Recommended Practice for OilfieldExplosives Safety - THIRD EDITION

Abstract

This publication is applicable to chemical explosives used as an energy source to do work in oil- and gas-producing operations, and more specifically to explosives intended for use inside a wellbore.

The purpose of this recommended practice (RP) is primarily to prevent the inadvertent initiation of these explosives at the wellsite but also includes some recommendations for safe and secure storage and transportation and handling, as well as requirements for design and manufacture of selected equipment.

Additionally, there are five annexes included as part of this RP that provide important guidance:

— Annex A: Critical Safety Equipment for Operations;

— Annex B: Explosive Arming and Disarming Safety Critical Fundamentals—Electric Detonators;

— Annex C: Recommended Safety Equipment and Processes;

— Annex D: Stray Voltage Worksheet;

— Annex E: Wellsite Audit Checklist;

With the exception of Annex A, these annexes have been provided as reference material; they are not intended to replace the full text of this document but rather are provided as supplemental information.

Operating companies and/or service companies may establish more comprehensive and exhaustive materials, as they deem appropriate for their particular situation(s).

While some chemicals intended for various nonexplosive applications can prove explosive when misused (such as lithium batteries), it is not the intent of this RP to address these materials.