OREANDA-NEWS. May 2, 2012.  With the offshore production industry seeking to increase the efficiency and availability of its deepwater equipment, GE (NYSE: GE) has introduced a new blowout preventer (BOP) stack with an interchangeable lower marine rise package (LMRP) and lower stack frames.

Traditionally, the lower marine rise package and lower stack have been fabricated as a custom-fit pair for a rig. As a result, to address an operational or maintenance issue on the rig, a drilling system would have to be retrieved to the surface, repaired and then returned to the seabed. This process can take days to accomplish and interrupts operations.

To overcome this problem, GE’s engineering team devised a new BOP stacking solution that allows rigs with two BOPs to use a lower marine rise package with either lower stack frame, greatly enhancing operator flexibility. The new system also gives operators the option of having a fleet spare that can interface with other systems.

“We are excited to introduce the offshore industry’s first BOP stacking solution that offers our customers the advantage of interchangeability to enable flexibility,” said Sam Aquillano, vice president—drilling and surface for GE Oil & Gas. “This innovative product exemplifies GE’s commitment to continuously improve the efficiency and safety of energy, drilling and production activities worldwide.”