Drilling/completion/workover requirements.

§ 3176.8 Drilling/completion/workover requirements. (a) General. (1) A copy of the H 2 S Drilling Operations Plan shall be available during operations at the well site, beginning when the operation is subject to the terms of this subpart ( i.e., 3 days or 500 feet of known or probable H 2 S zone). Table 1 to § 3176.8 (a)(1) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Make copy of Plan available 24 hours. (2) Initial H 2 S training shall be completed and all H 2 S related safety equipment shall be installed, tested, and operational when drilling reaches a depth of 500 feet above, or 3 days prior to penetrating (whichever comes first) the first zone containing or reasonably expected to contain H 2 S. A specific H 2 S operations plan for completion and workover operations will not be required for approval. For completion and workover operations, all required equipment and warning systems shall be operational and training completed prior to commencing operations. Table 2 to § 3176.8 (a)(2) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Implement H 2 S operational requirements, such as completion of training and/or installation, repair, or replacement of equipment, as necessary Prompt correction required. (3) If H 2 S was not anticipated at the time the APD was approved, but is encountered in excess of 100 ppm in the gas stream, the following measures shall be taken: (i) The operator shall immediately ensure control of the well, suspend drilling ahead operations (unless detrimental to well control), and obtain materials and safety equipment to bring the operations into compliance with the applicable provisions of this subpart. Table 3 to § 3176.8 (a)(3)(i) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Implement H 2 S operational requirements, as applicable Prompt correction required. (ii) The operator shall notify the authorized officer of the event and the mitigating steps that have or are being taken as soon as possible, but no later than the next business day. If said notification is subsequent to actual resumption of drilling operations, the operator shall notify the authorized officer of the date that drilling was resumed no later than the next business day. Table 4 to § 3176.8 (a)(3)(ii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Notify authorized officer 24 hours. (iii) It is the operator's responsibility to ensure that the applicable requirements of this subpart have been met prior to the resumption of drilling ahead operations. Drilling ahead operations will not be suspended pending receipt of a written H 2 S Drilling Operations Plan(s) and, if necessary, Public Protection Plan(s) provided that complete copies of the applicable Plan(s) are filed with the authorized officer for approval within 5 business days following resumption of drilling ahead operations. Table 5 to § 3176.8 (a)(3)(iii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Submit plans to authorized officer 5 days. (b) Locations. (1) Where practical, 2 roads shall be established, 1 at each end of the location, or as dictated by prevailing winds and terrain. If an alternate road is not practical, a clearly marked footpath shall be provided to a safe area. The purpose of such an alternate escape route is only to provide a means of egress to a safe area. Table 6 to § 3176.8 (b)(1) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Designate or establish an alternate escape route 24 hours. (2) The alternate escape route shall be kept passable at all times. Table 7 to § 3176.8 (b)(2) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Make alternate escape route passable 24 hours. (3) For workovers, a secondary means of egress shall be designated. Table 8 to § 3176.8 (b)(3) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Designate secondary means of egress 24 hours. (c) Personnel protection —(1) Training program. The operator shall ensure that all personnel who will be working at the wellsite will be properly trained in H 2 S drilling and contingency procedures in accordance with the general training requirements outlined in API RP–49, Section 2 (incorporated by reference, see § 3176.11). (The use of later editions of API RP–49 is deemed to comply with the requirements of this paragraph (c)(1).) The operator also shall ensure that the training will be accomplished prior to a well coming under the terms of this subpart ( i.e., 3 days or 500 feet of known or probable H 2 S zone). In addition to the requirements of API RP–49, a minimum of an initial training session and weekly H 2 S and well control drills for all personnel in each working crew shall be conducted. The initial training session for each well shall include a review of the site-specific Drilling Operations Plan and, if applicable, the Public Protection Plan. Table 9 to § 3176.8 (c)(1) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Train all personnel and conduct drills Prompt correction required. (i) All training sessions and drills shall be recorded on the driller's log or its equivalent. Table 10 to § 3176.8 (c)(1)(i) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Record on driller's log or equivalent 24 hours. (ii) For drilling/completion/workover wells, at least 2 briefing areas shall be designated for assembly of personnel during emergency conditions, located a minimum of 150 feet from the well bore, and 1 of the briefing areas shall be upwind of the well at all times. The briefing area located most normally upwind shall be designated as the “primary briefing area.” Table 11 to § 3176.8 (c)(1)(ii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Designate briefing areas 24 hours. (iii) One person (by job title) shall be designated and identified to all on-site personnel as the person primarily responsible for the overall operation of the on-site safety and training programs. Table 12 to § 3176.8 (c)(1)(iii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Designate safety responsibilities 24 hours. (2) Protective equipment. (i) The operator shall ensure that proper respiratory protection equipment program is implemented, in accordance with ANSI Z88.2–1992 (incorporated by reference, see § 3176.11). (The use of ANSI Z88.2–1980 is deemed to comply with the requirements of this paragraph (d)(2)(i).) Proper protective breathing apparatus shall be readily accessible to all essential personnel on a drilling/completion/workover site. Escape and pressure-demand type working equipment shall be provided for essential personnel in the H 2 S environment to maintain or regain control of the well. For pressure-demand type working equipment those essential personnel shall be able to obtain a continuous seal to the face with the equipment. The operator shall ensure that service companies have the proper respiratory protection equipment when called to the location. Lightweight, escape-type, self-contained breathing apparatus with a minimum of 5-minute rated supply shall be readily accessible at a location for the derrickman and at any other location(s) where escape from an H 2 S contaminated atmosphere would be difficult. Table 13 to § 3176.8 (c)(2)(i) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Acquire, repair, or replace equipment, as necessary Prompt correction required. (ii) Storage and maintenance of protective breathing apparatus shall be planned to ensure that at least 1 working apparatus per person is readily available for all essential personnel. Table 14 to § 3176.8 (c)(2)(ii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Acquire or rearrange equipment, as necessary Prompt correction required. (iii) The following additional safety equipment shall be available for use: (A) Effective means of communication when using protective breathing apparatus; (B) Flare gun and flares to ignite the well; and (C) Telephone, radio, mobile phone, or any other device that provides communication from a safe area at the rig location, where practical. Table 15 to § 3176.8 (c)(2)(iii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Acquire, repair, or replace equipment 24 hours. (3) H 2 S detection and monitoring equipment. (i) Each drilling/completion site shall have an H 2 S detection and monitoring system that automatically activates visible and audible alarms when the ambient air concentration of H 2 S reaches the threshold limits of 10 and 15 ppm in air, respectively. The sensors shall have a rapid response time and be capable of sensing a minimum of 10 ppm of H 2 S in ambient air, with at least 3 sensing points located at the shale shaker, rig floor, and bell nipple for a drilling site and the cellar, rig floor, and circulating tanks or shale shaker for a completion site. The detection system shall be installed, calibrated, tested, and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. Table 16 to § 3176.8 (c)(3)(i) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Install, repair, calibrate, or replace equipment, as necessary Prompt correction required. (ii) All tests of the H 2 S monitoring system shall be recorded on the driller's log or its equivalent. Table 17 to § 3176.8 (c)(3)(ii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Record on driller's log or equivalent 24 hours. (iii) For workover operations, 1 operational sensing point shall be located as close to the wellbore as practical. Additional sensing points may be necessary for large and/or long-term operations. Table 18 to § 3176.8 (c)(3)(iii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Install, repair, calibrate, or replace equipment, as necessary Prompt correction required. (4) Visible warning system. (i) Equipment to indicate wind direction at all times shall be installed at prominent locations and shall be visible at all times during drilling operations. At least 2 such wind direction indicators ( i.e., windsocks, windvanes, pennants with tailstreamers, etc.) shall be located at separate elevations ( i.e., near ground level, rig floor, and/or treetop height). At least 1 wind direction indicator shall be clearly visible from all principal working areas at all times so that wind direction can be easily determined. For completion/workover operations, 1 wind direction indicator shall suffice, provided it is visible from all principal working areas on the location. In addition, a wind direction indicator at each of the 2 briefing areas shall be provided if the wind direction indicator(s) previously required in this paragraph (c)(4)(i) are not visible from the briefing areas. Table 19 to § 3176.8 (c)(4)(i) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Install, repair, move, or replace wind direction indicator(s), as necessary 24 hours. (ii) At any time when the terms of this subpart are in effect, operational danger or caution sign(s) shall be displayed along all controlled accesses to the site. Table 20 to § 3176.8 (c)(4)(ii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Erect appropriate signs 24 hours. (iii) Each sign shall be painted a high visibility red, black and white, or yellow with black lettering. Table 21 to § 3176.8 (c)(4)(iii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Replace or alter sign, as necessary 5 to 20 days. (iv) The sign(s) shall be legible and large enough to be read by all persons entering the well site and be placed a minimum of 200 feet but no more than 500 feet from the well site and at a location which allows vehicles to turn around at a safe distance prior to reaching the site. Table 22 to § 3176.8 (c)(4)(iv) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Replace, alter, or move sign, as necessary 24 hours. (v) The sign(s) shall read: “DANGER—POISON GAS—HYDROGEN SULFIDE,” and in smaller lettering: “Do Not Approach If Red Flag is Flying” or equivalent language if approved by the authorized officer. Where appropriate, bilingual or multilingual danger sign(s) shall be used. Table 23 to § 3176.8 (c)(4)(v) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Alter sign(s), as necessary 5 to 20 days. (vi) All sign(s) and, when appropriate, flag(s) shall be visible to all personnel approaching the location under normal lighting and weather conditions. Table 24 to § 3176.8 (c)(4)(vi) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Erect or move sign(s) and/or flag(s), as necessary 24 hours. (vii) When H 2 S is detected in excess of 10 ppm at any detection point, red flag(s) shall be displayed. Table 25 to § 3176.8 (c)(4)(vii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Display red flag Prompt correction required. (5) Warning system response. When H 2 S is detected in excess of 10 ppm at any detection point, all non-essential personnel shall be moved to a safe area and essential personnel ( i.e., those necessary to maintain control of the well) shall wear pressure-demand type protective breathing apparatus. Once accomplished, operations may proceed. Table 26 to § 3176.8 (c)(5) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Move non-essential personnel to safe area and mask-up essential personnel Prompt correction required. (d) Operating procedures and equipment —(1) General/operations. Drilling/completion/workover operations in H 2 S areas shall be subject to the following requirements: (i) If zones containing in excess of 100 ppm of H 2 S gas are encountered while drilling with air, gas, mist, other nonmud circulating mediums or aerated mud, the well shall be killed with a water- or oil-based mud and mud shall be used thereafter as the circulating medium for continued drilling. Table 27 to § 3176.8 (d)(1)(i) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Convert to appropriate fluid medium Prompt correction required. (ii) A flare system shall be designed and installed to safely gather and burn H 2 S-bearing gas. Table 28 to § 3176.8 (d)(1)(ii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Install flare system Prompt correction required. (iii) Flare lines shall be located as far from the operating site as feasible and in a manner to compensate for wind changes. The flare line(s) mouth(s) shall be located not less than 150 feet from the wellbore unless otherwise approved by the authorized officer. Flare lines shall be straight unless targeted with running tees. Table 29 to § 3176.8 (d)(1)(iii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Adjust flare line(s) as necessary 24 hours. (iv) The flare system shall be equipped with a suitable and safe means of ignition. Table 30 to § 3176.8 (d)(1)(iv) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Install, repair, or replace equipment, as necessary 24 hours. (v) Where noncombustible gas is to be flared, the system shall be provided supplemental fuel to maintain ignition. Table 31 to § 3176.8 (d)(1)(v) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Acquire supplemental fuel 24 hours. (vi) At any wellsite where SO 2 , may be released as a result of flaring of H 2 S during drilling, completion, or workover operations, the operator shall make SO 2 , portable detection equipment available for checking the SO 2 level in the flare impact area. Table 32 to § 3176.8 (d)(1)(vi) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Minor Acquire, repair, or replace equipment as necessary 24 hours to 3 days. (vii) If the flare impact area reaches a sustained ambient threshold level of 2 ppm or greater of SO 2 in air and includes any occupied residence, school, church, park, or place of business, or other area where the public could reasonably be expected to frequent, the Public Protection Plan shall be implemented. Table 33 to § 3176.8 (d)(1)(vii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Contain SO 2 release and/or implement Public Protection Plan Prompt correction required. (viii) A remote controlled choke shall be installed for all H 2 S drilling and, where feasible, for completion operations. A remote-controlled valve may be used in lieu of this requirement for completion operations. Table 34 to § 3176.8 (d)(1)(viii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Install, repair, or replace equipment, as necessary Prompt correction required. (ix) Mud-gas separators and rotating heads shall be installed and operable for all exploratory wells. Table 35 to § 3176.8 (d)(1)(ix) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Install, repair, or replace equipment, as necessary Prompt correction required. (2) Mud program. (i) A pH of 10 or above in a fresh water-base mud system shall be maintained to control corrosion, H 2 S gas returns to surface, and minimize sulfide stress cracking and embrittlement unless other formation conditions or mud types justify to the authorized officer a lesser pH level is necessary. Table 36 to § 3176.8 (d)(2)(i) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Adjust pH Prompt correction required. (ii) Drilling mud containing H 2 S gas shall be degassed in accordance with API RP–49, sec. 5.14 (incorporated by reference, see § 3176.11), at an optimum location for the rig configuration. These gases shall be piped into the flare system. (The use of later editions of API RP–49 is deemed to comply with the requirements of this paragraph (d)(2)(ii).) Table 37 to § 3176.8 (d)(2)(ii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Install, repair, or replace equipment, as necessary 24 hours. (iii) Sufficient quantities of mud additives shall be maintained on location to scavenge and/or neutralize H 2 S where formation pressures are unknown. Table 38 to § 3176.8 (d)(2)(iii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Obtain proper mud additives 24 hours. (3) Metallurgical equipment. (i) All equipment that has the potential to be exposed to H 2 S shall be suitable for H 2 S service. Equipment which shall meet these metallurgical standards include the drill string, casing, wellhead, blowout preventer assembly, casing head and spool, rotating head, kill lines, choke, choke manifold and lines, valves, mud-gas separators, drill-stem test tools, test units, tubing, flanges, and other related equipment. (ii) To minimize stress corrosion cracking and/or H 2 S embrittlement, the equipment shall be constructed of material whose metallurgical properties are chosen with consideration for both an H 2 S working environment and the anticipated stress. The metallurgical properties of the materials used shall conform to NACE MR 0175–2021 (incorporated by reference, see § 3176.11). (The use of NACE MR 0175–90 through NACE MR 0175–2021 is deemed to comply with the requirements of this paragraph (d)(3)(ii).) These metallurgical properties include the grade of steel, the processing method (rolled, normalized, tempered, and/or quenched), and the resulting strength properties. The working environment considerations include the H 2 S concentration, the well fluid pH, and the wellbore pressures and temperatures. Elastomers, packing, and similar inner parts exposed to H 2 S shall be resistant at the maximum anticipated temperature of exposure. The manufacturer's verification of design for use in an H 2 S environment shall be sufficient verification of suitable service in accordance with this subpart. Table 39 to § 3176.8 (d)(3)(ii) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Install, repair, or replace appropriate equipment, as necessary Prompt correction required. (4) Well testing in an H 2 S environment. Testing shall be performed with a minimum number of personnel in the immediate vicinity which are necessary to safely and adequately operate the test equipment. Except with prior approval by the authorized officer, the drill-stem testing of H 2 S zones shall be conducted only during daylight hours and formation fluids shall not be flowed to the surface (closed chamber only). Table 40 to § 3176.8 (d)(4) Violation Corrective action Normal abatement period Major Terminate the well test Prompt correction required.