights of pipe.
(b) For 7-1/16' SBRs only, pipe must be pulled up immediately after
shearing in order for rams to seal.
(c) For the 20-3/4'-3000 psi and 21-1/4'-2000 psi SBRs only, the fish must
be free to drop at least 2' in order for the rams to seal.

(4) Lock the SBRs in the closed position by applying closing pressure to the hydraulic locking
mechanism or by locking the locking screws.

(5) If the fish is suspended in pipe rams below the SBRs, killing mud may be pumped into a
BOP outlet between the SBRs and the pipe rams, and into the fish in order to circulate the
kick out of the hole in the conventional manner.
 PROPERTY OF DRAWN BY DATE REVISION EB 538 D
Jim Britton June 23, 2015
APPROVED BY DATE D2 Page 3 of 7
Pascal Berthaud June 23, 2015

C. SHEARING CAPABILITY

Maximum pipe sizes that can be cut with SBRs are limited by preventer size,
blade width, and operating system capacity.

7-1/16" bore U BOPs can shear up to 4" OD pipe

11” bore U BOPs can shear up to 5" OD pipe

13-5/8" bore U BOPs can shear up to 5-1/2" OD pipe

Larger bore U BOPs are not as limited in blade width or operating system capacity and it is
possible to shear larger OD pipes, even though the SBRs were designed to shear standard
drill pipes.

NOTE -- Closing shear rams on drill collars or tool joints will destroy the sealing
capability of the rams, without cutting the pipe.

D. REDRESSING OF CUTTING EDGE

If, after repeated shearing operations, the cutting edge of the SBRs become blunted or dented, the
edge can be reground or filed by hand to remove any upset material.

E. PACKER REPLACEMENT
(1) Remove top seal first, then the side packers, and the blade packer last. Install in
reversed sequence. Replace top seal as required. In subsea drilling, it may be
economical to install new packers for each well.

(2) SIDE PACKERS- The side packers should be replaced if rubber has extruded
extensively around the retainer plates. Care should be taken to ensure that the correct
packers are installed on the correct side of each shear ram assembly. The packer pins are
located off center in order to prevent incorrect installation. However, it may be possible
to force the wrong side packer into the ram. The side packer will then be damaged during
closing and pressure testing, and will fail after just a few tests.

(3) BLADE PACKER- The blade packer should be replaced when a noticeable volume of
rubber (a uniform extrusion of approximately .09" width next to the top and bottom is
normal) has extruded at each end of the packer, just below the top retainer plate.

To remove the blade packer, drive it out of the packer slot by applying force to the end of
the metal retainer plates, making sure that the packer slot is not damaged. Install the new
packer by lubricating the slot and packer with ram lubricant, and drive the packer into
place with a rubber mallet. The packer should be centered in the slot so that it is flush
with both sides of the ram. The packer will only fit into the slot in the correct position.

NOTE -- The 7-1/76" 3/5/10/15M, and 20-3/4" 3M/ 21-1/4" 2M psi SBRs do not have
the same blade packer design as the others. Replacing these packers is similar to
changing the packers in blind rams. See Figure 2.
 PROPERTY OF DRAWN BY DATE REVISION EB 538 D
Jim Britton June 23, 2015
APPROVED BY DATE D2 Page 4 of 7
Pascal Berthaud June 23, 2015

F. RECOMMENDED TESTING PROCEDURES AFTER PACKER REPLACEMENT

(1) Close the SBRs with 1500 psi closing pressure.

NOTE -- If there is no regulator in the shear ram hydraulic line, use of 3000 psi
closing pressure is acceptable.

(2) Lock the rams in the closed position with the hydraulic locking mechanism.
(3) Bleed closing pressure to zero after hydraulic locking mechanism is locked.

(4) Test SBRs with 200 to 500 psi.

(5) Test SBRs to the rated working pressure of the preventer.
(6) Bleed test pressure to zero.

(7) Unlock wedgelock.

(8) Open and close SBRs once or twice.

(9) Close SBRs, maintain closing pressure and apply about 50% of BOP working pressure
under the rams to ensure packer integrity.

G. ROUTINE TESTING

(1) Close the SBRs with 1500 or 3000 psi closing pressure.

(2) Lock the ram locks.

(3) Bleed closing pressure to zero after rams are locked.

(4) Test to desired test pressure, but do not exceed rated working pressure of BOP or
wellhead components.
NOTE -- Low pressure testing of 200 to 500 psi is a better indication of ram packer
wear than tests to working pressure since rams are well pressure energized.

H. ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLE

Figure 1 - Exploded view illustration of a set of SBRs.

Figure 2 - Exploded view illustration of a set of 7-1/16" SBRs.

Table I - List of the assembly and individual part numbers for the SBRs presently available.
PROPERTY OF DRAWN BY DATE REVISION EB 538 D
Jim Britton June 23, 2015
APPROVED BY DATE D2 Page 5 of 7
Pascal Berthaud June 23, 2015

FIGURE 1: SHEARING BLIND RAMS – EXPLODED VIEW

 PROPERTY OF DRAWN BY DATE REVISION EB 538 D
Jim Britton June 23, 2015
APPROVED BY DATE D2 Page 6 of 7
Pascal Berthaud June 23, 2015

FIGURE 2: SHEARING BLIND RAMS - EXPLODED VIEW OF THE 7-1/16"

(The 20-3/4"-3M / 21-1/4"-2M have the shearing mechanism inverted
compared to what is shown)

CAUTION -- The packer, item 9, could be installed upside down in the 7-1/16" ram. Be sure to install as
shown in the drawing.
PROPERTY OF DRAWN BY DATE REVISION EB 538 D
Jim Britton June 23, 2015
APPROVED BY DATE D2 Page 7 of 7
Pascal Berthaud June 23, 2015