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If you are a safety officer on a drilling site, it is important to understand the difference between a shear ram and a blind ram. Gate blowout preventers use a pair of opposing steel rams to prevent a possible blowout in a borehole. They cut off the tubulars in the borehole and seal the well. However, the two gate blowout preventers operate differently.

How do BOP shear gates and blind gates operate? The blind plunger can close the borehole even if the well does not have a drill string or any other tubulars. A shear gate, on the other hand, has a steel blade that cuts the drill pipe and seals the wellhead. Now, let's take a deeper look at how these two plunger blowout preventers work.

Shear Rams

BOP Products Shear Rams can shear the pipe in the borehole and bend to cut the lower portion of the pipe to allow the ram to close and seal. If you are looking for a shear gate with higher shear capacity, consider the Interlocking Shear Gate. It is a great alternative to the standard SBR plunger. They should only be used when a standard plunger cannot handle the required shear load.

Blind rams

The primary function of a blind gate blowout preventer is to cut off the opening in the tubing or drilling column when the well is not producing. The double shear blind gate is a special type of gate blowout preventer. BOP Products' DS can also be used as a blind plunger during normal drilling operations.

Blowout Prevention Devices

Blind Plungers and Shear Plungers act as gate valves to regulate the flow of oil through the drill pipe. They can also seal the well when needed. The good news is that the SBR can cut the pipe several times without damaging its cutting edge. Other devices that can prevent blowouts are annular blowout preventers.

Using shear gates and blind gates in the oilfield

Now that you know the difference between a shear gate and a blind gate, you can quickly choose an option that will meet your field's needs. Other BOP gate types that can also improve worker safety in the drilling field are variable hole gates and pipe gates.

Contact us to learn more about the differences between shear rams and blind rams.