There’s a quiet kind of failure in this line of work—one that doesn’t make noise, doesn’t blow a fuse, and doesn’t trigger an alarm. But when it happens, it puts everything at risk.

This time, it came in the form of a BOP ram that wouldn’t close. We were rigged up for a pump down perforating run on a horizontal perforation well, prepping to fire on stage two. The wireline control system looked good, the logging cable was spooling evenly, and we were in final checks before arming the perforating guns.

Then came the unexpected: the command to close the rams didn’t register. We cycled it again—no response. On-site diagnostics showed that the rams weren’t closing completely. That meant one thing—the wireline string was vulnerable if anything went wrong.

A BOP Ram Is Only as Good as Its Hydraulics

After pulling the stack apart, we found the issue: grime and dirt had contaminated the hydraulic side of the ram system. When we stripped it down, the backup o-rings were visibly rolled and scored.

The dirt hadn’t just leaked in—it had been pushed in, dragged from the hydraulic hoses during connection. And once inside, it prevented the rams from sealing fully around the wireline.

This could’ve gone very badly. If we’d had a wireline gun misfire, or needed to shear off a wireline toolstring, those rams wouldn’t have closed in time. It would’ve been a downhole pipe recovery or worse.

The Cause: Dirty Hose Ends and Unprotected Connections

We traced the root cause back to a simple, overlooked detail: the hydraulic hose ends had been left exposed between runs. During rig-up, those hoses were dragged across dusty pads, placed on open decking, and then plugged directly into the BOP and accumulator without cleaning.

The dirt entered the ram hydraulics, got compressed, and started chewing up seals from the inside. Once the backup o-rings failed, we lost full actuation of the rams.

In the world of cased hole wireline, that’s the kind of detail that separates routine success from catastrophic failure.

The Fix: Clean Connection SOP for BOP Hydraulics

We immediately rewrote our prep SOP for all pressure control equipment, especially on wireline services involving BOPs, rams, and accumulators.

BOP Ram Hydraulic Cleanliness SOP

1. Cover Every Hose End When Not in Use

• Use dust caps or tape to protect every hydraulic connection.

• No hose is allowed to touch the ground, floor, or pad unprotected.

2. Wipe Before You Tighten

• Clean all hose ends with lint-free cloths and approved hydraulic fluid before connecting.

• Never “blow out” lines with unfiltered air or by tapping.

3. Inspect Seals and Threads Before Hookup

• Damaged threads can carry grit into the hydraulic system.

• Bent connections are replaced—not forced into the ram housing.

4. Log Every Ram Service Event

• Any issue with ram closure is now logged and tagged for review.

• No guesswork, no pass-down assumptions.

5. Include Ram Prep in Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

• BOP and hydraulic cleanliness is now a JSA item on all wireline truck mobilizations.

• Every crew member signs off on it during the safety brief.

Why This Matters in the Wireline Services Market

If you’re working in wireline services oil and gas, especially in cased hole well services, then you know that rams aren’t optional—they’re your last line of defense. Dirty hydraulics cause:

• Incomplete closure during emergency shutdowns

• Delays in fishing wire line recovery

• Risk of blowout during plug and abandon or perforating gun failures

• Regulatory headaches for wireline companies operating in tight compliance zones

In the wireline logging world, bad rams mean bad business. The difference between a clean string pullout and a stuck gun can come down to a missed cleaning rag.

What We Teach Now in Our Wireline Courses

This is now part of our hands-on wireline courses, built into our pressure control training module. Crews learn:

• How to inspect, clean, and prep hydraulic lines

• How debris damages o-rings, seals, and ram travel over time

• How to diagnose ram malfunctions during rig-up

• How to integrate ram inspection into every horizontal wireline and cased hole logging job

We use photos from this actual incident to show what a rolled o-ring looks like, how seal damage progresses, and what signs to look for on your first ram cycle.

Implementing Across the Wireline Business

This SOP now applies to all rig-ups, particularly in:

• Pump down perforating

• High-pressure wireline and perforating zones

• Emergency response preparation in wireline pressure control equipment

• Sensitive runs involving formation evaluation, CBL logs, and production logging services

It’s not optional—it’s embedded into our complete wireline solutions workflow.

Final Thoughts – Clean Hose, Safe Job

The day that ram didn’t close was the day I realized just how invisible some risks are. We spend so much time checking tools, plugs, wireline equipment, and control systems, but the real failure came from the dirt under a fitting.