Posted on 07/17/2010 9:52:05 AM PDT by profgoose
At this morning's press briefing, Kent Wells of BP reported that pressures have now reached 6,745 psi, and are building at about 2 psi per hour. BP is estimating ultimate pressure will be around 6,800 psi. While this is not as high as originally expected, there are several reasonable explanations for this lower pressure reading, including the possibility that the well is now somewhat depleted, and therefore has lower pressure.
BP seems to be encouraged by the results. Mr. Wells said several times, "We are encouraged that we have integrity," and "We find no evidence of lack of integrity."
(Excerpt) Read more at theoildrum.com ...
BELEAGUERED energy giant BP was hit with further bad news this morning as it emerged dangerous arsenic levels have been found in seawater around the Gulf of Mexico.
British scientists warned that the oil spill is increasing the level of arsenic in the ocean, and could further add to the devastating impact on the already sensitive environment.
BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig has been spilling between 3,681,500 litres and 911,454,000 litres of oil into the sea per day since it exploded on April 22.
They said the arsenic then gets “magnified” up the food chain, as fish eat small amounts of the deadly poison and may eventually impact humans, researchers said.
Professor Mark Sephton said arsenic, which is found in seawater, was normally filtered out of the ocean when it combined with sediment on the sea floor.
“But oil spills stop the normal process because the oil combines with sediment and it leads to an accumulation of arsenic in the water over time,” he said.
“Arsenic only needs to be a 10th of a part per billion to cause problems.”
He added: “Our study is a timely reminder that oil spills could create a toxic ticking time bomb, which could threaten the fabric of the marine ecosystem in the future.”
http://www.news.com.au/world/more-bad-news-for-bp-as-arsenic-levels-rise-in-seawater-around-the-gulf-of-mexico/story-e6frfkyi-1225888272667
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/gulf_toxic_bomb_xgOomKo8AQzXKzc8aSxh0K
What worries her most about the current spill are the unknown effects of the dispersant chemicals used to break up oil into small droplets that sink into the water column. “If they put dispersants into any body of water without the presence of oil, people would be up in arms about the release of such toxic substances,” she says. “But because they are being applied in the name of remediation, people stand by and say it’s OK. But it isn’t OK at all; it’s making the Gulf a big experiment with no baseline to judge the real consequences.”
Federal government biologists who approved the use of dispersants say the chemicals are the lesser of two evils: they are toxic to some extent, but they keep the oil from reaching sensitive wetland habitat along the coast. I ask Earle about this but, aside from the limited use of dispersants to protect specific marshes from approaching slicks, she will have none of it.
“Deploying dispersants at the well head and on the surface many miles from shore is shockingly irresponsible,” she says. “It means you are taking oil that could be collected on the surface and [causing] it to go where it is impossible to recover. Life in the water column is exposed to the chemicals from the surface... and it’s killing all the way.”
Plug the damn hole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWFswXpqhR4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8-PlnJ3kkk
On July 8, 2010, the Associated Press reported that U.S. Reps. Barney Frank and John Tierney stated publicly that Dr. Lubchenco should resign, and Frank said he intends to bring his request to the White House. Frank and Tierney represent New Bedford and Gloucester, Massachusetts respectively, New England’s biggest fishing ports. The two Democrats took the unusual step of calling for a senior appointee of a President of their own party to resign, saying she’s failed their region’s struggling fishermen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Lubchenco
Kent Wells Technical Briefing, 7:30AM CDT, 2010/07/17 Saturday
That pressure reading can mean three things apparently. Reservoir depletion, Cross Talk with Another Reservoir, or Leakage into the porous rock strata. Going into the test that value was inconclusive and meant that Well Integrity was not assured. They are now going to just assume the well has been depleted and that explains the lower pressure. They have absolutely no way to prove that with any degree of certainty. So basically, we have learned nothing from this test and they continue to roll the bones (dice).
I’m a little concerned about your inability to express yourself. LoL
The scale and magnitude of this thing is being hidden from the sheeple.
Have they stopped the test yet ?
He’s such an as*. He really is. He’s such a freak. I KNEW he would try to take credit for it. So when it’s bad, it’s mean ole BP, evil oil, and so on, but some good news and he’s we, us and I. Gawd he makes me sick.
“Text version from The Oil Drum.”. Thanks. Like you commented a few posts down. Time to bring in the witch doctors with their bags of bones and trinkets. Maybe Obi from Nairobi has some he could give a call to be flown down to Houston.
BP leak puts up to 4.5 million barrels of oil in sea: IEA
http://www.petroleumworld.com/story10071301.htm
Also, I don’t believe lots said on theoildrum. Most of them are peak oil, solar, windmill freaks. I think since the spill it’s changed as some sane people have signed up, but make no mistake, the libs are thick over there.
That is what they were before the BP spill, from what I gather. But since the spill lots of idle actual rig workers and even a few people from BP have been posting on the site.
Statement by National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen On Well Integrity Test
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