Oil Rig Explosion

#777
#777
well now BP is saying that the seep 2 miles away is unrelated to the current leaking well.

I call BS. I would kill for some video of that seep
 
#778
#778
VolDad said:
NEW ORLEANS — A federal official said Sunday that scientists are concerned about a seep and possible methane seen near BP's busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Both could be signs there are leaks in the well that's been capped off for three days.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because an announcement about the next steps had not yet been made.

Official: Seep found near BP's blown out oil well | ajc.com
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that sucks, if there's another leak
 
#780
#780
BP Mulling New Method To Kill Macondo Well - FOXBusiness.com


The so-called "static kill" operation, which involves pumping heavy drilling mud into the Macondo well, is reminiscent of the "top kill" effort that failed last May. But now that BP has shut in the spill using a new containment system, it can pump mud at a low rate and keep it at low pressure, Wells said. The fact that the reservoir has lower pressure than at the time of the "top kill" may also make a new attempt possible, he said.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen alluded to the static kill in a letter sent to BP Managing Director Robert Dudley, telling BP that the drilling of a relief well--long perceived to be the ultimate solution to the Deepwater Horizon spill--should be its priority. At a teleconference Monday, Wells said that the company still intends to drill the relief well even if it proceeds with the static kill option, to confirm that the leaking well is dead. The first of two relief wells is currently "looking directly" at the Macondo well, and will be able to intersect it at the end of July, he said.
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We now have "The Static Kill" and it sounds like a John Grisham novel
 
#781
#781
Ok... let's clear some things up here. I thought I'd gotten everyone to stop taking the media reports at face value.

I've said before that there are leaks at the well head. There have been samples taken and they will be analyzed. But, from my experience - it is nitrogen and not gas. My resonoing behind this is that gas will typically turn into ice and these bubbles aren't. They roll right off of anything they contact and keep going. Nitrogen bubbles at a deepwater well is not uncommon.

I've also stated that there is a whole lot more oil and gas seeping naturally in the GoM then most people know. We do pre-route surveys for pipelines that cover 40-50 miles or more over area that has never been drilled and we find seepage all over the place. I wouldn't bet my paycheck that this new seepage was related to the DWH incident.

FYI, read up on chemosynthetic organisms in the GoM. Basically, they are living organisms found in water depths once thought too deep and too cold to sustain life. There are found around heat generating sources such as weepholes and places where gas seeps from the bottom.

2nd FYI, the government scientists have had the ROV's chasing bubbles all day. What a collossal waste of time. Most five year olds could tell you that they will rise to the surface... why have an ROV follow them up? Where else could they possibly go?
 
#782
#782
Some dumb questions.

What are they talking about when they talk about 'killing' the well?

What happens on down the road if they kill the well?
 
#783
#783
gsvol said:
Some dumb questions.

What are they talking about when they talk about 'killing' the well?

What happens on down the road if they kill the well?
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Right now the well is just shut off at the new "BOP" that we installed. There is still the same tremendous pressure underneath the BOP and in the wellbore. When they "kill" the well, they will cement the entire wellbore and the pressure will be at ambient.
 
#784
#784
So then you have to drill a whole new hole to get into the underlying pool of petroleum??
 
#785
#785
thats correct gs...


BUT this IMO is outrageous

Feinberg sells compensation fund to spill victims - Yahoo! Finance

The administrator of a $20 billion Gulf oil spill compensation fund offered a hard sell Monday, promising fishermen and others with lost income claims from the disaster that he'll be more generous with them than any court would be.

Kenneth Feinberg noted that claimants are free to instead file a lawsuit, but added, "You're crazy to do so, though."

"Because under this program, you will receive, if you're eligible, compensation without having to go to court for years, without the uncertainty of going to court, since I'll be much more generous than any court will be," Feinberg said. "And at the same time, you won't need to pay lawyers and costs."
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Feinberg, who is being paid by BP, declined to provide his salary. "That's something between me and BP," he said.
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#786
#786
There are now some hydrates forming along certain areas of the BOP stack. It's not bad yet - but, it's something that will have to be addressed.

A little background information to put this in context: Usually, when we install any subsea infactructure, the seals are pressure tested both internally and externally. All this extra "kit" that was installed was put on a blown-out well with no way to pressure test it before actual hydrocarbons were applied. It seems some of those seals would not have passed the pressure test. What does that mean? Not much really - a lot of pressure tests fail the first few tests. Sometimes the act of pressure testing equipment gets it to "settle in" and seal the next time. Some times you have to change gaskets and try again. Sometimes you have to remove and reseat.

FYI, these seals are almost always a metal to metal seal. Imagine the force and weight necessary to squeeze two pieces of metal together hard enough to keep high pressure oil and gas from escaping past it.
 
#787
#787
Orangetoes said:
There are now some hydrates forming along certain areas of the BOP stack. It's not bad yet - but, it's something that will have to be addressed.

A little background information to put this in context: Usually, when we install any subsea infactructure, the seals are pressure tested both internally and externally. All this extra "kit" that was installed was put on a blown-out well with no way to pressure test it before actual hydrocarbons were applied. It seems some of those seals would not have passed the pressure test. What does that mean? Not much really - a lot of pressure tests fail the first few tests. Sometimes the act of pressure testing equipment gets it to "settle in" and seal the next time. Some times you have to change gaskets and try again. Sometimes you have to remove and reseat.

FYI, these seals are almost always a metal to metal seal. Imagine the force and weight necessary to squeeze two pieces of metal together hard enough to keep high pressure oil and gas from escaping past it.
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Stupid question: why aren't these structures and devices heated to keep hydrates from building up?
 
#788
#788
IPorange said:
Stupid question: why aren't these structures and devices heated to keep hydrates from building up?
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There is too much surface area to heat up when you have cold water (about 40 degrees) flowing across it. Plus, it's more a function of the properties of the gas then it is the temperature subsea that cause hydrates to form.
 
#789
#789
Are you saying the gasses are under so much less pressure as they come out compared to when they were below the sea floor, they drop to their freezing point?
 
#790
#790
IPorange said:
Are you saying the gasses are under so much less pressure as they come out compared to when they were below the sea floor, they drop to their freezing point?
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I'm not an expert on gas (my wife and children would disagree), but that is exactly my understanding of the dynamics.
 
#794
#794
I agree Bham, but its a little weird because he is being paid by BP (and wont disclose terms).

Also BP is selling off massive amounts of property to Apache for $7 Billion (just announced) and a Govt spokesman just said that the seep 2 miles away is from a different well.
 
#795
#795
VolsNSkinsFan said:
Also BP is selling off massive amounts of property to Apache for $7 Billion (just announced) and a Govt spokesman just said that the seep 2 miles away is from a different well.
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Happens all the time. Most of the majors sell off their least producing leases to the smaller companies. Apache can't afford to take the risk associated with deepwater drilling and don't have the expertise to mitigate that risk even if they could afford it. So, they stay in the game by buying all these small leases. The majors use the money for more exploration and to add additional infrastructure.

Another way into the big game is as a partner with the majors. As a matter of fact, the majors partner with each other all the time. It's an expensive game and they protect each other by sharing the risk.
 
#796
#796
yep, BP is shedding its old land based ops and keeping its river delta deepwater based ops and shale gas plays... Interesting
 
#798
#798
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/us/22transocean.html?_r=1&hp

Interesting reading... when you get through the drivel you find that most of the guys onboard the DWH found the onboard safety culture to be very good. What they complained about, what Lloyds' investigation found, and what BP's audit found was a complacency towards maintenance by Transocean's Houston office.

At what point will Transocean step up to the plate and accept some resposibiity for this mess?
 
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