Reduce flat time for BOP testing, nipple-up, and nipple-down.

Testing the BOP, moving it to well center, and nippling up can take up to 5 percent of your time on a well. At Northern, we made changes to speed up these processes.

Our S116E rigs have a 21-1/4" 2,000-psi stack BOP and a 13-5/8" 15,000-psi BOP. The CJ46 and CJ50 rigs feature an 18-3/4" 15,000-psi BOP. All BOPs can be tested on the stump with control lines attached.

Time spent moving and rigging up the BOP to the wellhead is also reduced, as we have moved testing and control-line installation off the critical path. This can reduce the nipple-up time anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. Nipple-down operations are also streamlined since control lines do not need to be removed prior to moving the BOP from the wellhead to the stump.