§ 250.445 - What are the requirements for kelly valves, inside BOPs, and drill-string safety valves?

Link to an amendment published at 81 FR 26020, April 29, 2016.

You must use or provide the following BOP equipment during drilling operations:

(a) A kelly valve installed below the swivel (upper kelly valve);

(b) A kelly valve installed at the bottom of the kelly (lower kelly valve). You must be able to strip the lower kelly valve through the BOP stack;

(c) If you drill with a mud motor and use drill pipe instead of a kelly, you must install one kelly valve above, and one strippable kelly valve below, the joint of drill pipe used in place of a kelly;

(d) On a top-drive system equipped with a remote-controlled valve, you must install a strippable kelly-type valve below the remote-controlled valve;

(e) An inside BOP in the open position located on the rig floor. You must be able to install an inside BOP for each size connection in the drill string;

(f) A drill-string safety valve in the open position located on the rig floor. You must have a drill-string safety valve available for each size connection in the drill string;

(g) When running casing, you must have a safety valve in the open position available on the rig floor to fit the casing string being run in the hole;

(h) All required manual and remote-controlled kelly valves, drill-string safety valves, and comparable-type valves (i.e., kelly-type valve in a top-drive system) must be essentially full-opening; and

(i) The drilling crew must have ready access to a wrench to fit each manual valve.