Inner guide seal assembly and method for a ram type BOP system

An inner seal assembly for a ram-type blowout preventer comprising:

• a guide body adapted for positioning within a ram body of a ram-type blowout preventer, the guide body comprising:
• an upper guide plate and a lower guide plate, wherein each of the upper and lower guide plates have a guide nose extending outwardly from the upper and lower guide plates and angled inwardly toward a center notch adapted to receive a wireline;
• a plurality of posts connecting the upper and lower guide plates together, wherein the plurality of posts maintain a constant distance between the upper and lower guide plates as opposing ram bodies of the blowout preventer are actuated;
• and
• a gap between the upper and lower guide plates;
• and
• a sealing element having a plurality of openings for receiving the plurality of posts and having one or more slits to facilitate removal of the sealing element from the guide body without disassembly of the guide body.

A method of centering and sealing around a wireline within a ram-type blowout preventer, the method comprising:

• providing a guide body, the guide body comprising an upper guide plate and a lower guide plate, wherein the upper and lower guide plates each have a guide nose extending outwardly from the upper and lower guide plates and angled inwardly toward a center notch adapted to receive the wireline;
• one or more posts connecting the upper and lower guide plates together, wherein the one or more posts maintain a constant distance between the upper and lower guide plates as opposing ram bodies of the blowout preventer are actuated;
• and a gap between the upper and lower guide plates;
• positioning a sealing element within the gap between the upper and lower guide plates of the guide body, the sealing element comprising one or more openings for receiving the one or more posts and having one or more slits to facilitate removal of the sealing element from the guide body without disassembly of the guide body;
• positioning a guide body within each ram body of opposing rams of the blowout preventer;
• actuating the opposing rams such that the ram bodies move inwardly towards a central bore of the blowout preventer;
• contacting the wireline with the guide noses of the upper and lower guide plates of each guide body;
• forcing the wireline to move along the guide noses of the upper and lower guide plates of each guide body toward the center of the central bore of the blowout preventer;
• and
• forcing the sealing elements within opposing ram bodies into contact with each other such that the sealing elements form a seal around the wireline.