GOM Oil Spill - BP Stops Oil Leak

[brunota2003]

It's the equivalent of trying to stop an oil gusher in space...except the pressure is obviously much higher.

[Nimbus]

Why couldn't they just drop something the size of a Barnum and Bailey circus tent over the thing and pump the oil out of the top? A hundred yards above the leak the oil is not flowing at a high rate and they could use whatever kind of heaters they needed to use to keep the oil flow viscous.

[WeatherLovingDoc]

BP OFFICIAL: TOP KILL FAILED.......

Under the new plan, BP would cut off the damaged riser from which the oil is leaking and cap it with a containment valve.

(edit: the saw was used briefly by the ROV on the riser, created some smoke, then suddenly stopped. Arms were withdrawn and eventually, the saw dropped to the seabed, intentionally or not). May have been a dry run to see underwater effect, level of control by operator, precision?).

More good stuff here: http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6528

[RL3AO]

Why couldn't they just drop something the size of a Barnum and Bailey circus tent over the thing and pump the oil out of the top? A hundred yards above the leak the oil is not flowing at a high rate and they could use whatever kind of heaters they needed to use to keep the oil flow viscous.

Thats what I'm thinking. You just need a huge upside down funnel. The oil will enter the funnel then have a hose at the top of the funnel that goes to the surface and into a ship. Not a permanent solution but it buys time.

[Sanibel]

It seems like even with the depth it isn't very difficult, technology wise, to get oil to the surface.

[Aquawind]

Dang the luck.. So many ideas and unlimited funds I would think..yet no fix yet. I have a hard time with the fact that this kind of situation has happened without a real plan. They need to have failsafe redundancy for these problems..

They should be able to take immediate action with a set protocol for any type of leak and any environment they work in. Seems they hadn't thought of the obvious possibility and with all at stake that is plain stupid.

[Dionne]

Why couldn't they just drop something the size of a Barnum and Bailey circus tent over the thing and pump the oil out of the top? A hundred yards above the leak the oil is not flowing at a high rate and they could use whatever kind of heaters they needed to use to keep the oil flow viscous.

Thats what I'm thinking. You just need a huge upside down funnel. The oil will enter the funnel then have a hose at the top of the funnel that goes to the surface and into a ship. Not a permanent solution but it buys time.

What your describing is technology that does exist. It's required in some regions before drilling operations begin. It's just not required in the GoM.

[vbhoutex]

Why couldn't they just drop something the size of a Barnum and Bailey circus tent over the thing and pump the oil out of the top? A hundred yards above the leak the oil is not flowing at a high rate and they could use whatever kind of heaters they needed to use to keep the oil flow viscous.

Thats what I'm thinking. You just need a huge upside down funnel. The oil will enter the funnel then have a hose at the top of the funnel that goes to the surface and into a ship. Not a permanent solution but it buys time.

What your describing is technology that does exist. It's required in some regions before drilling operations begin. It's just not required in the GoM.

Sounds like it is time to make those things be required off any US coast!!! Not that it will help the GOM since it will be dead for years, if not decades.

[Stephanie]

Dang the luck.. So many ideas and unlimited funds I would think..yet no fix yet. I have a hard time with the fact that this kind of situation has happened without a real plan. They need to have failsafe redundancy for these problems..

They should be able to take immediate action with a set protocol for any type of leak and any environment they work in. Seems they hadn't thought of the obvious possibility and with all at stake that is plain stupid.

This worst case scenerio was never planned for and it was assumed by the government that it was, in a nutshell. It costs $$$$ to plan for something that may never happen and GOD FORBID they should waste money on that!

[Dionne]

There is now evidence that the BOP annular was in a state of failure. Pieces of the annular were being spit out on the rig deck prior to the blow out. As a former oil field worker (Prudhoe Bay) continuing to operate with this knowledge is unimaginable. It's no wonder there were arguments on the rig just prior to the explosive blow out. This is now criminal negligence.

[Aquawind]

Dang the luck.. So many ideas and unlimited funds I would think..yet no fix yet. I have a hard time with the fact that this kind of situation has happened without a real plan. They need to have failsafe redundancy for these problems..

They should be able to take immediate action with a set protocol for any type of leak and any environment they work in. Seems they hadn't thought of the obvious possibility and with all at stake that is plain stupid.

This worst case scenerio was never planned for and it was assumed by the government that it was, in a nutshell. It costs $$$$ to plan for something that may never happen and GOD FORBID they should waste money on that!

Seems like money is a issue here afterall.. The issue I have is they don't even understand the physics of thier enviroment. They didn't even have an imeadiate response to the leak itself. Even without exstensive testing they can still crunch some numbers and brainstorm this to setup a number of options for a deepwater enviroment.

Anyway what the heck are they waiting 4-7 days to make this thing for..options should be lined up..I don't care if the cap alone is a billion bucks..Seems BP being a cheapskate..

[Stephanie]

IMHO, each backup plan should be ready before the new one is even implemented.

[Aquawind]

Absolutely! If money is an issue to make that happen then they need to say so and get the funding..

[Sanibel]

Word is anyone on the rig has authority to hit the red button but no one did and they were waiting to call headquarters to get permission when the thing blew. They were intimidated by the feeding chain and while they waited the hydraulic lines to the Blowout Preventer shear rams were severed causing loss of function.

They are also saying BP used inadequately thin casing for a high gas exploratory well and was aware of it but did it to save money.

This whole thing happened because they were rushing to save money. It is now costing them billions.

[barometerJane61]

Thanks for the copy . Oh my.I shudder to think about a hurricane throwing the oil farther inland with surge. Alittle off topic,but I won't rest untill BP CEOs are in jail for what they have done

[brunota2003]

Going back to the box that they dropped over the well...the reason it failed was because under extreme pressure and cold, the gas formed into hydrates, and then plugged up the inside of the pipes? Or was it when they contacted the cold surface of the concrete that caused them to ice up? Trying to understand exactly what caused it to fail.

[Dionne]

Hydrates store immense amounts of methane, with major implications for energy resources and climate, but the natural controls on hydrates and their impacts on the environment are very poorly understood.

Gas hydrates occur abundantly in nature, both in Arctic regions and in marine sediments. Gas hydrate is a crystalline solid consisting of gas molecules, usually methane, each surrounded by a cage of water molecules. It looks very much like water ice. Methane hydrate is stable in ocean floor sediments at water depths greater than 300 meters, and where it occurs, it is known to cement loose sediments in a surface layer several hundred meters thick.

The above is a portion of a fact sheet from USGS. ......"very poorly understood".......should answer your question.

[brunota2003]

Why are we drilling into something we barely even understand?

[Dencolo]

Going back to the box that they dropped over the well...the reason it failed was because under extreme pressure and cold, the gas formed into hydrates, and then plugged up the inside of the pipes? Or was it when they contacted the cold surface of the concrete that caused them to ice up? Trying to understand exactly what caused it to fail.

Most hydrates in the oilfield occur at a choke point due to the Jules-Thompsan (sp?) effect. When there is a restriction and a corresponding pressure drop, that pressure drop causes ice like hydrate crystals to form. I suppose somewhere in this funnel there was just too much of a pressure drop across some object, and these hydrates occurred. That is what is difficult about what most see as the simplest idea (the funnel). It is unfortunate how much gas is flowing with the oil to compound this problem.

As far as why we're drilling in an area we don't "understand'? Actually, deepwater drilling operations are understood well and while difficult should pose little risk. But the fact is, if corners are cut something devastating can happen, as shown. In fact a lot of deepwater drilling in the GOM is continuing (even new drilling), but it's that new permits are not being given at this point.

While not all the facts are in, more and more is pointing to very poor decision making by the BP rep on the Horizon. The end story should be interesting. How this can happen in one of the most regulated bodies of water (GOM) with one of the most regulating entities (US govt) by one of the companies notorious for making their employees attend hours upon hours of safety meetings (BP) is beyond me. Just tragic.

[brunota2003]

Going back to the box that they dropped over the well...the reason it failed was because under extreme pressure and cold, the gas formed into hydrates, and then plugged up the inside of the pipes? Or was it when they contacted the cold surface of the concrete that caused them to ice up? Trying to understand exactly what caused it to fail.

Most hydrates in the oilfield occur at a choke point due to the Jules-Thompsan (sp?) effect. When there is a restriction and a corresponding pressure drop, that pressure drop causes ice like hydrate crystals to form. I suppose somewhere in this funnel there was just too much of a pressure drop across some object, and these hydrates occurred. That is what is difficult about what most see as the simplest idea (the funnel). It is unfortunate how much gas is flowing with the oil to compound this problem.

As far as why we're drilling in an area we don't "understand'? Actually, deepwater drilling operations are understood well and while difficult should pose little risk. But the fact is, if corners are cut something devastating can happen, as shown. In fact a lot of deepwater drilling in the GOM is continuing (even new drilling), but it's that new permits are not being given at this point.

While not all the facts are in, more and more is pointing to very poor decision making by the BP rep on the Horizon. The end story should be interesting. How this can happen in one of the most regulated bodies of water (GOM) with one of the most regulating entities (US govt) by one of the companies notorious for making their employees attend hours upon hours of safety meetings (BP) is beyond me. Just tragic.

Thanks for the reply and in depth analysis. So under pressure, the gas couldn't turn into hydrates at the temperatures they were at...but once the pressure dropped, they turned. So an increase in heat would be needed to keep the drop of pressure from allowing the gas to turn into hydrates, right? Or less heat?