Robots position giant box over oil-spewing well

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/7/10 | Harry R. Weber - ap

[NormsRevenge]

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO – Underwater robots positioned a giant 100-ton concrete-and-steel box over a blown-out well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico on Friday as workers prepared to drop the device to the seafloor in a first-of-its-kind attempt to stop oil gushing into the sea.

A spokesman for oil giant BP PLC, which is in charge of the cleanup, said the box was suspended about 200 feet above the main leak Friday and was being moved into position, though it could be Saturday before that happens.

Several undersea cameras attached to the robots were making sure it was properly aligned before it plunged all the way to the bottom.

"We are essentially taking a four-story building and lowering it 5,000 feet and setting it on the head of a pin," Bill Salvin, the BP spokesman, told The Associated Press.

[Bigun]

When oil is brought to surface conditions it is usual for some natural gas to come out of solution. The gas/oil ratio (GOR) is the ratio of the volume of gas that comes out of solution, to the volume of oil at standard conditions.

A point to check is whether the volume of oil is measured before or after the gas comes out of solution, since the oil volume will shrink when the gas comes out.

In fact gas dissolution and oil volume shrinkage will happen at many stages during the path of the hydrocarbon stream from reservoir through the wellbore and processing plant to export. For light oils and rich gas condensates the ultimate GOR of export streams is strongly influenced by the efficiency with which the processing plant strips liquids from the gas phase. Reported GORs may be calculated from export volumes which may not be at standard conditions.

The GOR is usually measured in cubic feet of gas per barrel of oil or condensate.

If the GOR is greater than 10,000 cf/bbl, then the field is usually described as a gas well. If less than 10,000, then the field is generally described as an oil well.

I sure hope the folks who are designing this containment/recovery effort are taking this into account and realize that they are going to have to handle, in some fashion, all the gas that comes out of solution as the fluid they are trapping 5000 feet down works it's way to the surface.

[shanover]

BP has been stand up throughout.BHO and his minions are salivating over the crisis and doing nothing since day one.

[Patton@Bastogne]

well said !

[thecodont]

I sure hope the folks who are designing this containment/recovery effort are taking this into account and realize that they are going to have to handle, in some fashion, all the gas that comes out of solution as the fluid they are trapping 5000 feet down works it's way to the surface.

So, this means there might be an even bigger explosion?

[Ramius]

Supposedly it’s been done before but not at 5,000 ft. depth.

That's my understanding too. This approach has been done successfully, but never at anything approaching this sort of depth. If they pull this off the guys that did it really deserve some kudos. Enough with the blame-laying. Now it's time to get serious about fixing it.

[Bigun]

So, this means there might be an even bigger explosion?

I pray not!

Surely the folks designing this have good handle on what will be required.

[Carley]

With this administration it’s much more important to show their Chicago style thuggery than to cooperate in the solution. It’s always about blaming blaming blaming.

How pathetic, but so typical of O and his cabal.