16D BOP Accumulator

Sizing and Performance Tool

Program Version 1.12

User Manual
Companion Tool for API Specification 16D, Second Edition, July 2004
 Manual Revision History

Rev. Date Description

10 23 Jan 2015 Changed description of the pressure columns in the Performance Table with respect
to MOP, condition 2.
09 10 Dec 2013 Improved the wording of override of wellbore pressure explanation. Added the
beginnings of a section on technical topics.
08 17 May 2011 Expanded explanations in the Performance Table

07 1 Jan 2010 Revised manual to accompany program version 1.04

06 30 Nov 2004 Original Manual published by API.

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Contact the publisher, Interlink Systems, Inc.,
5116 Bissonnet #341,Bellaire, TX 77401

Note: API is a registered trademark of the American Petroleum Institute.

Its use in this manual serves only to identify the 16D specification published
by API and to refer to BOP stacks and their conformance to that specification
and does not imply any warranty or endorsement by API of this software.

Copyright 2004 American Petroleum Institute

Published and supported by Interlink Systems, Inc. under license.
www.mcadamsengineering.com
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Description of Program and Manual ............................................................................................................. 1

2 User Interface .................................................................................................................................................. 1

2.1 General Layout ........................................................................................................................................ 1

2.2 Standard Windows Features ................................................................................................................... 1
2.2.1 ToolTips (Hints) ................................................................................................................................... 1
2.2.2 Click, Double Click, and Right Click .................................................................................................... 1
2.3 Numeric Entry Fields................................................................................................................................ 1
2.3.1 Units of Measure ................................................................................................................................. 2
2.3.2 Mouse and Keyboard Interactions ....................................................................................................... 2
2.3.3 Calculator Functions ............................................................................................................................ 2

3 Getting Started ................................................................................................................................................ 3

3.1 Parts of a Project ..................................................................................................................................... 3

3.2 API Design Examples and Errata ............................................................................................................ 3
3.3 Quick, Step-by-Step Instructions to Create a New Project ...................................................................... 4
3.3.1 Create a New Project Using an Equipment Library ............................................................................. 4
3.3.2 Create a New Project Starting with Another Project ........................................................................... 5
3.3.3 Create a New Project Entering Equipment by Hand ........................................................................... 5
3.3.4 Entering or Changing the BOP Stack Components ............................................................................ 6
3.4 Setting Default Units of Measure ............................................................................................................. 6
3.4.1 English vs. Metric ................................................................................................................................ 6
3.4.2 Mixed Units .......................................................................................................................................... 6

4 Equipment Libraries ....................................................................................................................................... 6

4.1 Equipment Library Window ...................................................................................................................... 7

4.1.1 Comments ........................................................................................................................................... 7
4.1.2 Equipment ........................................................................................................................................... 7
4.1.3 History.................................................................................................................................................. 7
4.2 Importing .................................................................................................................................................. 7
4.2.1 Import into a Library............................................................................................................................. 7
4.2.2 Import into a Project Equipment List ................................................................................................... 7
4.3 Edit or Input by Hand ............................................................................................................................... 8
4.4 Copy from Another Library ....................................................................................................................... 8
4.4.1 Copy and Paste ................................................................................................................................... 8
4.4.2 Drag and Drop ..................................................................................................................................... 9

5 Projects............................................................................................................................................................ 9

5.1 Project Data ............................................................................................................................................. 9

5.1.1 Project Tab .......................................................................................................................................... 9
5.1.2 Surface and Subsea Tabs ................................................................................................................. 10
5.1.3 BOP Stack Tab .................................................................................................................................. 10
5.1.4 Options Tab ....................................................................................................................................... 11
5.1.5 Summary Tab .................................................................................................................................... 11
5.1.6 Notes Tab .......................................................................................................................................... 11

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 5.1.7 Performance Tab ............................................................................................................................... 11
5.1.8 Calculator Tab ................................................................................................................................... 13
5.2 Project Equipment List ........................................................................................................................... 13

6 Gas Law Calculator ...................................................................................................................................... 13

6.1 Gas Starting Conditions ......................................................................................................................... 13

6.2 Desired End Condition ........................................................................................................................... 14
6.3 Ending Gas Conditions .......................................................................................................................... 14
6.4 Volume Change Summary ..................................................................................................................... 14

7 Technical Topics .......................................................................................................................................... 14

7.1 Minimum Operating Pressure (MOP) .................................................................................................... 14

8 Custom Printing ............................................................................................................................................ 14

8.1 Custom Print Formats ............................................................................................................................ 14

8.2 Custom Print Main Menu Command ................................................................................................. 14
8.2.1 Enabling the Custom Print Menu Item ............................................................................................... 15
8.2.2 What Custom Print Does ................................................................................................................... 15

9 Data File Structure ........................................................................................................................................ 15

9.1 General Comments ................................................................................................................................ 15

9.2 How to Use ............................................................................................................................................ 15
9.3 Storage of Memo Fields ......................................................................................................................... 16
9.4 Project Equipment List ........................................................................................................................... 16
9.5 Project Tab ............................................................................................................................................. 16
9.6 BOP Stack Sequence ............................................................................................................................ 16
9.7 Performance .......................................................................................................................................... 16
9.8 Other Sections ....................................................................................................................................... 17
9.8.1 File_Integrity_Check_Sum ................................................................................................................ 17
9.8.2 Library_Version ................................................................................................................................. 17
9.8.3 API_16D_Project_File ....................................................................................................................... 17
9.8.4 PageSetup ......................................................................................................................................... 17

10 Program INI file ............................................................................................................................................. 17

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16D BOP Accumulator Sizing and Performance Tool

1 DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM AND MANUAL

The16D BOP Accumulator Sizing and Performance Tool Program (Program, in this manual) is
designed to accompany API Specification 16D, Second Edition1 and make it easier to handle the
accumulator sizing calculations described in the specification. It is not a substitute for the full
Specification. Program users should already have access to and be familiar with Specification 16D,
Second Edition.

The Program is designed to run under 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems including Windows
2000, XP, Vista and 7. It should work properly under earlier operating systems back to Windows 95,
but that is not guaranteed. Other requirements (memory, hard disk, etc.) are very modest compared to
most Windows applications.

2 USER INTERFACE
This section describes features important to operating the software. Even if you are very comfortable
with Windows program design, it is a good idea to read the section on Numeric Entry Fields, as you will
be using them a lot and they have several helpful features.

2.1 General Layout

The Program is a typical Windows Multiple Document Interface (MDI) application. This means that
within the main program window, several accumulator sizing projects can be opened at the same time
in MDI Child windows.

2.2 Standard Windows Features

The Program is structured mostly with standard Windows controls that should be familiar to most
users. These include the main menu, check boxes, radio buttons, command buttons, text and memo
fields, and dialog boxes. Since these are common features of Windows programs, they will not be
discussed here.

2.2.1 ToolTips (Hints)

Virtually all data entry fields have one line of help text associated with them called a ToolTip. To see
the ToolTip for a field, just move the cursor over the place where you would enter data and wait one
second for the ToolTip to appear.

2.2.2 Click, Double Click, and Right Click

These standard Windows mouse functions are described here only to define the terms used elsewhere
in the manual. Click means to press the mouse button once. Double click means to press the
mouse button twice in rapid succession. Click and double click are both done with the left mouse
button. Right click uses the right mouse button.

2.3 Numeric Entry Fields

The numeric entry fields are not a standard Windows control. Though they resemble a standard text
box, they include several useful features specifically for entering engineering quantities.

1
Note: This program is published and supported by Interlink Systems, Inc. under a license agreement with API.
API no longer warrants or supports this software. Address all questions or comments to Interlink Systems, Inc.
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2.3.1 Units of Measure

The most obvious difference between the numeric field and the text box is that the field has two
separate parts: a number and a unit of measure. As a result, each input quantity can have its unit of
measure specified independently from all of the rest, allowing any desired mix of English and metric
values.

2.3.2 Mouse and Keyboard Interactions

2.3.2.1 Completely Manual Entry

You may highlight and type over the characters in a numeric field just like you would in any Windows
text box. The control will check your entry for proper form and unit of measure and display an error
dialog if a mistake is found.

2.3.2.2 Editing the Number

Move the cursor over the number and double click. The highlighting will allow you to simply retype the
number without changing the unit of measure.

The use of a period or comma for the decimal point is controlled by the regional settings in Windows.
You cannot control this from the Program. When entering numbers, you must conform to the regional
settings selected for Windows. Thousands separators are optional when inputting a number, but, if
used, must be correct (Ex: 1000.5 or 1,000.5 are OK in the US but 1,00 is not).

2.3.2.3 Changing the Unit of Measure

Move the cursor over the field and click the right mouse button. A menu will appear that contains all
valid units of measure for the field. Click the unit you want to change to. The menu will disappear and
the numeric part will be scaled to the new unit of measure.

You may also double click the unit part (which causes it to become highlighted) and then type in a new
unit. However, if you do this, the new unit must be recognized as a valid unit for this field or you will
get an error dialog box. Also, when you type in a new unit, the numeric part will not be scaled.

2.3.2.4 Formatting the Number

Put the mouse over the field and click the right mouse button. A menu will appear. At the bottom of
the menu are the selections Floating and Fixed Format. Click one or the other.

Floating format displays according to a built in set of rules and may include decimal points, and may
use engineering notation with exponents.

2.3.3 Calculator Functions

Any time you can enter a number, you can instead enter an arithmetic expression. The field
recognizes the operators + - * / and ^ (exponentiation), and allows parentheses like most common
algebraic calculators. It also knows the symbol pi.

For example, assume you are entering the volume of a cylinder 10" long and 3" in diameter. Instead of
entering 70.69 cu-in, you can enter (0.25*pi*3^2)*10 cu-in. When you press Enter or move the
cursor to another field, the expression is evaluated.

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3 GETTING STARTED
3.1 Parts of a Project
In general, a project consists of two parts: input data describing the stack and the environment, and a
project equipment list, which contains descriptions of the various pieces of equipment making up the
stack (valves, rams, connectors, etc.). Projects are stored in files with names of the form *.16D.
Example project files are provided with the program, representing the examples in the Appendix
(Accumulator Volumetric Design Examples) of API Specification 16D.

Any project must have an equipment list containing at least one piece of equipment. Equipment can be
entered from scratch or can be imported from an equipment library. For equipment that will appear in
more than one project, it is best to initially enter the equipment in a library and then import it to the
project as needed. See Equipment Libraries below for more information.

3.2 API Design Examples and Errata

Along with the installation of the Program, data files are provided with this program corresponding to
the 9 example cases in Annex C of the API 16D spec. These are useful in showing you how the
program input and results relate to hand/spreadsheet calculation. The program results may have a
small and negligible difference from hand calculation. This is due to round-off effects and to slight
differences between the real gas equation of state model used by the program compared to the NIST
gas property tables (used for the API 16D examples).

Some numerical typographical and printing errors exist in Annex C with the corrections as follows.

Page 67) Fluid Densities and Head Pressures: The sea water head pressure should be 3327 psig, not
3227 psig.

Page 81) Example 5, Liquid Volumes table, Condition 3: Total should be 398.0, not 557.3

Page 88) Example 7Performance Table: Gas and liquid volume columns are incorrect.

The following list is correct:

Performance Table Gas Volume, gal Liquid Volume, gal
Precharged accumulators @ surface 938.4 0.0
Condition 0: Precharged accumulators 938.4 0.0
Condition 1: Charged 669.6 268.8
Condition 2 MOP: Casing Shear Ram BOP 730.3 208.1
Condition 2 MOP: Blind Shear Ram BOP 765.1 173.3
Condition 2 MOP: LMRP Connector 779.6 158.8
Condition 3: Fully discharged 883.3 55.1

(continued)

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Page 91) Example 8, Performance Table: Gas and liquid volume columns are incorrect.
The following list is correct:

Performance Table Gas Volume, gal Liquid Volume, gal

Precharged accumulators @ surface 607.2 0.0
Condition 0: Precharged accumulators 607.2 0.0
Condition 1: Charged 391.1 216.1
Condition 2 MOP: Casing Shear Ram BOP 451.6 155.6
Condition 2 MOP: Blind Shear Ram BOP 486.8 120.4
Condition 2 MOP: LMRP Connector 501.6 105.6
Condition 3: Fully discharged 607.2 0.0

3.3 Quick, Step-by-Step Instructions to Create a New Project

To create a new project, you must fill in several data fields and have at least one piece of equipment
listed as part of the BOP Stack. In order to build the stack, at least one piece of equipment must be
listed in the project equipment list to select from. The following sections briefly outline how to create a
project, get equipment into it, and fill out a BOP Stack.

3.3.1 Create a New Project Using an Equipment Library

3.3.1.1 Import All Equipment Items from a Library into the Project.
Create a new project (Menu: File / New Project).
Click the title bar of the new project so that it is highlighted.
Open the equipment list for the new, as yet unnamed project (Menu: Equipment / Edit Project
Equipment).
Import equipment from a library2 (Menu: Equipment / Import Eqpt from Library). When you
choose the library you want to import from, it will be opened, all equipment copied to the
project, and then closed, leaving the project and project equipment list open.
Close the Project Equipment list window.
Fill in data on the Project, Surface and/or Subsea, and Options tabs. Save the project after
filling in each tabbed page (Menu: File / Save).
Click the BOP Stack tab and add elements to the stack in the order that they will be operated
(order is not important for API stacks, only for rapid charge or discharge).
Save the project (Menu: File / Save).
Press the F9 key or click the Summary, Notes, or Performance tabs to calculate the results.

3.3.1.2 Import Only Selected Equipment Items from a Library into the Project
Open an equipment library file that will supply the equipment data (Menu: Equipment / Open
Library).
Create a new project (Menu: File / New Project).
Click the title bar of the new project so that it is highlighted.
Open the equipment list for the new, as yet unnamed project (Menu: Equipment / Edit Project
Equipment).
Use Copy-Paste or Drag-Drop to move equipment items from the library equipment list to the
project equipment list (see Copy from Another Library, below).
Close the Library window.
Close the Project Equipment list window.
Fill in data on the Project, Surface and/or Subsea, and Options tabs. Save the project after
fining in each tabbed page (Menu: File / Save).
2
Note: See the sections entitled EQUIPMENT LIBRARIES and Edit or Input by Hand

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Click the BOP Stack tab and add elements to the stack in the order that they will be operated
(order is not important for API stacks, only for rapid charge or discharge).
Save the project (Menu: File / Save).
Press the F9 key or click the Summary, Notes, or Performance tabs to calculate the results.

3.3.2 Create a New Project Starting with Another Project

3.3.2.1 Copy the Whole Project

Open the project that you are using as the starting point (Menu: File / Open Project).
Save it with another file name. This will save all of the original project data and its project
equipment list in a new file without changing the one you started with. Notice that the file name
in the title bar will change to the new file name (Menu: File / Save As).
Change the data that needs to be changed in the new project.
Save the project (Menu: File / Save).

3.3.2.2 Only Use Another Project's Equipment List

Open the donor project (the one that will supply the equipment) (Menu: File / Open Project).
Open the equipment list for the donor project (Menu: Equipment / Edit Project Equipment).
Create a new project (Menu: File / New Project).
Click the title bar of the new project so that it is highlighted.
Open the equipment list for the new, as yet unnamed project (Menu: Equipment / Edit Project
Equipment).
Use Copy-Paste or Drag-Drop to move equipment items from the donor project equipment list
to the new project equipment list (see Copy from Another Library, below).
Close the donor project equipment list window.
Close the new project equipment list window.
Close the donor project window.
Fill in data on the Project, Surface and/or Subsea, and Options tabs. Save the new project after
filling in each tabbed page (Menu: File / Save).
Click the BOP Stack tab and add elements to the stack in the order that they will be operated
(order is not important for API stacks, only for rapid charge or discharge).
Save the project (Menu: File / Save).
Press the F9 key or click the Summary, Notes, or Performance tabs to calculate the results.

3.3.3 Create a New Project Entering Equipment by Hand

Create a new project (Menu: File / New Project).
Click the title bar of the new project so that it is highlighted.
Open the equipment list for the new, as yet unnamed project (Menu: Equipment / Edit Project
Equipment).
Use the New Item button on the Project Equipment list window to create new pieces of
equipment as necessary.
Close the Project Equipment list window.
Save the project (Menu: File / Save).
Fill in data on the Project, Surface and/or Subsea, and Options tabs. Save the new project after
filling in each tabbed page (Menu: File / Save).
Click the BOP Stack tab and add elements to the stack in the order that they will be operated
(order is not important for API stacks, only for rapid charge or discharge).
Save the project (Menu: File / Save).
Press the F9 key or click the Summary, Notes, or Performance Tabs to calculate the results.

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3.3.4 Entering or Changing the BOP Stack Components

Click the BOP Stack" tab of an open project. This shows the list of components in the stack and some
buttons to use for modifying the list. Common actions are described below.
3.3.4.1 Enter New Stack Components
Click the Add button.
In the resulting dialog box, type in the description of the component (like Upper Pipe Ram or
Upper Outer Kill Valve).
Use the pull down list to select the equipment to be used for this component. The equipment
must have already been entered into the project equipment list.
Press OK to enter the new component into the stack or press Cancel to abandon the new
component without putting it into the stack.
3.3.4.2 Change One That Is Already There
Double click the stack component you want to change.
Enter a new description and/or select a different piece of equipment.
Press OK to save the new component description or press Cancel to leave the component
unchanged.
3.3.4.3 Delete a Component from the Stack
Click a stack component to highlight it.
Click the Delete button. Be careful. No confirmation will appear; it just goes away.
3.3.4.4 Change the Order of the Components
Click a stack component to highlight it.
Click the up or down arrows (Illustrated at the right) to move the component up
or down in the stack.

3.4 Setting Default Units of Measure

3.4.1 English vs. Metric
New projects start out with English units for all quantities. You may convert all units of measure in a
project to English or metric with a single mouse click. The buttons to do this are found in the lower left
corner of the Project tab of an open project window. When you press one of the buttons, a warning
message is displayed, giving you the chance to change your mind.

Using this feature will affect every numeric field. Afterward, you will still probably need to set the units
of some fields since it may not pick the unit you actually want. Also, manually setting the units of
specific fields is the only way to use mixed units.

3.4.2 Mixed Units

If you have a specific set of mixed units that you like to use, make a project containing typical but junk
data with the units of measure and display format that you prefer. Then, to make a new project, use
the dummy project as detailed in Create a new project starting with another project, above.

4 EQUIPMENT LIBRARIES
Equipment libraries are stored in files with names in the form *.16DLIB. Each file contains one or
more pieces of equipment (valve, ram, etc.) that can be used in a BOP stack. You may make your own
libraries, or you may use libraries created by equipment manufacturers (ask them) or others. An
example generic library is provided with the program.

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4.1 Equipment Library Window

The Equipment Library window consists of tabbed pages on the left, display-only fields on the right,
and command buttons at the bottom. These parts are described in the following sections.

The Equipment window has several command buttons that may appear, depending on the context.
The Help? button is always there. Clicking this button brings up a dialog with brief reminders of how to
use the library.

4.1.1 Comments
The Comments tab allows you to describe the library in any way you wish. Things like where the data
came from, who compiled it, how, when, special considerations or warnings, etc., should all be in this
comments section.

4.1.2 Equipment
The Equipment tab shows the pieces of equipment contained in the library. Click on a piece of
equipment, and its data will appear in the field to the right. To change any of that data, double click the
piece of equipment.

Note: See the Edit or Input by Hand section for the effect of changing descriptive data.

4.1.3 History
Each time you save a library file, you will be asked for a new version number and date, and a
description of what was changed. This information is stored with the library, and the descriptions
along with the version numbersappear in the list under the History tab. Over time, the History tab will
build up a listing of all changes made to the library so that you can associate a version number with a
specific set of changes.

4.2 Importing
To combine equipment libraries, there is a provision for copying the entire contents of a library into
another library or a project equipment list. This is referred to as importing a library.

To import an equipment library, the library (or project equipment list) that is to receive the imported
equipment must be open and highlighted. You then will be able to select Import Eqpt from Library from
the Equipment menu.

4.2.1 Import into a Library

Open the destination library for editing (Menu: Equipment / Edit Library or Equipment / New
Library).
Import equipment from the library (Menu: Equipment / Import Eqpt from Library). When you
choose the library you want to import from, it will be opened, all equipment copied to the
destination library, and then closed, leaving the destination library open for further editing.
Edit or import another library, as desired, and then save the destination library (click the Save or
Save As button).
Close the window.

4.2.2 Import into a Project Equipment List

Open a project (Menu: File / Open Project).
Click the title bar of the project so that it is highlighted.
Open the equipment list for the project (Menu: Equipment / Edit Project Equipment).
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Import equipment from the library (Menu: Equipment / Import Eqpt from Library). When you
choose the library you want to import from, it will be opened, all equipment copied to the
project, and then closed, leaving the project and project equipment list open.
Close the Project equipment list window.
Save the project (Menu: File / Save).

4.3 Edit or Input by Hand

To create your own library from scratch, select Equipment from the main menu and then New Library.
A blank Equipment Library window will appear, in which you can enter equipment as you wish, or
import another library as described above. Be sure to use the Save and Save As buttons on the
window periodically and when you have finished entering data.

You may edit the equipment data in any library. Simply select Equipment from the main menu and
then Edit Library. A dialog box allowing you to select the desired file will appear. Once you select the
file, it will be opened and the contents displayed in an Equipment Library window. Double click a piece
of equipment to change its parameters.

Important Note: If you edit a piece of equipment and change any item in the description section, you
are creating a new piece of equipment, not editing an existing one. After changing all or part of the
description, a piece of equipment containing the new description appears in the Equipment list. This is
not the case with the items in the technical data section, which are treated as changes to the same
piece of equipment.

Example: You begin with an Acme 5" valve with a 1 gallon actuator. Suppose you edit the valve and
change Acme to "Pinnacle". Pinnacle and Acme are not the same you have created a new valve
called a Pinnacle 5" valve with a volume of 1 gal. Suppose instead that you edit the Acme 5" valve and
change the volume to 1.3 gal. It is still an Acme 5" valve, since you made no changes to the
Description and only updated the volume.

4.4 Copy from Another Library

Individual items of equipment can be moved easily back and forth between equipment libraries and
project equipment lists. These instructions are written for copying equipment from a library to a project
equipment list, but they will work just fine when used to copy between two libraries, two project
equipment lists, or from a project equipment list to a library.

4.4.1 Copy and Paste

Copy and paste is most useful when your screen is crowded and it is not easy to see both the source
library and destination equipment list at the same time.
Open the destination project (Menu: File / Open Project) or open a destination library for editing
(Menu: Equipment / Edit Library).
In the case of a destination project, open its Equipment list (Menu: Equipment / Edit Project
Equipment).
Open the source library (Menu: Equipment / Open).
Click on the source Equipment list so that its title bar is highlighted.
Click on the Equipment tab.
Click on the desired piece of equipment so that it is highlighted.
Press Ctrl-C to copy.
Click on the destination Equipment list so that its title bar is highlighted.
Click on the Equipment tab.
Click in the white equipment list area underneath the Equipment tab. It is OK if an existing
piece of equipment is highlighted. It will not be replaced.
Press Ctrl-V to paste.
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Repeat as necessary.

4.4.2 Drag and Drop

Open the destination project (Menu: File / Open Project) or open a destination library for editing
(Menu: Equipment / Edit Library).
In the case of a destination project, open its Equipment list (Menu: Equipment / Edit Project
Equipment) and click on the Equipment tab, so that the Equipment list is visible.
Open the source library (Menu: Equipment / Open) and click on its Equipment tab, so that the
Equipment list is visible.
Position the two Equipment list windows so that both are visible at the same time.
Click on the desired piece of equipment in the source list and hold the left mouse button down.
Move the cursor over the destination list. The cursor will change from a circle with a bar to an
arrow with a square. Release the mouse button to drop a copy of the equipment in the
destination.
Repeat as necessary.

5 PROJECTS
5.1 Project Data
Project data includes all data except the list of equipment. This section contains comments on some of
the data fields.

5.1.1 Project Tab

5.1.1.1 Project Has Subsea Equipment

Check this box if the stack is subsea. This box controls the visibility of the Subsea and Fluids/Depths
tabs.

5.1.1.2 Type of System

Full API stack means a stack subject to the volumetric capacity requirements of section 5 of API
16D. It may have accumulators on the surface, subsea, or both. There is no provision for rapid charge
cases.

Other Design means a system in which the user specifies the equipment to be operated. The
program verifies sufficient fluid volume for each step in the stack sequence. It may have accumulators
on the surface or subsea, but not both. Rapid discharge systems also give the option of using rapid
charge.

5.1.1.3 Convert All Quantities to

These buttons allow you to convert all data fields in the whole project to standard English or metric
units of measure. The section Setting Default Units of Measure above has more information on
these buttons.

5.1.1.4 Accumulators Are Isolated

This box controls the selection of pressure at the start of the discharge. If it is checked, then the
discharge starts at the pump stop pressure. Otherwise, the discharge starts at the pump start
pressure.

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5.1.2 Surface and Subsea Tabs

Input data fields for pump start and stop pressures (Surface tab), accumulator bottle properties
(including precharge gasnitrogen or helium), environmental temperatures, and any user determined
minimum functional volume requirement for subsea accumulators.

Select options for calculation method (A, B, or C) and for precharge and number of bottles (calculated
or user input).

Calculation Methods (per Specification 16D): AIdeal Gas Isothermal; BReal Gas Isothermal; and C
Real Gas Adiabatic.

5.1.3 BOP Stack Tab

5.1.3.1 Override Wellbore Pressure

The Wellbore Pressure for all design cases will be based on the rated working pressure of the rams
unless the user overrides it with another entry. There is no API guidance on what the optional override
pressure entry can be, but the intent is for a user to be able to impose a lower Wellbore Pressure for a
specific application. In accordance with the definition in 16D section 3.16, the Wellbore Pressure used
in the calculations is the lowest of:
Lowest rated ram BOP pressure
Lowest rated BOP pressure (if there are no rams)
Operator entered wellbore override pressure

For all cases (API Stack and Other), the Wellbore Pressure value is used with the ram Closing Ratio to
determine Minimum Operating Pressure (MOP) of rams.

5.1.3.2 User Specified Minimum Operating Pressure

Entering a pressure greater than 0 here will specify a lower limit on the MOP that the program uses,
even if the equipment does not require that much pressure. The MOP used by the program will always
be the greater of the highest equipment MOP requirement or the user specified value.

5.1.3.3 Stack Components

The section Entering or Changing the BOP Stack components above has details on how to enter the
stack components.

5.1.3.4 Minimum Operating Pressure for Shear Rams

Shear rams present a special case in that the shearing pressure depends on the tubular to be sheared.
These operating pressure values, like other properties, are generally obtained from the ram
manufacturer.

For an Other design Type of System, this is handled by creating a separate equipment item for each
drill pipe/tubular shear data case of the shear ram and entering the required shearing pressure in its
Minimum Component Operating Pressure field and entering an appropriate description under the
Submodel data field.
The different descriptions (i.e., in Submodel) will force the library editor to create different pieces of ram
equipment for each tubular entered. An example follows:

Enter a shear ram shearing on tubular X.

Edit that shear ram, changing the description and changing the pressure to that for shearing on
tubular Y. This creates another shear ram with a different shear pressure.
Repeat as many times as you want for tubulars X, Y, Z, T, etc.

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In the BOP stack list, add a stack component called Shear Ram (if it is not already there), and
select equipment X for it.
Run your calculation.
To see what it would do with tubular Y, double click the shear ram and change the equipment
field to Y.
Run your calculation again.

For an API Stack Type of System, Specification 16D does not require that the shearing pressure be
considered and therefore the Minimum Component Operating Pressure (which may contain shear
pressures) of all ram-type of equipment is not considered by the program for such designs. However, if
the user wishes to have the shearing pressure also considered in setting the MOP, enter the required
shearing pressure in the User specified minimum operating pressure data field on the BOP Stack
tab.

5.1.4 Options Tab

5.1.4.1 Additional Volumes

In the case of API stacks, the program will always use at least the minimum volume criteria specified in
16D. If you want to include additional volumes, place the appropriate check marks in this section.

In the case of non-API stacks, you must place check marks in this section for the equipment that you
want to operate. If you want to open and close a piece of equipment but at different places in the
specified sequence, it will be necessary to define two different pieces of equipment: one with only an
opening volume and another with only a closing volume. Enter a descriptive phrase (i.e., Open only
and Close only) in the Submodel description to keep the two equipment pieces separate.

5.1.4.2 Units and Formatting for Use with Computed Output

Specify units of measure and formatting options for all computed quantities that do not have an on
screen field dedicated to them.

5.1.5 Summary Tab

All the information on this tab is computed. Clicking the tab automatically causes a recalculation of the
results, if needed.

5.1.6 Notes Tab

5.1.6.1 Technical Notes

The technical notes are included to give additional information on the internal details of the
calculations. They can be ignored if you judge them to be acceptable or unimportant for the design
case being analyzed.

5.1.6.2 Technical Warnings

Technical warnings are serious errors that possibly invalidate the results of a calculation because of
Specification 16D requirements or technical/program issues. If there are any technical warnings, look
at them closely and determine how to resolve the problems.

5.1.7 Performance Tab

Displays two tables of volumes, pressures, temperatures, and gas densities for each charging and
discharge step. Lower table shows how discharged fluid volume compares to FVR (Functional Volume

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Requirement) and whether each FVR is met. An explanation of the information in each column is
included here.

5.1.7.1 Performance Table

Clicking the help button near the upper right corner of the Performance Table brings up a window
containing a summary of the following information. Note: Surface and subsea bottles are listed
separately in this table, not combined.

Functional StepThis column indicates the state of the accumulator. For any line starting with
Condx 2,: this is the condition of the accumulator associated with operating the named stack
equipment item (see Bottle Press for more detail).
TempThis is the average temperature in the accumulator at the end of this step, when the
accumulator has been discharged to Bottle Pres.
Bottle PresThese two columns indicate the absolute and gauge pressure in the accumulator
at the end of this step. Note that in the case of Condition 2:, this pressure is normally the
MOP for the equipment item. The strategy of the program is to drain the accumulator to the
MOP (or until empty) and then see if enough fluid was supplied. The only place that cumulative
required volume is listed is in the Liquid Volumes table, FVR column.
The psig column shows surface equivalent pressure relative to the control fluid head for a
subsea accumulator and relative to 1 atm for surface accumulator.
Gas VolThe volume of gas present in the accumulator (total of all bottles) after being
discharged to Bottle Pres. 3
Liq VolThe amount of liquid actually remaining in the accumulator (total of all bottles) after
being discharged to Bottle Pres. 3
Gas DensThe density of the gas when the accumulator is discharged to Bottle Pres and is at
the listed Temp.

5.1.7.2 Liquid Volumes

All numbers in the table have the unit listed after the Liquid Volumes heading. Clicking the help
button near the upper right corner of the Liquid Volumes Table brings up a window containing a
summary of the following information.
Condition 1This row contains the actual volume of fluid in the accumulators when fully
charged.
Fp, FvThese are the pressure and volume design factors as defined in API 16D. Actual fluid
volumes delivered by the bottles are divided by these factors to get the permissible design
volume.
Condition 2 (MOP)This row contains the actual fluid volume remaining in the accumulators
when discharged to the MOP. Also listed on this line is the pressure limited design factor (Fp)
to be applied to the actual volume. 3
dV 1 to 2This row is associated with the row immediately above it and gives the volume of
fluid delivered by the accumulators when discharging from fully charged (condition 1) to the
MOP (condition 2). This is called the pressure limited volume. 3
Condition 3This row contains the actual volume of fluid left in the accumulators when
discharged. This is usually 0.0, but does not have to be. The accumulator is discharged
when its pressure reaches the hydrostatic pressure of the sea, even if there is fluid left in the
accumulator.
Also listed on this line is the volume limited design factor (Fv) to be applied to the actual
volumes.

3
Prior to Revision 1.12 some cases would blindly calculate the pressure limited volume even if that drained the
accumulator past empty. This would result in Gas Vol > total accumulator volume, Liq Vol negative, and dV1 to 2
too large. This was corrected in Version 1.12.
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dV 1 to 3This row is associated with the row immediately above it and gives the volume of
fluid delivered by the accumulators when completely discharged (condition 1 to 3). (See
Surface and Subsea Actual and Surface and Subsea Adjusted below for more details).
Functional StepThis column indicates the state of the accumulator. Each equipment item in
the sequence gets two lines. The content of the two lines is given under the appropriate
column heading.
Surface and Subsea ActualFor Condition 1, these columns show the amount of fluid left in
the accumulator at the end of the step and occupy a single line. However, each equipment item
in the stack sequence and also the discharged condition (Condition 3) have two lines
associated with them.
The first line is the amount of fluid left in the accumulator at the end of the step (see
Condition 2 and 3 above).
The second line always begins with dV 1 to and it always shows the change in fluid
volume between Condition 1 and Condition 2 (see dV 1 to 2 and 3 above). Remember that
Condition 2 is when the accumulator has been discharged all the way to the MOP for the
equipment item.
Surface and Subsea AdjustedThese two columns indicate the Surface and Subsea Actual
delivered volume (dV, the volume change from condition 1 to condition 2 or 3) after being
divided by the volume factors, Fp or Fv. This is the delivered volume that API 16D allows you to
count in the total of available fluid.
TotalThis is the sum of the Surface and Subsea Adjusted columns. This is the total delivered
volume, counting both surface and subsea accumulators, that API 16D allows you to count as
available fluid. This must be greater than or equal to the volume that is actually required by the
equipment (FVR).
FVRThis is the amount of liquid required to complete this step in the stack sequence. This
includes the total amount of fluid needed for this stack equipment item and all of those that
precede it in the sequence.
OK? This will be Yes or No, depending on whether the accumulator supplies enough fluid to
complete this step.

5.1.8 Calculator Tab

See the Gas Law Calculator section.

5.2 Project Equipment List

The Project Equipment list is not shown in the project window. It is accessed via the main menu by
clicking the project window and then choosing Menu:Equipment / Edit Project Equipment. The Project
Equipment list appears in another window similar to an equipment library window.

You must enter project equipment before you can define the BOP stack. The step-by-step instruction
section above shows examples of how to enter project equipment items.

6 GAS LAW CALCULATOR

The gas law calculator allows you to do basic gas law calculations on a mass of gas. There is no
concept of a bottle in the calculator. You simply have a volume of gas that you can compress or
expand in various ways.
6.1 Gas Starting Conditions
Begin by entering starting conditions. The type of gas (which can be ideal) and the calculation method
will put limits on other choices you can make.

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6.2 Desired End Condition

Check the quantity you want to specify as the end condition and enter its value.

6.3 Ending Gas Conditions

This section holds the calculated condition of the gas at the end of the change. Press the Calculate
button to fill in the fields.

If you want to use these ending conditions as the starting conditions of another change, then press the
Copy To Start button.

6.4 Volume Change Summary

This section translates a gas volume change into a fluid volume change. The two fields list the change
that occurred in the last calculation, and also a running total of all changes since the last reset.

7 TECHNICAL TOPICS
7.1 Minimum Operating Pressure (MOP)
MOP is defined and handled differently for Full API stacks as opposed to other design systems. You
can find information on this in sections 5.1.3.1, 5.1.3.2, and 5.1.3.4. There is a field to allow you to set
an MOP independently of the equipment; it is found on the BOP Stack tab.

8 CUSTOM PRINTING
There is a limited facility in the API 16D Sizing program for customized printouts. This section
describes the options available.

8.1 Custom Print Formats

The Program has a fixed output format. If you want to have the data printed in a different way, you
have two options: manipulate an output file or start with the raw project data.

The Program will send output to a printer, but it also has other destinations, including file output to
HTML, RTF (rich text format), and plain text files. These can be modified in a word processor. For a
more automated approach that can be applied to multiple output cases, It is possible, although tedious,
to write software that will automatically modify these output files, taking out items that you do not want
and adding in items (like letterhead or logos) that you do want.

Alternatively, a custom PC application can be written to prepare fully customized output from the
project file itself that contains all of the information needed. The project file can even be used to input
data to custom software doing other types of calculations. Information that will help in such a program
development is in the Data File Structure section below.

8.2 Custom Print Main Menu Command

On the main menu of a project window, the selection Custom Print appears. It is normally greyed out
and without function. If you write a customized print program, this menu item allows you to start that
program directly from the sizing program.

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8.2.1 Enabling the Custom Print Menu Item

The Custom Print menu item is enabled using the Options main menu item. (Menu: Options / Custom
Print). This brings up a dialog box allowing you to select the custom printing program.

To enable the Custom Print menu item, you must check the box, select the executable file using the
open dialog box that appears, and then press the Accept button. To change the name of a program
that is already there, uncheck the box and then check it again by clicking it twice. The Program uses
the string value as the lpFile parameter of a call to the Windows 32 API function ShellExecute.

8.2.2 What Custom Print Does

When you click Custom Print, the sizing program runs a calculation just as if you had pressed the F9
key. It then saves the project. Then it makes a call to the Windows 32 API function ShellExecute to
start your custom print program. One parameter is passed to your program via lpParameters in
ShellExecute. It is the complete path and file name of the project file (Example: c:\projects\API
16D\Example 1.16D).

9 DATA FILE STRUCTURE

9.1 General Comments
Project files, when saved after a calculation (by program version 0.45 and later), contain all the data
necessary to do a custom printout of the data in any form you desire. Project file names have the form
*.16D and have the structure of a Windows INI file. They are easy to read. Note that since it is an INI
file, you cannot depend on the order of the lines in the file. However, there is enough information to tell
how to read the file.

Note: A suggested approach to obtaining data from a project file is using the WinAPI
GetPrivateProfileString and then processing the returned string to the desired floating point value,
including units.

To follow the description below, open a project, press F9 to calculate, and save the project. Then refer
to the project, looking at it or printing it with notepad so that you can see the sections, keys, and data.
Otherwise, the text below will be difficult to read.

Each of the tabs in the project window has a section in the file, e.g., [Surface], and the section name
can be depended upon not to change from project to project (or to only change in a predictable way).
Key names always bear a strong resemblance to the prompt for the data field, so it should normally not
be a problem telling what data fields go with what keys in the file.

The project equipment list is also found in the file. Its structure is a bit involved, so there is a
description below.

Finally, the file may contain information you do not need. For instance, the file will always have a
[Subsea] section. However, the project itself may not have a subsea stack and so the [Subsea] section
is irrelevant. Similarly, there may be equipment listed that is not used in the stack and that may no
longer even be part of the current equipment list.

9.2 How to Use

If you make a custom print routine, you must handle all formatting, page handling, etc. The proper
procedure is to open a project file, press F9 to cause it to do the calculations, and then save the
project. You may then run your print routine, read the project file and print it as you like.

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9.3 Storage of Memo Fields

The Project and Notes tabs both contain memo fields. In the project file, each memo field is written in
a section by itself, with each key holding one line of the memo field. The section name is a tab name
followed by underscore ( _ ) followed by the name of the memo field.

Example: [Notes_memoTechnical_Warnings]

When reading a memo, the first key to read is LineCount. You must then read LineCount lines using
key names of the form LineN, where N is in the range 0..LineCount-1.

Each line has two features you must note. First of all, you must change each instance of / (slash
space) to (space). The convention is that any other white space (multiple spaces without slashes)
can be collapsed to a single space.

Also, if a line begins with a * then it is the beginning of a paragraph. Lines that do not begin with * are
logically continuations of the line above and may be concatenated to the end of the previous line and
word wrapped.

9.4 Project Equipment List

The first step in reading the project equipment list is to read the [Eqpt_List] section. The Qty key tells
you how many pieces of equipment to read. The Marker key holds a revision number describing the
format of the equipment list entries. At this point, there is only one: EL01.

Each equipment item is in a section by itself with the section name [Eqpt_List_Item_N] where N is in
the range 1 to Qty. Each section contains data for one equipment item. All of the key names should
be relatively easy to follow except perhaps for EqptTag. EqptTag is an identifier for the piece of
equipment that is unique within the project. It is used in a stack sequence to identify the piece of
equipment associated with a particular stack component (see BOP Stack Sequence, below).

9.5 Project Tab

The section for the Project tab has the name [General].

9.6 BOP Stack Sequence

The fields at the top of the BOP Stack page are stored in the [Stack] section, formatted like everything
else and do not need specific comments. However, the sequence of stack components needs some
explanation.

The [Seq_] section holds one key, named Qty, which tells you how many components are in the stack.
Each of the Qty stack components is in a section of its own named [Seq_DefaultSeq_Item_ N] where N
is in the range 1 to Qty. The numeric order 1..N is the order in which the components are operated in
the case of rapid discharge systems.

Each stack component section has two keys: Desc and EqptTag. The Desc key holds the description
of the stack component, such as Upper Pipe Ram. The EqptTag key holds a unique identifier that
allows you to cross reference this stack component with a particular piece of equipment in the project
equipment list.

9.7 Performance
The Performance tab holds two grid controls. Each grid is written in its own section where the section
name is in the form [Performance_nameofgrid].

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A RowCount key that tells you how many rows to read. Each row is associated with a key of the form
RowN where N is in the range 1 to RowCount.

A ColCount key that tells you how many columns there are in each row. The columns are separated
by commas. Note that some cells may be blank, but there are always ColCount-1 commas in the row
and a comma never appears in the text for a cell, allowing you to blindly use the commas to separate
the columns.

9.8 Other Sections

Other sections in the file do not hold project data. Some deserve comments, or will get them anyway
so that you know what they are.

9.8.1 File_Integrity_Check_Sum
This is a quantity computed from the data in the file. It is not a simple check sum, but is more akin to a
cyclic redundancy check. It is an extremely robust way to detect any changes to a file. It is included to
catch corruptions or manual changes to project or library files.

Never write to a project or library file. Otherwise, the program will warn you of the mismatch.
However, the program will read the file as best it can. So, if you make changes in a proper way, the
data will be read correctly by the program (after it yells in alarm at you) and the check sum will be
corrected when the file is saved.

9.8.2 Library_Version
Never used in a project file. Ignore it.

9.8.3 API_16D_Project_File
This section only contains one key that tells you the revision number of the program that wrote the data
file.

9.8.4 PageSetup
This contains the data that you input under the File / Page Setup menu item.

10 PROGRAM INI FILE

API_16D_Sizing.exe makes use of a small INI file to store some basic information about the operation
of the program. The file is stored in the location specified by the %APPDATA% environment variable.
This points to different locations depending on the operating system you are using. In Windows Vista
and 7, the whole path is usually:
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Interlink_Systems_ILS\ILS_16D_Tool
In Windows 2000 and XP it is usually
C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Interlink_Systems_ILS\ILS_16D_Tool

If the %APPDATA% environment variable is missing (as it might be in operating systems earlier than
Windows 2000) or the program cannot create the APPDATA folder as described above, the INI file is
written into the same folder as the executable.

The information in the INI file holds the location and size of the main (parent) window. It keeps track of
the folder that was last used to read or save a project. This folder becomes the starting folder for the
next project open or save as operation. It also remembers the most recently opened or edited

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library and uses it as the default selection next time a library is called for. Finally, it stores the name of
the custom printing program.

The INI file is only a convenience for the user. The program does not depend on it. Deletion of this file
will not interfere with the proper functioning of the program. It will be recreated each time the program
terminates.

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