The BP well could be capped tonight

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the efforts to cap a blown-out oil well, specifically the installation of a new valve and the subsequent pressure testing. Participants explore technical concerns, potential risks, and the timeline of operations related to the well's capping, reflecting on the implications for environmental safety and engineering challenges.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express optimism about the new valve and the potential for success if pressure reaches around 8000 psi.
  • Concerns are raised about the risks of applying high pressure, including the possibility of damaging pipes elsewhere in the system.
  • Participants question the timeline of the capping efforts, noting that parts for the cap were available earlier and expressing frustration over the delay in implementation.
  • There is uncertainty regarding the condition of the well casing and whether it may have been damaged during the blowout, with some arguing that the blowout could have caused issues below the blowout preventer (BOP).
  • Some participants reference the need for additional analysis and the implications of seismic surveys conducted before pressure testing.
  • There is a discussion about the engineering challenges faced, including the uniqueness of the situation and the potential risks associated with the capping procedure.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of concerns and hopes regarding the capping of the well, with no clear consensus on the risks involved or the effectiveness of the proposed solutions. Multiple competing views remain about the implications of the blowout and the engineering decisions made.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include uncertainties about the well's condition, the potential for damage to the casing, and the specifics of the engineering processes involved in the capping efforts. The discussion reflects a lack of complete information regarding the operational decisions made by BP and the federal officials.

  • #31
turbo-1 said:
I have a friend who co-owns and operates the largest flash-freezing plant for processing shrimp in Mississippi. His business is ruined, his former employees are unemployed, his suppliers and the shrimpers who they buy from are losing their boats, homes, berths, docks, businesses, etc. The people that supply essential services to all these now-unemployed people are also hurting badly, and some may never be able to jump the hurdle of BP's promise of paying claims for "verifiable losses". You worry about the lost oil? 10 years from now, the lost oil will be forgotten and the lost livelihoods and habitat may still be with us.

I suppose their puppy died also. Sure sucks for Flash Gordon, but it also sucks for my stocks.
 
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  • #32
KalamMekhar said:
I suppose their puppy died also. Sure sucks for Flash Gordon, but it also sucks for my stocks.
Sorry your stocks lost value. MUCH more sorry that people who made their living off near-shore fishing in the gulf might lose a generation of livelihood with little or no compensation.
 
  • #33
Damn near half of the gulf coastline hasn't even seen oil. It isn't some sort of super-mega-monster-disaster where everyone is on the beach covered in oil trying to fly away. There are still people shrimping and oystering (?) in the gulf, just not as much as before. Everything will go back to normal.
 
  • #34
KalamMekhar said:
Damn near half of the gulf coastline hasn't even seen oil. It isn't some sort of super-mega-monster-disaster where everyone is on the beach covered in oil trying to fly away. There are still people shrimping and oystering (?) in the gulf, just not as much as before. Everything will go back to normal.

That is based on your expert opinion, I assume. :smile:

No one has any idea how much damage has been done. And the oil will keep coming for at least another month. In fact, it may keep coming for many years. It is entirely possible, according to actual experts, that they entire food chain in the gulf could be compromised. And we could still have a storm that would drive the oil into the marshes that are the breeding grounds for the entire gulf.
 
  • #35
Ivan Seeking said:
That is based on your expert opinion, I assume. :smile:

No one has any idea how much damage has been done. And the oil will keep coming for at least another month.

I suppose you are an expert on all things oil. Seeing that you've been nancy about the whole thing since it started. Judging from the threads on the oil spill, all the members who are distraught about this have done is wail their arms in the air, and refuse to participate in any logical discussion. It seems as though you can't mention BP without hearing someone crying havoc.
 
  • #36
KalamMekhar said:
I suppose you are an expert on all things oil. Seeing that you've been nancy about the whole thing since it started. Judging from the threads on the oil spill, all the members who are distraught about this have done is wail their arms in the air, and refuse to participate in any logical discussion. It seems as though you can't mention BP without hearing someone crying havoc.

What logical discussions? Those based on little to no information? I don't claim to be an expert. I just repeat what they say. While you are all arguing among yourselves, I'm listening to Thad Allen.

What did you lose, a few hundred bucks. Oh my.
 
  • #37
Ivan Seeking said:
What logical discussions? Those based on little to no information? I don't claim to be an expert. I just repeat what they say.

What did you lose, a few hundred bucks. Oh my.

Russ_Watters and aldirno were the only ones trying to have an intelligent discussion on the oil leak, everyone else was crucifying BP for anything they said or did.

My financial information is none of your business.
 
  • #38
This is coming from someone who thinks BP's stock dropped because their oil reserves are lower now.

Let's not take him too seriously
 
  • #39
Office_Shredder said:
This is coming from someone who thinks BP's stock dropped because their oil reserves are lower now.

Let's not take him too seriously


More oil = more money. Oil that makes it to a refinery is more oil that turns into gasoline, which turns into bank. My stocks dropping had nothing to do with that oil. It had to do with BPs image being tarnished by jump the gun hippies.
 
  • #40
KalamMekhar said:
More oil = more money. Oil that makes it to a refinery is more oil that turns into gasoline, which turns into bank. My stocks dropping had nothing to do with that oil. It had to do with BPs image being tarnished by jump the gun hippies.

Then again perhaps BP deserves that bloody hand of justice.

BP previously admitted to working for a 2005 Libyan prisoner release, and U.S. Lawmakers demanded to know whether the company had anything to do with a similar deal for Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi. Al-Megrahi is the only person ever convicted for the airliner bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. He remains a celebrity in Libya a year after he left prison with 3 months to live.

The company cracked just before 4:00 PM Phoenix time. BP admitted that they lobbied the British government to transfer al-Megrahi in order to protect a $900 million deal for Libyan oil. That becomes blood money, plain and simple.

http://www.examiner.com/x-58460-Pho...e-rogue-admits-lobbying-for-alMegrahi-release
 
  • #41
I suppose the daily telegraph is running that story too eh?
 
  • #42
KalamMekhar said:
I suppose the daily telegraph is running that story too eh?

I'm not sure what you're implying, but...yes. (Well, sort of. A link to the Telegraph article is below.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7892112/BP-admits-lobbying-UK-over-Libya-prisoner-transfer-scheme-but-not-Lockerbie-bomber.html"

[Edit: Here's a related Telegraph article from today (not-totally on topic, but related none-the-less): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7895189/BP-lobbying-over-Libya-may-overshadow-David-Camerons-US-visit.html" ]
 
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  • #43
KalamMekhar said:
Damn near half of the gulf coastline hasn't even seen oil. It isn't some sort of super-mega-monster-disaster where everyone is on the beach covered in oil trying to fly away. There are still people shrimping and oystering (?) in the gulf, just not as much as before. Everything will go back to normal.

That's assuming a comfortable level with the damage that is known to exist. Even if not one drop had ever hit the shoreline, this doesn't mean we can relax on it.
 
  • #44
I can guarantee you the media will relax on it in a week or two. Another big story will come along and this will be all over.
 
  • #45
You can't measure a disaster by the sum of journalists posting reports. It's not just media coverage.
 
  • #46
The situation is not out of the woods yet. The well pressure didn't get as high as was expected. It is running at 6,700 PSI. Over 8,000 PSI was expected.

There has been mention that the well could have lost pressure because of the prolonged venting into the ocean.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6685882n&tag=related;photovideo
 
  • #47
edward said:
The situation is not out of the woods yet. The well pressure didn't get as high as was expected. It is running at 6,700 PSI. Over 8,000 PSI was expected.

There has been mention that the well could have lost pressure because of the prolonged venting into the ocean.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6685882n&tag=related;photovideo
Or because the well's pipes could have been damaged during the rig's fatal incident and be blowing out oil and gas someplace else somewhat removed from the well.
 
  • #48
Yes, like I said last night, their story suddenly changed. This has happened every time they encountered complications.

The good news is that based on the pressure, the leak, if it exists, should be at something like 11,000 feet into the rock]. As reported, there are several layers of sealing rock that help to ensure that the leak cannot rise to the surface. So the plan is to capture 100% of the oil unless a storm hits, at which time they can shut the well down when the ships leave.

So far, it sounds like the concern is that damaged seals may get worse if the well is allowed to leak. So by keeping the well pressure below the pressure at depth [at the presumed leak] no futher damage to the seals occurs. If the well has to be capped for a storm, hopefully the seals can survive well enough until the ships return to relieve the pressure.

As Edward mentioned, this all assumes that the well hasn't just lost enough energy so that the pressure is significantly reduced. So far, the sonar soundings have not detected the flow of gas that would be indicative of a casing failure.
 
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