www.daoe-journal.

org Development and Applications of Oceanic Engineering (DAOE) Volume 2 Issue 4, November 2013

Design of Blowout Preventer Lifting Frame

Krishna Baireddy*1
Former Student of Ocean Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Logisa, Gajapathinagaram, Vijayanagaram, Andhrapradesh, India
[email protected]
*1

Abstract movement of heavy equipments in shipyards, lifting

A Blowout Preventer is a large, specialized valve usually frames are greater in requirement. These frames are
installed redundantly in stacks used to seal, control and used to move the equipment or machinery from
monitor oil and gas wells. Blowout preventers developed to fabrication shed to the vessel (offshore or marine
cope with extreme erratic pressures and uncontrolled flow vessel) and also useful while moving one place to the
emanating from a well reservoir during drilling. These are other place on vessel as per the requirement. There are
widely used at land, offshore rigs and subsea. Lifting BOP several advantages in using the lifting frames;
stack (blowout preventer) is a difficult task due to its huge
provision of lifting frame can handle the materials
size and complex shape without any interface like lifting
frame. It is also not possible to accommodate lifting lugs on efficiently and with minimum physical effort must be
BOP stack because of its tough geometry. Hence, the one of the most important considerations in industry
importance of lifting frame is determined and designed for today. On one hand, there is growing pressure on
Hydrill GK 13 5/8"-5000 Annular BOP. The safe working management from workers, their trade unions and
load of the BOP stack is 34.6 MT (76.27 kips). Size and shape safety representatives, to provide lifting equipment to
of the lifting frame are determined against the shape and ease their daily tasks; on the other hand, an increasing
particulars of the annular blowout preventer. Lifting frame
awareness of the greater efficiency and reduced costs
is designed as a two point lifting system. Design of lifting
frame includes the design of lifting pad eyes, annular
can be obtained by employing modern mechanical
locking padeyes and bolts strength calculations. Standard handling equipment of all capacities. The objective of
contact analysis is used to simulate the connecting parts of the present study is the design of lifting frame for
the lifting frame. Finite element analysis is carried out by design working load of the BOP stack. This study also
using ANSYS 12.0.1. gives the design calculations of lifting frame padeye,
Keywords annular locking padeye and bolts strength calculations.

Blowout Preventer; Lifting Frame; BOP; Lifting Ring; Annular

Hydrill GK 13 5/8" - 5000 Annular BOP
Guide; Annular Padeye
Lifting Frame Design
Introduction In the present paper lifting frame is designed for
Hydrill GK 13 5/8" - 5000 Annular BOP. The Annular
A BOP stack is composed of several individual
blowout preventers serving various functions that are BOP sits on top of three ram BOPs. While lifting,
assembled or stacked together, with at least one lifting frame will hold the BOP stack around the
annular BOP on top of the several ram BOPs. These annular BOP. Lifting frame is designed into two parts;
various BOPs can seal around the drill pipe, casing, and both the parts are almost similar except the
close over the wellbore and cut through the drill pipe annular guide locations. Main components of the
with steel shearing blades. BOP stacks are more in lifting frame are lifting frame padeyes, annular guides,
weight and size, due to its larger size lifting frame annular locking padeyes, bottom plate, top plate,
designed to lift the BOP stack. Lifting frame is a work vertical face plates, bottom connecting plates and ribs.
frame used for lifting or lowering the equipments. Top and bottom plate of the lifting frame parts are
There are several reasons for using these lifting frames connected by using vertical plates. All the parts of the
in shipyards. Lifting frame experiences more dynamic lifting frame are shown in FIG. 1. Lifting frame is
movements while lifting the BOP stack due to its mainly designed for moving BOP stack from one
weight and size, which may result in hitting the location to other as per the requirement on offshore
surrounding machinery/equipment. Sometimes it is drilling rig. Crane used for lifting BOP stack is gantry
also not possible to accommodate the lifting lugs on its crane, having SWL capacity of 100 MT. Gantry crane
surface because of its complex geometry. So for will lift the BOP stack by using two hoists which are

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Development and Applications of Oceanic Engineering (DAOE) Volume 2 Issue 4, November 2013 www.daoe-journal.org

fitted in a hoist trolley and can move horizontally on 4. Inner ring diameter of the lifting frame, 3'-3"
pair of rails fitted under a beam. The distance between Procedure for lifting frame parts assembly: When BOP
these two hoists is 147", so the lifting frame is designed annular on its place both the lifting frame parts are
as two point lifting system. Offshore cranes can also assembled from either side of the BOP annular and
use this lifting frame for moving BOP stack from its then both the parts are connected by using bolt and
place in shed to the vessel. Inner ring diameter of the nuts through vertical face plates. In later stage bottom
lifting frame is determined based on ‘N’ (3'-2") and ‘O’ connecting plate will be connected to the lifting frame
(3'-8 3/4") dimensions of the Hydrill GK 13 5/8" - 5000 by using bolt and nut connections. Shackles are
Annular BOP, shown in Fig. 2. The outer ring diameter, attached to the corresponding padeyes. Lifting frame
other parts size and shape of the lifting frame are parts are shown in Fig. 3.
determined as per the finite element analysis results K = 3'-778"

and design calculations. Based on the iterative process L = 3'-538"

of FE analysis, it is determined to add bottom

connecting plate at connecting location of the lifting
frame parts, resulting in drastic reduction of von- annular lug This part

A= 4'-681"
Mises stresses in the lifting frame. of the
HYDRIL
annular
will rest
on BOP
lifting
N = 3'-2" frame
O = 3'-834"

FIG. 2 PARTICULARS OF HYDRILL GK 13 5/8" - 5000 ANNULAR

BOP

1. Lifting frame padeye 2. Annular locking padeye

3. Annular guide 4. Bottom plate
5. Top plate 6. Vertical face plate
7. Bottom connecting plate 8. Ribs

FIG. 1 MAIN PARTS OF THE BOP LIFTING FRAME

Annular locking padeyes and annular guides play

vital role in lifting the BOP stack. Lifting frame
annular locking padeyes will be connected with the
annular lugs using shackles and chains. Both lifting
FIG. 3 BLOWOUT PREVENTER LIFTING FRAME PARTS
frame annular locking padeyes and annular guides are
helpful for sea fastening the BOP Hydril annular Material Properties of the Lifting Frame and Hex. 1 1
during the lifting operation. 25 MT shackles are used /8" φ × 4" LG Bolts
for lifting padeyes and 9.5 MT shackles are used for
annular locking pad eyes; while these shackles are Material properties of the lifting frame and bolts are
standard shackles available in the market. Lifting given in Table 1.
frame padeyes and annular locking padeyes are not TABLE 1 MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF THE LIFTING FRAME AND HEX. BOLT
standard padeyes, but fabricated padeyes. All padeye 1 1 /8" Φ × 4" LG

holes will be drilled after all welding is completed. Pin Hex. Bolt 1 1 /8" ϕ
Lifting frame
hole and padeye edges are smooth and free from any × 4" LG
imperfections. Main particulars of the lifting frame are: Material grade ASTM A36 ASTM A325
Density of steel, 490 lbs / ft3 490 lbs / ft3
1. Length of the lifting frame (lifting padeyes Yield strength, fy 34 ksi (234 MPa) 92 ksi (634.3 MPa)
center to center distance), 12'-3" Ultimate 58 ksi (400 MPa) 120 ksi (827.3 MPa)
2. Maximum width of the lifting frame, 4'-8 6/8" Young’s 30457.9 ksi (210GPa) 30457.9 ksi
3. Depth of the lifting frame, 1'-2" Poisons ratio, ʋ 0.3 0.3

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Finite Element Modelling of the BOP Lifting simulate washer area, reference to Fig. 7. Grid
Frame independent study has been conducted to determine
the mesh size of the element. The size of the element is
about 2". Summary of finite element model is: Total
number of elements = 8239, Total number of nodes =
7529.

FIG. 4 SURFACE MODEL OF THE BOP LIFTING FRAME

FIG. 6 FINITE ELEMENT MODEL OF THE BOP LIFTING FRAME

Standard contact
is established

FIG. 5 SURFACE MODEL OF THE BOP LIFTING FRAME

(ZOOMED VIEW) (SIZE AND SHAPE DISPLAY OF ELEMENT IS
ON, ANSYS 12.0.1)

The finite element model of the BOP lifting frame is

modelled in HyperMesh 10.1. Mid plane surface of the FIG. 7 FINITE ELEMENT MODEL OF THE BOP LIFTING FRAME
lifting frame structure is modelled using 4-noded
quadrilateral shell elements (Element type: Shell 63).
The finite element model plots of the lifting frame are
shown in Fig. 4 to Fig. 8. Surface to Surface contact
option (element type: Conta 174, Targe 170) is used to
simulate the contact regions between vertical face
plates and bottom plate of the lifting frame & bottom
connecting plate. Contact regions are clearly shown in
Fig. 5. Contact regions are connected together by
means of bolted connections, reference to Fig. 9 and
Fig. 10. Bolts are modelled as beam elements (Element
type: Beam 44) and connected with CERIG to the
boundary nodes of bolt hole. Holes are created at bolt
locations, and diameter of the hole is equal to bolt
diameter. Bolts are simulated as beam elements. Two FIG. 8 SURFACE MODEL OF THE BOP LIFTING FRAME (VIEW
sets of nodes are considered around the bolt region to FROM BOTTOM)

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time behavior of the structure while lifting. Lifting

frame padeyes are constrained in vertical direction (lift
direction) to numerically simulate the lifting frame
structure for the design working load. One lifting
frame padeye is constrained in all three translations to
avoid rigid body motion in Ansys 12.0.1 software,
while doing finite element analysis. Boundary
condition plot is shown in Fig. 11.

Loads Considered for the FE Analysis

Safe working load of the BOP stack is 34.6 MT (76.27
kips). The Safe working load (SWL) denotes the
maximum weight for which lifting frame is certified
FIG. 9 PROFILE VIEW OF THE BOP LIFTING FRAME by classification society to raise, lower or suspend.
Safe working load of the BOP stack includes the
weight of all ram BOPs and annular BOPs in the stack.
Offshore lifting is exposed to significant dynamic
effects while lifting the BOP stack that shall be taken
into account by applying an appropriate dynamic
amplification factor, resulting in DAF being 1.30 for
this module.

Design working load of the BOP stack = DAF × SWL

Design working load of the BOP stack is 1.3 × 34.6 = 45

MT (99.21 kips).
99.21 kips load is distributed among the
circumferential nodes, 2" away from inner ring edge of
FIG. 10 PROFILE VIEW OF THE BOP LIFTING FRAME (ZOOMED
the lifting frame. Total number of nodes on
VIEW) circumference of the lifting frame is 94. Load
application plot is shown in Fig. 12. Along with the
Boundary Conditions, Loads and Allowable 99.21 kips design working load and pretension load in
Criteria bolts, self weight of the lifting frame is also considered
for the strength assessment of BOP lifting frame.
Boundary Conditions
Load on each node = design working load/total
number of nodes = 99.21 / 94 = 1.06 kips.

UX=UY=UZ=0

UZ=0

1.06 kips/node

FIG. 11 BOUNDARY CONDITION PLOT OF LIFTING FRAME

Boundary condition, an application of force and FIG. 12 LOAD APPLICATION PLOT OF THE BOP LIFTING
constraint is generally given to the model to get real FRAME

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Allowable Criteria TABLE 2 OPTIONS USED FOR THE CONTACT ANALYSIS IN ANSYS 12.0.1

Behavior of the contact

Lifting frame will act as a simply supported beam Standard
surface
while lifting the BOP stack, reference to Fig. 11 and Fig. coefficient of friction 0.02
12. Distance between lifting frame padeyes (L) is 147". contact algorithm Augmented Lagrange Method
stiffness matrix Symmetric
Allowable deflection for simply supported beam is
Initial penetration include everything
'L/240'.
Automatic contact adjustment Close gap/reduce penetration
So allowable deflection for lifting frame is 0.61 in. Element time increment Maintain reasonable
Allowable von-Mises stress for the lifting frame (static
analysis) is 0.56 × fy = 0.56 × 34 = 19.04 ksi.

Finite Element Analysis Results and

Discussions

The finite element analysis is carried out for the BOP

lifting frame. Static analysis is performed for the
design working load along with self weight of the
lifting frame structure. SPARSE matrix solver is used
to simulate the lifting frame in Ansys 12.0.1. Options
used for contact analysis are given in Table 2.
Maximum deflection observed in the lifting frame is
FIG. 14 TOTAL DEFORMATION PLOT OF BOP LIFTING FRAME
0.008", which is well below the allowable deflection.
(INCHES) (DISPLACEMENT SCALE IS 1:300)
Deformation plots are shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14.
The maximum von-Mises stress on lifting frame is
found to be 12.323 ksi, less than the allowable stress.
Hence structure is safe in strength point of view. Von-
Mises stress plots are shown in Fig. 15 to Fig. 17. From
the finite element analysis results it is observed that
maximum von-Mises stress is found near to the bolt
locations, and these high concentrated stresses are due
to the rigid connections. The von-Mises stress
distribution on the lifting frame parts is not similar
because of the difference in locations of the annular
guides and its support structure.

FIG. 15 VON-MISES STRESS PLOT OF BOP LIFTING FRAME,

MAXIMUM STRESS IS 12.32 KSI

FIG. 13 VERTICAL DEFORMATION PLOT OF BOP LIFTING FIG. 16 VON-MISES STRESS PLOT OF BOP LIFTING FRAME,
FRAME (INCHES) (DISPLACEMENT SCALE IS 1:300) MAXIMUM STRESS IS 12.32 KSI

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= 1 × 123/12 = 144 in4

Neutral axis distance is half of the depth of section B -
B, 12/2 = 6"
Section modulus = moment of inertia / neutral axis
distance = 144 / 6 = 24 in3
Distance from padeye hole center to section B – B is 6"
Bending moment about section B – B = 51.75 × 6" =
310.5 kip-in
So bending stress as per bending equation is equal to
Bending moment/Section modulus = 310.5 / 24 = 12.93
FIG. 17 VON-MISES STRESS PLOT OF BOP LIFTING FRAME (KSI), ksi
ZOOMED VIEW
Allowable bending stress is 0.6 × fy = 0.6 × 34 = 20.4 ksi
Design of Lifting Frame Padeye
Actual bending stress in the lifting padeye is less than
Lifting frame pad eye is designed for total load of the allowable bending stress so lifting padeye is 'safe'
103.5 kips. Design working load of the BOP stack is in bending stress point of view.
99.21 kips (45 MT) and self weight of the lifting frame
is 4.29 kips (1.95 MT). Total reaction force at each Lifting Frame Padeye Design for Shear Stress
lifting padeye is 51.75 kips, and reaction force of Reaction force on each lifting padeye is 51.75 kips, in
49.605 kips on each lifting padeye is due to the design lift direction. Padeye will shear in two areas in lift
working load of BOP stack. Cheek plate of thickness direction (Z-direction). Dimensions and shear
0.5" is given to the lifting padeye at either side of the locations are shown in Fig. 18. Distance from pin hole
padeye holes to resist against the loads. Lifting padeye edge to outer edge of the lifting frame in lift direction
is designed for bending stress, shear stress and bearing is 3.125". Distance from pin hole edge to outer edge of
stress. Material properties of the lifting frame and the cheek plate is 2.125" and cheek plate thickness is
lifting frame padeyes are similar. 0.5".
Detailed calculations and the lifting pad eye are Double shear area, reference to section A - A = 2 × (1" ×
shown in below and Fig. 18. 3.125" + 2 × 0.5" × 2.125") = 10.5 in2

49.605 KIPS So shear stress on lifting padeye is Force / Shear area =

51.75 / 10.5 = 4.93 ksi
Allowable shear stress is 0.4 × fy = 0.4 × 34 = 13.6 ksi

SHEAR LOCATION
PADEYE PL. 1"
1
2"
1"
[25] Actual shear stress in the lifting padeye is less than the
[13]

allowable shear stress so lifting padeye is 'SAFE' in

[79]
318"
[102]

[102]

[44] [54]
218"
4"

4"

shear stress point of view.

[152]
134"

6"

[305]
1'-0"
[117]
485"

Lifting Frame Padeye Design for Bearing Stress

[203]
8"

1"
[25]

CHEEK PL. 1/2" SECTION A-A SECTION B-B

Reaction force on each lifting padeye is 51.75 kips
6"
[152] Pin hole diameter of the padeye is 1.75" (44 mm);
while Pin diameter is 1.61" (41 mm)
FIG. 18 DETAILS OF LIFTING FRAME PADEYE
Lifting padeye thickness is 1"; and Cheek plate
Lifting Frame Padeye Design for Bending Stress
thickness is 0.5"
Lifting padeye will tend to bend about section B - B
Thickness of the lifting pad eye for bearing is 2" (1" + 2
while lifting the BOP stack, reference to Fig. 18.
× 0.5")
Reaction force on each lifting padeye is 51.75 kips.
Lifting padeye thickness is 1". Bearing area = pin diameter × thickness of the padeye
Moment of inertia about major axis of the section B – B = 1.61" × 2" = 3.22 in2

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So bearing stress on lifting padeye = Load/Bearing area 3646 kip-in

= 51.75/3.22 = 16.07 ksi Maximum bending moment at joining locations is
3646/2 = 1823 kip-in. Refer to Fig. 19.
Allowable bearing stress is 0.75× fy = 0.75×34 = 25.5 ksi
Actual bearing stress in the lifting padeye is less than Design of Bottom Bolts for Shear Force
the allowable bearing stress so lifting frame padeye is Bottom connecting plate bolts are oriented along the
'safe' in bearing stress point of view. Hence lifting depth of the lifting frame. Forces at bottom bolt
frame padeye is safe in strength point of view for the locations are calculated by using maximum induced
applied loads. bending moment in the lifting frame. Details of the
vertical face plate bolts are given in Fig. 20.
Design Calculations of Hexagonal bolt 1 1
/8" ϕ × 4" LG (ASTM A 325 Grade) Maximum bending moment at each vertical face plates
joint is 1823 kip-in
Bolts take major part of the load while lifting the BOP
stack. Vertical face plate bolts are in tension and shear Distance from top of the vertical face plate to bottom
during the lifting operation where as bottom connecting plate is 14".
connecting plate bolts are under shear. So the vertical Sum of the square distances is 3.6252 + 72 + 10.3752 + 142
plate bolts are designed for both shear and tension = 365.75 in2
capacity. Bottom connecting plate bolts are designed
878"
for shear and for bearing strength at bolt holes. [225]
Number of bolts on each vertical face plate is 6. Eight
number of bolts are used to connect bottom connecting [92]
385"

plate with bottom plate of the lifting frame on each

[178]
D

7"
side. So the total number of bolts used for the design

[264]
1083"
[86]
383"

of BOP lifting frame design is 28 (2 × 6 + 2 × 8). Bolt

[356]
1'-2"
C

size is hexagonal 1 1 /8" ϕ × 4" LG bolt (ASTM A 325

[86]
383"

Grade). Lifting frame acts as a simply supported beam B

during the lifting operation. So the maximum bending

[92]
385"

moment will occur at the mid part of the lifting frame. A

This moment will be equally distributed between the
two vertical face plates joints. Refer to Fig. 19 for
FIG. 20 DETAILS OF VERTICAL FACE PLATE BOLTS
details.
Shear force on bottom bolts (at A, refer Fig. 20) is equal
MMAX to (maximum bending moment × distance)/sum of the
square distances that is, 1823 × 14 / 365.75 = 69.77 kips.
2

MMAX
2 Allowable shear capacity for each 1 1/8" bolt is 16.9
kips
Allowable shear capacity for 4 bolts (4 bolts are
located on each part per each side) is 4 × 16.9 = 67.6
kips
Unit check ratio is Shear force at bottom bolts / shear
capacity of bolts, that is, 69.77 / 67.6 = 1.03.

147" Unit check ratio is slightly higher than 1, which is

acceptable because of the conservative design working
FIG. 19 MAXIMUM BENDING MOMENT CALCULATIONS PLOT load is considered for the design. Bottom bolts are safe
in shear point of view.
The formula for maximum bending moment for
simply supported beam with point load at midpoint is Design of Vertical Face Plate Bolts for Shear Force
WL / 4.
Vertical face plate bolts are oriented along the length
Maximum bending moment, WL / 4 = 99.21 × 147" / 4 = of the lifting frame. The maximum reaction force at

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each lifting frame padeye is 49.605 kips due to the Tension load on each horizontal bolt is 51.71 / 2, that is
design working load of 99.21 kips (45 MT). This 25.86 kips
reaction force is reason for the shear stress in
Allowable tension stress combined with shear stress in
horizontal bolts.
the horizontal bolts is
Shear force on each vertical face plate is 49.60/2, that is
that is, = 43.12 ksi
24.8 kips.
Allowable tension load on nominal area is tension
There are total 6 bolts on each vertical face plate, bolts
stress × cross sectional area (43.12 × 0.994) = 42.86 kips
cross sectional area being 0.994 in2
Allowable tension load on tension area is tension
Shear stress in each bolt, fυ is total shear force/ (no. of
stress × cross sectional area (excluding threaded area),
bolts × bolt cross sectional area),
that is, 43.12 × 0.763 = 32.9 kips.
that is equal to 24.9/(0.994 × 6) = 4.18 ksi
Actual tension load combined with shear force in
Allowable shear stress for each 1 1/8" bolt is 17 ksi horizontal bolts is less than the allowable tension load,
so horizontal bolts are 'safe' for combined tension and
shear loads.

Design Against Bearing Strength at Bolt Holes

Through Horizontal Bottom Connecting Plate
Horizontal bottom plate thickness is 1",
VERTICAL FACE PLATE BOLTS Minimum edge distance from the bolt center is 2",
DL=99.21KIPS Diameter of bolt is 1 1/8 ",
Bearing load at bottom bolts (at A, reference to Fig. 20)
is (maximum bending moment × distance) / sum of the
R =49.605 KIPS
a R =49.605 KIPS
b
square distances, that is, 1823 × 14 / 365.75 = 69.77 kips

FIG. 21 SHEAR FORCE CALCULATION PLOT AT EACH Horizontal bearing load (4 bolts are located on each
VERTICAL FACE PLATE part per each side) at each bolt is 69.77/4 = 17.44 kips
Actual shear stress in horizontal bolts is less than the Allowable bearing load at bolt holes for 2" edge
allowable shear stress, so horizontal bolts are 'safe' in distance is 48.9 kips.
shear force point of view.
Actual bearing load near horizontal bolts is less than
Design of Vertical Face Plate Bolts Against Combined the allowable bearing load, so bottom connecting bolts
Both Shear Force and Tension Force are 'safe' for bearing point of view. Hence hexagonal 1
1 /8" ϕ × 4" LG bolts are safe in strength point of view
Shear stress in horizontal bolts, fυ is 4.18 ksi
for the applied loads.
Bolts cross sectional area is 0.994 in2
Annular Locking Padeye Design
Maximum bending moment at joining locations is
3646/2 = 1823 kip-in. Refer to Fig. 19. Annular locking padeye is designed for bending stress,
Tension force in the horizontal bolts is calculated by shear stress and bearing stress. Material properties of
using maximum induced bending moment in the the lifting frame, annular locking padeyes and annular
lifting frame. guides are similar. Detailed calculations are given
below; while details of the annular locking pad eye are
Tension load at ‘B’ (Maximum tension will occur in shown in Fig. 22. 9.5 MT SWL shackles are used to tie
third row of bolts which are at 10 3/8" from top of the the annular locking padeyes with annular lugs. Design
vertical plate, refer Fig. 20 for details) is (maximum working load of the shackle is 1.3 × safe working load
bending moment × distance)/sum of the square
distances that is, 1.3 × 9.5 = 12.35 MT (27.22 kips)

= 1823 × 10.375" / 365.38 Annular Locking Padeye Design for Bending Stress
= 51.71 kips on two bolts Annular locking padeye will tend to bend about

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section C – C, while lifting the BOP stack. Allowable shear stress is 0.4 × fy, that is 13.6 ksi
Design load on each locking padeye is 31.41 kips Actual shear stress in the annular locking padeye is
less than the allowable shear stress, so annular locking
Distance from annular locking padeye pin hole center
padeye is 'SAFE' in shear stress point of view.
to the section C – C is 2.125"
Moment of inertia about major axis of the section C – Annular Locking Padeye Design Against Bearing
C is 1 × 113 / 12, that is 110.92 in4 Stress

Neutral axis distance is half of the depth of the section, Design working load on each locking padeye is 31.41
is 5.5" (Reference to Fig. 19, section C - C). kips

Section modulus is moment of inertia/neutral axis Pin hole diameter of the padeye = 1 7/16" (37 mm)
distance, that is, 110.92 / 5.5 = 20.17 in3 Pin diameter = 1.25" (32 mm)
Thickness of the pad eye (for bearing) = 1"

218"
Bearing area = pin diameter × thickness of the padeye
[55]
= 1.25" × 1" = 1.25 in2
SHEAR LOCATION
1"
[25]

So bearing stress on locking padeye is Load / Bearing

area, that is, 27.22 / 1.25 = 21.78 ksi
[356]
1'-2"

[279]
11"

Allowable bearing stress is 0.75 × fy, that is 0.75 × 34 =

SECTION C-C
25.5 ksi
778"
[200] Actual bearing stress in the annular locking padeye is
887"
[225]
less than the allowable bearing stress, so annular
locking padeye is 'safe' in bearing stress point of view.
FIG. 22 DETAILS OF ANNULAR LOCKING PADEYE
Hence annular locking padeye is safe in strength point
Moment about section C – C (27.22 ×2.125") is 57.84 of view for the applied loads.
kip-in
Conclusions
So bending stress as per the bending equation is
Bending moment/Section modulus Lifting frame is designed for design working load of
the BOP stack along with self weight of the lifting
= 57.84 / 20.17 = 2.87 ksi
frame structure. As expected lifting frame is deflected
Allowable bending stress is 0.6 × fy, that is, 0.6 × 34 = more at middle part of the lifting frame. The
20.4 ksi maximum deflection obtained in the lifting frame
Actual bending stress in the annular locking padeye is structure is less than the allowable deflection limit.
less than the allowable bending stress, so annular Bottom connecting plate and inner ring structure of
locking padeye is 'safe' in bending stress point of view. the lifting frame experience more stresses than the
remaining part of the lifting frame. The maximum
Annular Locking Padeye Design for Shear Stress von-Mises stress in the lifting frame structure is well
below the allowable stress limit. Hexagonal 1 1 /8" ϕ ×
The designed working load on each annular locking
4" LG bolt is safe for the applied design working load.
padeye is 27.22 kips. Padeye will shear in two areas
Lifting padeyes and annular locking padeyes strength
along the pull direction near pin hole, and
are also checked with the applied design working load
approximate shear locations are shown in Fig. 22.
and found to be safe. Hence, the BOP lifting frame is
Distance from pin hole center to outer edge of the
safe in strength point of view for the applied loads.
locking padeye in lift direction is 2". Diameter of the
annular locking padeye pin hole is 1 7/16" (lift
Nomenclature
direction). Annular locking padeye thickness is 1".
W Design working load;
Double shear area is 2 × [(2" – 0.719") × 1"] = 2.56 in2
L Length between the lifting frame padeye bolt centers;
Shear stress in locking padeye is Force/Shear area, that
is, 27.22 / 2.56 = 10.63 ksi UX Translation in X - direction;

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UY Translation in Y - direction; “American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).”

UZ Translation in Z - direction; Allowable Stress Design, 13 Edition, Part 7, 7 - 31.
th

Mmax Maximum bending moment of the lifting frame; “American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).”
Allowable Stress Design, 9 Edition.
th
MT Metric tonne;
Subrata Kumar, Chakrabarti. “Handbook of Offshore
fy Yield strength of the material;
Engineering.” Vol. 1, Chapter 14, 14.9.2.
fu Ultimate tensile strength of the material;
Krishna. Baireddy was born in
Ksi Kips per square inch.
Vijayanagaram, India. The author
earned B.E in mechanical
REFERENCES
engineering from Andhra
“ABS Guide for Certification of Lifting Appliances.” University and M.S by Research in
ocean engineering from Indian
Chapter 2, Section 2, 5.3.
Institute of Technology Madras.
“ABS Rules for Building and Classing Mobile Offshore
He worked three years in Zentech
Drilling Units 2012. ” Hull Construction and Equipment.
Offshore Engineering Pvt Limited and Bharati Shipyard
“American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).” Limited. He has been working for Infotech Enterprises
Allowable Stress Design, 9th Edition, Chapter 4, 4-3, 4-5. Limited, Visakhapatnam since May 2011 and his current
“American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).” position is Senior Design Engineer. He is working for design
and analysis of offshore drilling rigs.
Allowable Stress Design, 9th Edition, Chapter 5, J - 3.

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