DET NORSKE VERITAS Final Report for UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, DC 20240 FORENSIC EXAMINATION OF DEEPWATER HORIZON BLOWOUT PREVENTER CONTRACT AWARD NO. M10PX00335 VOLUME II APPENDICES Report No. EP030842 20 March 2011 The view, opinions, and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author(s) and should not be construed as an official government position, policy or decision, unless so designated by other documentation. DET NORSKE VERITAS United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement Forensic Examination of Deepwater Horizon Blowout Preventer Volume II Appendices APPENDIX A FORENSIC TESTING PLAN [OCTOBER 22, 2010] PROTOCOL FOR METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION AND TESTING OF DRILL PIPE [February 3, 2011] TEST PROCEDURE - FRACTURED/SHEARED RECOVERED DRILL PIPE ENDS VISUAL EXAMINATION OF BLOWOUT PREVENTER RAM BLOCKS [February 16, 2011] EP030842 20 March 2011 DET NORSKE VERITAS Forensic Testing Plan for the Forensic Investigation and Testing of the Blowout Preventer & Lower Marine Riser Package Ref – M10PS00234 Joint Investigation Team of the United States Department of the Interior and the United States Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement DNV Reg. No.: ANEUS815NTHO (1-2SC2OV) PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL CLIENT - ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT October 22, 2010 DET NORSKE VERITAS United States Department of Interior Forensic Investigation of the Blowout Preventer – Ref M10PX00335 Title: DNV COLUMBUS, INC. Materials & Corrosion Technology Center 5777 Frantz Road Proposed Forensic Investigation Test Plan of the Blowout Dublin, OH 43017-1386 United States Tel: (614) 761-1214 Preventer and the Lower Marine Riser Package Fax: (614) 761-1633 http://www.dnv.com http://www.dnvcolumbus.com United States Department of Interior – Bureau of Ocean Customer: Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement 381 Elden Street Customer Address: Herndon, VA 20170-4879 Customer Reference: 1-2SC2OV Contact Person: Olivia Adrian and Warren Williamson DNV Reference: ANEUS815NTHO Date of Issue: Terms and Conditions: Prepared by/Contact Person: Position: Signature: Gary Kenney, Ph.D. Lead Investigator Reviewed by: Position: Signature: Phillip Nidd Deputy Project Manager Approved by: Position: Signature: Neil Thompson, Ph.D. Project Manager ANEUS815NTHO PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL: CLIENT – ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT Date: October 22, 2010 i DET NORSKE VERITAS United States Department of Interior Forensic Investigation of the Blowout Preventer – Ref M10PX00335 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 General Site Preparations .................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Proposed Forensic Testing Plan ........................................................................................ 2 2 OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................... 2 3 CONSTRAINTS AND PRECONDITIONS............................................................................. 4 4 SCOPE ...................................................................................................................................... 6 5 TEST PROTOCOL................................................................................................................... 6 5.1 Safety, Health, and Environmental.................................................................................... 8 5.2 Evidence Collection and Control....................................................................................... 9 5.3 Video and Photo Documentation..................................................................................... 11 5.4 Site Access and Information Control............................................................................... 11 5.5 Investigative Process....................................................................................................... 12 5.6 Visual Examination of the BOP and LMRP.................................................................... 13 5.6.1 General....................................................................................................................... 13 5.6.2 Visual Examination of the External Surfaces ............................................................ 13 5.6.3 Visual Examination of the Internal Wellbores of the LMRP and BOP..................... 16 5.7 Hydraulic Circuit Static Pressure Test............................................................................. 21 5.7.1 General Preparations.................................................................................................. 21 5.7.2 BOP Stack Circuits .................................................................................................... 22 5.7.3 LMRP Circuits........................................................................................................... 22 5.7.4 ROV Panel Circuits.................................................................................................... 23 5.8 BOP Function Testing ..................................................................................................... 24 5.8.1 General....................................................................................................................... 24 5.8.2 Function testing the BOP Rams and LMRP Elements .............................................. 25 5.9 Testing of the Accumulators............................................................................................ 30 5.10 Testing of the Control System......................................................................................... 31 5.11 Testing of the Wellhead and Collet Connectors.............................................................. 34 5.12 Function Testing of the Complete BOP Stack in the Pre-Incident Condition................. 34 5.13 Materials Testing and Damage Evaluation...................................................................... 36 5.14 Cataloging and Examination of Recovered Evidence ..................................................... 37 ANEUS815NTHO PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL: CLIENT – ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT Date: October 22, 2010 ii DET NORSKE VERITAS United States Department of Interior Forensic Investigation of the Blowout Preventer – Ref M10PX00335 APPENDICES Appendix A – Safety and Health Plan Appendix B – Spill Containment Plan Appendix C – Hurricane Plan ANEUS815NTHO PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL: CLIENT – ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT Date: October 22, 2010 iii DET NORSKE VERITAS United States Department of Interior Forensic Investigation of the Blowout Preventer – Ref M10PX00335 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 General Site Preparations Following recovery from the Macondo Well, and initial preservation efforts undertaken on the barge Q-4000, the Blowout Preventer (BOP) and Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP) were transported by barge to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, LA. The two assemblies arrived at the Michoud facility on September 11, 2010 and were secured aboard a transport barge tied to the Michoud Assembly’s West Dock. Infrastructure necessary to secure the BOP and LMRP at the Michoud Assembly facility’s West Dock was completed and the two packages were moved from the barge and placed on two separate test stands on the West Dock on October 3, 2010. The current plans are to construct an enclosure to shelter them from the elements. The schedule for erecting the enclosure will be integrated into the schedule for the forensic investigations. The proposed Forensic Testing Plan integrates with a number of other activities and or plans under development. These include: • A Safety and Health Plan to assure the safety and health of individuals performing the actual tests as well as any personnel or visitors within the proximity of the test site. • A Spill Containment Plan to protect the surrounding environment from any unintentional releases of fluids or materials into the environment that might result from any of the actual investigations or tests that are planned. • A Hurricane Plan to secure and prevent the two Units from being damaged in the event of a hurricane. • A Lifting Plan or plans to cover the major lifts that might be required as part of the investigations and tests. These plans will be appended to the Forensic Testing Plan as they become available. 1.2 Proposed Forensic Testing Plan As part of its forensic investigations, DNV is required to provide to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) a proposed Forensic Testing Plan for completing various tests as part of identifying potential contributing factors that might have prevented the BOP Stack as a whole (i.e. both the BOP and the LMRP) from functioning as expected when the incident (blowout associated with the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig failure) occurred. This document is that proposed plan. 2 OBJECTIVES The Joint Investigation Team’s Request for Proposal (JIT-RFP) stated the following objectives for the testing and analysis of the BOP system: ANEUS815NTHO PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL: CLIENT – ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT Date: October 22, 2010 2 DET NORSKE VERITAS United States Department of Interior Forensic Investigation of the Blowout Preventer – Ref M10PX00335 The objectives of the proposed investigation are to determine the performance