Well control · Drilling
Accumulator Unit
A unit of bottles that store hydraulic fluid by compressing a precharged gas bladder, piped to the blowout preventers.
What it does
Holds enough stored hydraulic energy to operate the blowout preventers after all other power is shut down, so the well can still be closed remotely.
Basics
| Stores | Hydraulic fluid against a precharged gas bladder |
| Purpose | Operate the BOP with no other power |
| Covered by | API Standard 53 |
Common failures
- Not enough stored energy to close the preventers
Troubleshooting
- Symptom
- Preventers close slowly in the function test
- Likely cause
- Low stored hydraulic energy
- What to check
- Check the bottle precharge and the pumps, then repeat the function test