Is BP's 'top kill' on the oil well going to work?
Discussion
I've been following the deepwater horizon story with interest and it seems today's the day when BP start their top kill attempt. As I understand it they're going to pump a load of heavy crap into the well then top it off with cement. There seems to be a lot of uncertainty about if it's going to work but I'm a total layman when it comes to this. How big is the uncertainty? Is it a slim chance that it'll do anything? I know we have a few oil industry workers on PH so I'd love to hear some informed comments on it. Apologies if I've missed an existing, relevant thread.
Spiritual_Beggar said:
Why is this problem so bad? What has made capping this well so difficult?
I mean, we've had these incidents in the past, and they have been resolved then. Is there something about this one in particular that means capping it off has been more difficult?
Dont know of any other incidents except the Piper Alpha in the North Sea when the leak was on the surface, this is I think 5000 feet down, and the BOP (Blow Out Preventer),didnt work.I mean, we've had these incidents in the past, and they have been resolved then. Is there something about this one in particular that means capping it off has been more difficult?
If it was easy, it would have been done by now.
Vipers said:
Spiritual_Beggar said:
Why is this problem so bad? What has made capping this well so difficult?
I mean, we've had these incidents in the past, and they have been resolved then. Is there something about this one in particular that means capping it off has been more difficult?
Dont know of any other incidents except the Piper Alpha in the North Sea when the leak was on the surface, this is I think 5000 feet down, and the BOP (Blow Out Preventer),didnt work.I mean, we've had these incidents in the past, and they have been resolved then. Is there something about this one in particular that means capping it off has been more difficult?
If it was easy, it would have been done by now.
Has there been that few cases of this!? That's quite impressive actually
I thought there would have been many more incidents of this ilk in the past. So it's pretty much 'unknown' territory BP have found themselves in, with regards to the problem faced?
Edited by Spiritual_Beggar on Monday 24th May 15:27
Spiritual_Beggar said:
Vipers said:
Spiritual_Beggar said:
Why is this problem so bad? What has made capping this well so difficult?
I mean, we've had these incidents in the past, and they have been resolved then. Is there something about this one in particular that means capping it off has been more difficult?
Dont know of any other incidents except the Piper Alpha in the North Sea when the leak was on the surface, this is I think 5000 feet down, and the BOP (Blow Out Preventer),didnt work.I mean, we've had these incidents in the past, and they have been resolved then. Is there something about this one in particular that means capping it off has been more difficult?
If it was easy, it would have been done by now.
Has there been that few cases of this!? That's quite impressive actually
I thought there would have been many more incidents of this ilk in the past. So it's pretty much 'unknown' territory BP have found themselves in, with regards to the problem faced?
Edited by Spiritual_Beggar on Monday 24th May 15:27
Fortunately few and far between. I think another BP rig sank either in the GOM or offshore Brazil, but didnt result in oil free flowing into the ocean, and some years ago, a rig caught fire in the UK resulting in one fatality, but no environment damage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Odyssey
Bearing in mind the number of drilling rigs operating offshore worldwide on a 24/7 basis for over 50 years, its a very good safety record, but when it goes wrong, it can go wrong big time
See also http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1465...
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Edited by Vipers on Monday 24th May 15:40
Spiritual_Beggar said:
Why is this problem so bad?
What has made capping this well so difficult?
I mean, we've had these incidents in the past, and they have been resolved then. Is there something about this one in particular that means capping it off has been more difficult?
Yes, it is 5,000ft under water; all of the physics are different at that depth. The BOP itself is 50 ft. tall. That should indicate the scale of this opening.What has made capping this well so difficult?
I mean, we've had these incidents in the past, and they have been resolved then. Is there something about this one in particular that means capping it off has been more difficult?
Jimbeaux said:
Yes, it is 5,000ft under water; all of the physics are different at that depth. The BOP itself is 50 ft. tall. That should indicate the scale of this opening.
I can appreciate thee limitations when working at those sorts of depths.What suprised me more is that this kind of thing hasn't happened more regularly in the past. My original question was working on the assumption that Oil companies have had to plug underwater wells before, and so there would be proven methods to contain the leak...... but it appears my assumptions were wrong (what is it they say about assumptions
)Yeast Lord said:
So their just going to stick a seal over it and forget the sweet goodness underneath. Is this a no go area for oil drilling now?
If you're evil 'British' Petroleum, I imagine exploration will be made more difficult. If you're an all-American oil firm, happy days.[/cynicism]
I wonder if the Senate will be going after the American firm whose BOP it was that failed as vigorously as they are with BP?
It occured to me that the simplest way to solve this would be an expanding valve of some sort. Either an expanding "balloon" or better i think an expanding pipe.
Kinda like pushing one straw into another. A balloon valve will have a limited lifespan and a concrete valve likewise. An expanding pipe would work better as they could keep the oil flowing and getting the pipe into the existing one wouldnt be too difficult if done right.
Kinda like pushing one straw into another. A balloon valve will have a limited lifespan and a concrete valve likewise. An expanding pipe would work better as they could keep the oil flowing and getting the pipe into the existing one wouldnt be too difficult if done right.
Taffer said:
Yeast Lord said:
So their just going to stick a seal over it and forget the sweet goodness underneath. Is this a no go area for oil drilling now?
If you're evil 'British' Petroleum, I imagine exploration will be made more difficult. If you're an all-American oil firm, happy days.[/cynicism]
I wonder if the Senate will be going after the American firm whose BOP it was that failed as vigorously as they are with BP?
tinman0 said:
Ayahuasca said:
I don't see what the fuss is all about, oil is a 100% natural substance after all. In fact, it's probably good for you.
its not on your f
king beach. i believe part of our bay is boomed off, so it won't wash up half mile from the house. maybe.
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