Noble combines simplicity, reliability for new electric BOP

In 2014, Noble Drilling’s Research and Development team began designing an electrically powered blowout preventer (eBOP) that would have a closing force of 2 million lbs. Since then, the technology has been designed, manufactured and tested, and is now patent pending. At Noble’s eBOP Showcase and Live Shear Event at the NobleAdvances Training and Collaboration Center in Sugar Land, Texas, on 30 March, the eBOP’s shear-cutting capabilities were highlighted in a live demonstration. In this video from the event, Patrick O’Neill, Director of Research and Development; Robert Van Kuilenburg, Manager Mechanical Engineer; and Scott Marks, Senior Vice President of Engineering, discuss the advantages and value of the new technology. They also emphasized Noble’s core responsibilities as a drilling contractor and noted that it will not be entering the BOP manufacturing business.