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How did bent pipe affect the blind shear rams in the blowout preventer?
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Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Fireboat response crews attempt to extinguish the blaze aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, April 21, 2010.
During the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the rig's blowout preventer (BOP) failed to seal the well as intended. Forensic analysis determined that the device's blind shear rams—massive blades designed to slice through the pipe to stop the flow of oil—malfunctioned because the pipe had bent under the intense pressure of the rising gas and oil.1
Because the pipe was not straight, the blades were unable to effectively cut through it to close the channel. A 2014 report by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board later suggested that the rams may have activated earlier than previously thought and potentially punctured the pipe rather than shearing it completely.1