GOM Oil Spill - BP Stops Oil Leak

[WeatherLovingDoc]

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".

Perhaps it was BP's selection of this man's corporate modus operandi, which helped seal this tragic event: BP PLC CEO Tony Hayward. Watching him in action these last weeks, but particularly when walking with the camera crew last week, yelling at them as if they were subservient, makes me think his type is the wrong guy for these rigs' job in the GOM. Trans Ocean, the rig owner, had the last word in the moment to moment operation, yet clearly through testimony and recent recorded behavior, BP made it clear they they were top gun. All we needed for proof was the video.

Now, Dencolo, may I ask you since your knowledge is great, why a good number of true "relief" wells can't be immediately commenced (sorry, it's only been 40 days in the ocean wilderness), drilling the quickest identified way (? straight down) in good number to hit the reservoir and remove oil to ships, thus reducing the reservoir pressure? The "kill" relief well may work too, nothing like hitting a 12 inch pipe 18,000 feet under, but it may. Yet just in case it doesn't, why not have real back ups in place: relief wells, ships, and as an added incentive to the Big Oil Companies eager to help, let them keep the oil to process.

We need to have contingency plans that work. Thanks.

[Dionne]

We can go to the moon.....we can split atoms. But we cannot do squat at 5000' below sea level at 2200 psi with a blown well head spewing at a rate we do not even understand. Some experts suggest the well head pressure is 5+ times greater than the sea floor pressure. Go figure.

[Sanibel]

Dangling a metal object at 37* water temperature in 2300psi in front of formation methane jetting out under that joules effect is like a rock candy dangler in science class as a kid but accelerated. The hydrate crystals form right away. Metal in those conditions is like the frozen flag pole the school kid sticks his tongue on and gets stuck. I think they can defeat the process by adding methanol or hot sea water. Some people are saying they should pump sea water into the Blowout Preventer to try to get crystals to form in there and clog it up.

There was a very informative government study that explained that formation oil release at 5000 foot depth behaves very differently than shallow water releases. The hydrate separates out and forms hydrate snowfall that drifts in the current. The oil drifts with it and surfaces far from the blowout site. This is why they can't just take huge tankers and suck it up.

Unfortunately, if you are a corporation trying to avoid precise calculation of a spill for punitive damages this works in your favor.

[WeatherLovingDoc]

There was a very informative government study that explained that formation oil release at 5000 foot depth behaves very differently than shallow water releases. The hydrate separates out and forms hydrate snowfall that drifts in the current. The oil drifts with it and surfaces far from the blowout site. This is why they can't just take huge tankers and suck it up.

Unfortunately, if you are a corporation trying to avoid precise calculation of a spill for punitive damages this works in your favor.

BP CEO disputes claims of underwater oil plumes
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h450SSldjIc2H9IswDj7vc-luPogD9G1GI5O3

Sanibel, might the government study you reference as to behavior of oil at 5000 feet and the plumes alleged by several universities oceanologists be one and the same? It's interesting you found this study. The Deepwater Horizon oil should be traceable because of the underwater injection of Corexit, which has it's own chemical signature.

To help figure these "plumes" out, the MBARI sends underwater robot to study Deepwater Horizon spill

"MBARI's Division of Marine Operations, under an agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sent a high-tech robotic submersible to the oily waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The goal is to collect information about the oil plume from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig accident for NOAA.

Although satellites and aircraft can help show the extent of the spill at the surface, MBARI's autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) will help researchers understand the nature and extent of any plumes of oil that may be hidden beneath the surface of the ocean.

The MBARI AUV is being deployed from the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The Gordon Gunter departed from shore on Thursday, May 27th. The AUV was launched into the waters of the Gulf for the first time this morning (May 28, 2010). "

http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2010/auv-gulf/auv-gulf-release.html

Surely too, our own US government laboratory analysis can be done quickly on these plumes.

[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.

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?

You are correct with the first sentence. The pressure drop is what causes such a quick cooldown. Therefore you would need to add heat to counter the cooldown effect. Or you could add something that prevents the ice hydrates from forming, such as methanol which is commonly used. I heard at one point they were going to try methanol with the second funnel like device they had, but they never attempted it.

[Dencolo]

[quote="WeatherLovingDoc]
Now, Dencolo, may I ask you since your knowledge is great, why a good number of true "relief" wells can't be immediately commenced (sorry, it's only been 40 days in the ocean wilderness), drilling the quickest identified way (? straight down) in good number to hit the reservoir and remove oil to ships, thus reducing the reservoir pressure? The "kill" relief well may work too, nothing like hitting a 12 inch pipe 18,000 feet under, but it may. Yet just in case it doesn't, why not have real back ups in place: relief wells, ships, and as an added incentive to the Big Oil Companies eager to help, let them keep the oil to process.

We need to have contingency plans that work. Thanks.[/quote]

I'll try to answer as best I can. First, the name "relief" well never made much sense to me. The purpose of the relief well is not to produce oil and relieve pressure from the reservoir, even though that's what it sound like. The well will be drilled into the reservoir close to the existing well. Then think of the top kill procedure again, except this time the top kill (heavy mud and cement) is being pumped through the relief well. The fluid will take the path of least resisitance and go through the reservoir up the well blowing out, effectively killing it. It should have a 95%+ success rate as the relief well is in a more controlled environment.

As far as why it takes so long? The relief well takes as long to drill as a normal well, as you want to go fast but not cut corners. The 90 days is about normal. While some land wells can be drilled in 3 to 5 days, the environment out there is just slow and complicated. Multiple strings of steel casing most be run during different times for wellbore integrity, drilling the hard rock is not a fast process, tests must be completed, etc. As far as why not just drill straight down? If you have a look at one of the last links I sent to BPs website, you can see all the boats, vessels, etc. on the ocean surface taking up space. The relief well needs to be a certain distance away for safety reasons, and therefore must drill directionally.

Hope that helps a little.

[Dionne]

"You are correct with the first sentence. The pressure drop is what causes such a quick cooldown. Therefore you would need to add heat to counter the cooldown effect. Or you could add something that prevents the ice hydrates from forming, such as methanol which is commonly used. I heard at one point they were going to try methanol with the second funnel like device they had, but they never attempted it."

For the life of me I cannot understand why methanol wasn't used in the first containment dome. I suppose it's the flash point of methanol. Which as I recall is around 52F? We used methanol in Prudhoe Bay. It did exactly as anticipated. Removed ice. The big question is getting the methanol down where the ambient is lower than the flash point. In Prudhoe we had a closed loop circulation.

[Sanibel]

Sanibel, might the government study you reference as to behavior of oil at 5000 feet and the plumes alleged by several universities oceanologists be one and the same?

Absolutely. Read all 36 pages of the survey like I did. It is uncanny how precisely the spill is behaving like predicted:


http://www.mms.gov/tarprojects/287/287AA.pdf



.

[brunota2003]

"You are correct with the first sentence. The pressure drop is what causes such a quick cooldown. Therefore you would need to add heat to counter the cooldown effect. Or you could add something that prevents the ice hydrates from forming, such as methanol which is commonly used. I heard at one point they were going to try methanol with the second funnel like device they had, but they never attempted it."

For the life of me I cannot understand why methanol wasn't used in the first containment dome. I suppose it's the flash point of methanol. Which as I recall is around 52F? We used methanol in Prudhoe Bay. It did exactly as anticipated. Removed ice. The big question is getting the methanol down where the ambient is lower than the flash point. In Prudhoe we had a closed loop circulation.

Okay...if you need to keep the box warm to keep the hydrates from sticking/forming, why not build a metal box with built in heaters? Add some type of insulation to the outside and then any ice that may form will melt when it contacts the heated metal. Sure you'll have to run power to the heaters, but if we can run lines to gather the oil, power should not be a problem.

[WeatherLovingDoc]

Gulf Oil Blog
UGA Department of Marine Sciences
May 31, 2010 12:38am

"Adam filtered 10L of water collected from within the core of the CDOM plume, from 1140m water depth. The plume filter was visibly oily and the water smelled strongly of petroleum. This filter has a brown sheen of oil on it after filtration (see photo).

Filter after 10L of plume water was passed through it -- visible oil!

Seeing oil in this quantity from plume filters is convincing evidence that the deep waters do in fact contain oil. The smell of petroleum is strong in waters from this layer. The other samples we’ve collected were from areas with much lower CDOM signals and thus more diluted oil. Even at those sites, we have seen small beads of oil on filters but nothing like the amounts we saw today."

http://gulfblog.uga.edu/

[WeatherLovingDoc]

Breaking News: Government to launch criminal probe into BP spill: Holder

"(Reuters) - The government has launched a criminal probe into BP Plc's (BP.L) massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday.

Federal agencies, including the FBI, are participating in the probe and "if we find evidence of illegal behavior, we will be forceful in our response," Holder told reporters after meeting with state and federal prosecutors in New Orleans."

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6505TF20100601

'Cut and Cap' Strategy Begins on Day 43 of Gulf Oil Spill

" BP has begun its seventh try to control the oil leak at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico after its previous strategies have failed to stem the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
President Barack Obama sets up commission to examine cause of oil spill.

Underwater robots equipped with a diamond-studded saw began cutting into the drill pipe on the ocean floor this morning, part of a plan to gather oil with yet another containment dome, the third that's been tried, which would siphon the oil to the surface.

"We're not talking about capping the well anymore, we're talking about containing the well," said Adm. Thad Allen at an afternoon press conference, expressing optimism that this latest "cut and cap" strategy can collect at least some of the oil.

The Coast Guard said it could take as much as three days before the containment dome is operational. Until then, oil will spew into the Gulf unobstructed, at a rate that could fill an average-size swimming pool every hour.

This third attempt with a containment dome comes after previous domes iced up in the freezing 5,000-feet-deep conditions, but this time, experts and government officials hope that a tighter-fitting dome will do a better job.

"My guess is this will be more successful by a large margin than the original insertion pipe," said Eric Smith, associate director of the Tulane Energy Institute. "

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-gulf-oil-spill-cut-cap-begins-president/story?id=10797393

[Stephanie]

Can someone explain to me what the difference is between this new "top hat" and the old one that failed because of the ice crystals? How do we know that the same thing won't happen?

[vbhoutex]

Can someone explain to me what the difference is between this new "top hat" and the old one that failed because of the ice crystals? How do we know that the same thing won't happen?

I don't know for sure but my guess would be that they have installed some sort of heating to keep the hydrates from forming. Honestly though I trust NOTHING that comes from BP!!!

[IvanSurvivor]

Just saw this on another site...sorry if it's already been posted.

Oil guru Matthew Simmons, who was on The Dylan Ratigan Show this afternoon warns there may be no way to stop the leak, and it could take 9000 days (over 24 years) for the gusher to end.

[IvanSurvivor]

Tar balls washing up on Dauphin Island. Oil Sheen is about 9 miles off shore of Pensacola Beach.

[WeatherLovingDoc]

Really nice view currently of the diamond wire cutting the riser/drill pipe at the BOP http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=2. Initially they successfully completed shearing of the riser, some 20 feet above the BOP. So far so good...

[Aquawind]

Thanks for the updates Doc!

I think instead of expanding drilling in the Gulf we need to suspend all deepwater development until they can prove they have a plan on how to deal with any leak in a deepwater enviroment. I mean as a industry and not just BP..

While it's clear the industry has failed it's equally clear the Gov't has failed in not asking and addressing that question prior. Exspecially with all of the money in the industry they can afford it.

It's so obvious it's stupid..They know what they are dealing with in materials and enviroment..They need to be prepared for when the pipe break in a odd way..

Amazing how clear the water is that far down in that live feed...

[gtalum]

There's a simple way to deal with this problem in the future: all deep-water wells (maybe all wells period?) should be drilled in parallel with a relief well (or maybe even 2). The relief well appears to be the only reliable method of capping a wild well in deep water.

[WeatherLovingDoc]

There's a simple way to deal with this problem in the future: all deep-water wells (maybe all wells period?) should be drilled in parallel with a relief well (or maybe even 2). The relief well appears to be the only reliable method of capping a wild well in deep water.

Yes indeed. Canada requires this I believe. Probably we in the US will soon too.

Quick update:

SCHRIEVER, La. — Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen is saying that a saw has become stuck as it was cutting through a pipe on a busted well, stalling the latest attempt to contain the Gulf oil gusher.

Allen said Wednesday the goal is to free the saw and finish the cut later in the day. This is the second major cut in the effort to contain — not plug — the nation's worst spill.

Allen says the first cut with giant shears was successful overnight.

The best chance at plugging the leak involves a relief well that is at least two months from completion.

[angelwing]

dup, poster above beat me