BP oil spill update - stuck saw delays cut and cap effort

[JSt0rm]

oops. Hopefully it gets sorted... Meanwhile the panhandle of Florida is starting to feel it.

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BP’s latest effort to stem the gush of oil into the Gulf of Mexico has stalled. The cut-and-cap procedure has hit a snag today because their saw is stuck in the thick pipe of the blown-out oil well.

The main goal right now is to free the saw and be able to complete the cut later today. This effort is a containment effort on BP’s part -- it will not plug the well. The relief well that is in progress is the best hope for plugging the well for good, and it won’t be finished until August.

The cut BP is making in the pipe has to be very smooth because the cap needs to be tight fitting. If the cut isn’t good enough, then the cap will not fit as tightly, which will not contain as much of the oil as they would like to contain. The cut-and-cap could increase the flow by as much as 20% temporarily. So far, the effect is unknown.

There is now oil spilling out of the new cut while the saw is stuck in the pipe. It is possible that a second saw will have to be lowered to the site.

Unfortunately, oil is drifting closer to Florida today as well. The white sand beaches may soon be marred by ugly, sticky oil. Investors are practically fleeing BP stock today as well. Plus, there is a criminal and civil investigation into the GP oil spill in the Gulf Coast.

I am actually a little scared that BP stocks will lose so much that there won’t be any money to clean this mess up. Surely that cannot happen. I don’t totally understand how these things work.

I hope that the cut-and-cap is successful. Maybe then the mess will at least slow down considerably.

Source: MSNBC

Copyright: Kate James June 2, 2010

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978274375

 

[nick1985]

fail

 

[JSt0rm]

fail

amazing they have never tried to make a cut like this before. How much would it of cost the industry to have offsite contingency plans for when shit hits the fan? Surely less then this thing will cost? Idiots.

 

[nick1985]

They should have used a DeWalt

 

[theeedude]

amazing they have never tried to make a cut like this before. How much would it of cost the industry to have offsite contingency plans for when shit hits the fan? Surely less then this thing will cost? Idiots.

Canada and many other nations require rig operators to drill relief wells in same season as they put the main drill in, instead of waiting for disaster to start drilling it. Of course the oil lobby bought its way out of that requirement in the US.

 

[JSt0rm]

Canada and many other nations require rig operators to drill relief wells in same season as they put the main drill in, instead of waiting for disaster to start drilling it. Of course the oil lobby bought its way out of that requirement in the US.

$=speech yeah! :\ freedom to fuck up massively is what we have.

 

[theeedude]

$=speech yeah! :\ freedom to fuck up massively is what we have.

The worst thing is they still haven't required the operators of current rigs to start drilling relief wells immediately. I guess we'll just wait for it to happen again.

 

[ChunkiMunki]

thats the American way

 

[Zebo]

Tards. I mean seriously. Didn't they do ANY disaster planning, tool prep, not to mention testing?\

PPPPPPP

Prior proper planning prevents piss poor performance.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Want change, vote everyone in gov't out of office. That's the fix.

 

[Mxylplyx]

They have resorted to using their giant cutting shears instead, meaning it's going to be an ugly, uneven cut, and thus a poor fit with the cap they are preparing to fit on it.

I'm no engineer, but it seems that once they have even a half decent cap in place, that would give them the opportunity to put enough back pressure on the oil flow to make another attempt at the mud shot. They could pump mud down through the riser that connects to the cap, while at the same time pumping mud directly into the blowout preventer.

 

[JSt0rm]

thats nice... so that means they will increase the flow rate AND fail.

 

[Zebo]

Like I said you'd think they'd have to have equipment for and test every eventuality at this depth before even starting. Oh that's right all this was illegally green lighted by oil man revolving door Salazar's crew, an Obama Appointment, with nothing required no environmental impact report, no safety report, no nothing just drill baby drill.

I mean cutting a fucking pipe? Plugging a hole? nah who gives a rats ass never need to do something like that.

 

[piasabird]

Maybe they should try pumping a bunch of ice down the hole. We can call it "Top Blizzard"!

Maybe Ted Drews can make a giant Concrete Ice Cream special?

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I would actually be okay with higher gas prices (due to higher oil prices) if a relief well was required to be drilled the same season as the primary.

 

[Specop 007]

I would actually be okay with higher gas prices (due to higher oil prices) if a relief well was required to be drilled the same season as the primary.

I wouldnt IF the reason the BOP failed was due to being disabled and not being repaired.

 

[Darwin333]

I would actually be okay with higher gas prices (due to higher oil prices) if a relief well was required to be drilled the same season as the primary.

Doesn't matter.

Unless Obama reverses his 6 month moratorium on drilling in the Gulf you won't see many (potentially none) new oil come from the Gulf of Mexico (at least in American waters) for perhaps a decade. Those rigs rent for $500,000 a day and all kinds of countries (Brazil being a huge player, Africa another) are already trying to contract them to start drilling off their shores immediately. You can't just flip the switch back on in 6 months and have everything start right back up. Those rigs are long gone and will be gone for a long time, might not ever come back...

3 of Louisiana's largest industries have been virtually wiped out because of BP and the Feds. The country is going to rely on more oil from unstable regions of the world which can and likely will drag us into another war, the country is going to be importing a fuckton more seafood (likely from China because they have great quality control and environmental regulations over there) and our mid/long term energy situation just got a whole lot worse. Not to mention the 10's of thousands of jobs, mostly high paying jobs, that are going to be lost.

Bottom line: Your gas price is going up regardless and as it stands right now all the new regs in the world won't make a damn bit of difference because there won't be any rigs in the Gulf left to drill.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Doesn't matter.

Unless Obama reverses his 6 month moratorium on drilling in the Gulf you won't see many (potentially none) new oil come from the Gulf of Mexico (at least in American waters) for perhaps a decade. Those rigs rent for $500,000 a day and all kinds of countries (Brazil being a huge player, Africa another) are already trying to contract them to start drilling off their shores immediately. You can't just flip the switch back on in 6 months and have everything start right back up. Those rigs are long gone and will be gone for a long time, might not ever come back...

3 of Louisiana's largest industries have been virtually wiped out because of BP and the Feds. The country is going to rely on more oil from unstable regions of the world which can and likely will drag us into another war, the country is going to be importing a fuckton more seafood (likely from China because they have great quality control and environmental regulations over there) and our mid/long term energy situation just got a whole lot worse. Not to mention the 10's of thousands of jobs, mostly high paying jobs, that are going to be lost.

Bottom line: Your gas price is going up regardless and as it stands right now all the new regs in the world won't make a damn bit of difference because there won't be any rigs in the Gulf left to drill.

I was just stating my simplistic "if we had implemented that, I would be fine with higher gas prices to pay for the more expenses per well.

I do realize all you said though, and that the Gulf is fucked (from fishing, to oil, to tourism, to many other reasons) due to the various things that have happened in the past few months.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Gee. I wonder how much BP is paying these clown engineers?

I'm not downplaying the difficulty of their tasks but WTF, did they not even bother to consider that the weight and condition of that 5,000 LF of riser pipe would bind a cut at the blowout preventer? Somebody should have called Tommy and Norm, or asked any homeowner who has ever owned a circular saw.

Maybe they could have first 'snipped' 4,975 feet of pipe to lessen the chance of a bound saw blade on the final 'clean' cut?

I know they are under incredible pressure to stem the flow of oil from the wellhead but it is starting to look like a Stooges movie.

And week-by-week they come up with another lame plan that they suspiciously pump as having a 60-70% chance of success.






--

 

[Balt]

http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/spill_cam/

It actually looks like the leak is a lot worse now. Is that just the way it appears because it's under greater pressure now or what?

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/spill_cam/

It actually looks like the leak is a lot worse now. Is that just the way it appears because it's under greater pressure now or what?

It is leaking worse now.

It's due to the pipe previously was bent which restricted the flow a bit (IIRC), and now it's not restricted. They stated that would happen if this was attempted.

 

[Evadman]

Maybe they could have first 'snipped' 4,975 feet of pipe to lessen the chance of a bound saw blade on the final 'clean' cut?

They did that.

 

[MotF Bane]

Gee. I wonder how much BP is paying these clown engineers?

I'm not downplaying the difficulty of their tasks but WTF, did they not even bother to consider that the weight and condition of that 5,000 LF of riser pipe would bind a cut at the blowout preventer? Somebody should have called Tommy and Norm, or asked any homeowner who has ever owned a circular saw.

Maybe they could have first 'snipped' 4,975 feet of pipe to lessen the chance of a bound saw blade on the final 'clean' cut?

I know they are under incredible pressure to stem the flow of oil from the wellhead but it is starting to look like a Stooges movie.

And week-by-week they come up with another lame plan that they suspiciously pump as having a 60-70% chance of success.

You fail so hard.