Posted on 07/18/2010 2:45:49 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Edited on 07/18/2010 4:49:54 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Mod note:
AP changed the title:
BP, feds clash over reopening capped Gulf oil well
--------------------------------------
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 been made yet.
//unreal how many in here are still denying reality and believe that things are just fine//
Yes it is.
Concerning potential methane seeps, I questioned earlier on what the seabed monitoring ROVs might be seeing.
Maybe somebody can absolutely rule out that the lighter colored patches are NOT methane hydrates. Or maybe they cannot...
In any controversial subject you’re going to have two extremes...The “true believers” that seem to believe everything they see and hear, and the “absolute skeptics” who simply can’t allow that something can be true (because to do so would destroy their own subjective worldviews). Countless examples of both.
To those who say that any of the debated best or worse case scenarios are “impossible”, are almost certainly wrong. They may not be probable, but not impossible.
Could there be a “10-20 mile long, sub-seabed high pressure methane bubble”? Yes. Could it release suddenly, yes, but the probability may be low. If, in such a hypothetical, that were to occur, then yes it could well sink the surface fleet and displace enough seawater to create a rather large wave. Over geological time this has happened before (and will again...). Anywhere such a release occurs could have similar consequences, and one that has been largely left out is that while methane is lighter than air, it isn’t when combined with water vapor. If it occurs near a coastal city, and the cloud ignites at near ground level, think The City of Dresden (WWII).
Hopefully what will happen is that the well hasn’t established a leakage path to the seabed which could then bypass the well/relief wells, and they can close it up. Will it happen again in some fashion? Of course, humans never (or rarely) learn from their mistakes. Thats why history repeats itself endlessly.
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6746
The text of Allen’s letter to Dudley was just released... available at
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/posted/2931/BP_Letter_18_July.79...
He does sound a bit annoyed.
Given the current observations from the test, including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance during the test period. As a continued condition of the test, you are required to provide as a top priority access and coordination for the monitoring systems, which include seismic and sonar surface ships and subsea ROV and acoustic systems. When seeps are detected, you are directed to marshal resources, quickly investigate, and report findings to the government in no more than four hours. I direct you to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the well head be confirmed
and is asking for, among other things, an updated schedule for the implementation of containment plans.
As the National Incident Commander, I must remain abreast of the status of your source control efforts. Now that source control has evolved into a period beyond the expected 48 hour interval of the Well Integrity Test, I am requiring that you provide me a written update within 24 hours of your intentions going forward. I remain concerned that all potential options to eliminate the discharge of oil be pursued with utmost speed until I can be assured that no additional oil will spill from the Macondo Well.
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6746
Is this a reliable source?
Text of letter from Adm. Allen to Bob Dudley:
Bob Dudley
Chief Managing Director
BP Group
501 West Lake Park Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77070
Dear Mr. Dudley,
My letter to you on July 16, 2010 extended the Well Integrity Test period contingent upon the completion of seismic surveys, robust monitoring for indications of leakage, and acoustic testing by the NOAA vessel PISCES in the immediate vicinity of the well head. Given the current observations from the test, including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance during the test period. As a continued condition of the test, you are required to provide as a top priority access and coordination for the monitoring systems, which include seismic and sonar surface ships and subsea ROV and acoustic systems. When seeps are detected, you are directed to marshal resources, quickly investigate, and report findings to the government in no more than four hours. I direct you to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the well head be confirmed.
As the National Incident Commander, I must remain abreast of the status of your source control efforts. Now that source control has evolved into a period beyond the expected 48 hour interval of the Well Integrity Test, I am requiring that you provide me a written update within 24 hours of your intentions going forward. I remain concerned that all potential options to eliminate the discharge of oil be pursued with utmost speed until I can be assured that no additional oil will spill from the Macondo Well.
You may use your letter of 9 July as a basis for your update. Specifically, you must provide me your latest containment plan and schedule in the event that the Well Integrity Test is suspended, the status and completion timelines for all containment options currently under development, and details of any other viable source control options including hydraulic control that you are considering. You should highlight any points at which progress along one option will be impacted by resource trade-offs to achieve progress along another option. Include options for and impacts of continued wice-a day seismic testing versus once a day testing.
As you develop the plans above, note that the primary method of securing the source is the relief well and this effort takes precedence. Therefore, I direct you to provide a detailed plan for the
final stages of the relief well that specifically addresses the interaction of this schedule and any other activity that may potentially delay relief well completion.
Have your representative provide results on the monitoring efforts and source control requirements described above during today’s BP and Government Science Team call at 8:00 PM CDT.
Sincerely,
THAD W. ALLEN
For each of the last two containment caps, as they were installed there was a boast of ability to trap more oil & gas for recovery into tankers.
Instead, the daily reports were about how much oil & gas was captured and how much was burned off. The numbers were always equal, that I have seen.
Has any oil actually been loaded onto tankers/barges?
I guess the US is the only one that isn’t in on this news.
I’m here in the Philippines. In my inbox I just received the following from CNN International...
— Testing of BP well integrity “detected seep a distance from the well” in the Gulf of Mexico, Ret. Adm. Thad Allen says.
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6746
To tell me anything about the health hazard to humans they need to test for total petroleum hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, naphthalene and a whole slew of other chemicals that have human health exposure limits. The light ones such as benzene (the worst from a human health standpoint) commonly volatilize into the air which is the reason workers wear respirators.
Here is a brief summary of why oil and grease is not appropriate for the test she was using:
Oil and grease includes not only petroleum oils but also vegetable and natural oils. Sediments, biota, and decaying life forms are often high in natural oils lipids which make up part of the oil and grease measure. Like Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) and Total Recoverable Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TRPH) data, oil and grease data is very difficult (if not impossible) to interpret related to ecological effects. However, oil and grease does have some indirect value as one of the measures of oxygen demanding materials. Oil and grease should not be used as a measure for most oil pollution studies or other studies where petroleum hydrocarbons are the main concern (summary of information presented in more detail below).General Hazard/Toxicity Summary: Some of the literature on sediment contamination by oil and grease from petroleum hydrocarbons was summarized in Olsen's 1984 annotated bibliography of the effects of contaminated sediments on fish and wildlife [449]. Factors to consider when interpreting residues of petroleum hydrocarbons in wildlife tissues were summarized by Hall and Coon in 1988 [128]. Oil and grease is difficult (if not impossible) to interpret related to petroleum hydrocarbon levels; scatter plots of oil and grease levels versus the levels of petroleum hydrocarbons often appear random (Brian Cain, U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, personal communication).
In general, oil and grease is an inappropriate measure when considering hazard, toxicity, or risk (see details in sections below). Better methods include the expanded scan for PAHs [828] and other more rigorous methods.
Additionally, for any "tests" to be valid, she should have taken background samples from a beach or wetland not affected by the oil. I expect she would be surprised by the results.
Of course they do, but not just Louisiana, also Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, all those Bible toting, gun loving red states. Florida, not so much since all the Jews and liberals on the SE coast gave him FL. He at least needs to save the SE coast.
“why are they not filling tanker after tanker with oil that can pay for whatever damage was done”
All profits from the Macondo well have already been assigned to some environmental org. Can’t recall which one at the moment.
As for the technical part of your question (a common one), I don’t know but I bet some folks at the Oil Drum do. I’m heading over for a look now...
Oh-—One fellow in the biz posted awhile ago that if there were a breach leading to the surface everyone would know because it would be dramatic.
There were two different reports circulating about the pressure. One said 6700 PSI and another said 1100 PSI. Who do we believe?
But ask yourself this. If there was no leak then why would then not be doing a top kill now that they have the cap sealed around the well head. I think the answer to that is obvious. They have leak underground, and they are well aware of it.
Check Boa Deep C Rov 2 feed now...
Full link to the letter:
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/posted/2931/BP_Letter_18_July.791571.pdf
Yes. The Enterprise Inspiration was capturing oil from the cap and transferring it to a tanker ship that carried to the depot. I want to say the first load was 300,000 barrels. They were burning off the natural gas. I posted an update a few weeks ago about it. The Helix and the other ship that were connected to the BOP directly were just burning everything off.
“detected a seep a distance from the well”
...is hardly anything firm or concrete...it could be a number of things. Precautions and investigation are called for, but not alarmism.
I can’t tell what it is, too dark. It could be seepage or is it the ROV’s stirring up the bottom?
Is there a given total to date number of barrels off loaded from tankers?
Thank you. I meant to post that link also and forgot.
(muttering to self like a grumpy old man while stomping off in search of arcane estimate numbers)
I think we are seeing BP change the odds and take the feds to the cleaners. According to Obama, he and his people are running the show and BP is just a screwdriver, doing what they are told.
BP caps the well, and then posits that it’s not a good idea to touch it. If the feds order the well opened in any fashion, any problems subsequent will be the fed’s fault, and BP is off the hook (BP said don’t touch it). Genius.
I’m not sure either but it’s rising straight up and not outward like prop wake from the ROV would. Also, it rises on occasion from some distance away from the ROV and it’s intermittent.
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