Key step to kill Gulf gusher may happen sooner ( Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill )

Google - AP ^ | July 29, 2010 – 1 hour ago | HARRY R. WEBER (AP)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

NEW ORLEANS — Preparations for step one of a two-step attempt to plug the Gulf oil gusher are going well and it could start by the weekend, the government's point man for the spill response said Thursday.

The so-called static kill is intended to make the job of plugging the well for good easier, and it can begin as soon as crews finish work on the relief well needed for a permanent fix.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said crews would drop in the casing for the relief well later Thursday, and that could speed up work on the static kill, though he did not say how much. He previously said it would begin late Sunday or early Monday.

Crews will pump heavy mud down the well though a temporary cap and failed piece of equipment called a blowout preventer. If the well casing is intact, the mud will force the oil back down into the natural petroleum reservoir. Then workers will pump in cement to seal it.

The static kill is on track for completion some time next week. Then comes the bottom kill, where the relief well will be used to pump in mud and cement; that process will take days or weeks, depending on whether the static kill works.

Allen also said Thursday he had what he called a very frank and open discussion with coastal parish officials concerned that the Coast Guard and BP will pull back from the spill response once the oil is stopped permanently.

"You know these parish presidents, no one held anything back," he said.

[JSteff]

Uhmm it is an oil well. Has the need for oil abated? So why can they not start pumping oil from this well? Can someone give me a reason not to use the oil from this well????????

[pgkdan]

I’ve been wondering the same thing...why do we need to permanently kill the well? I thought this was a huge field.

[tet68]

“The cariboo will be afraid to cross the pipeline.”

[bitterohiogunclinger]

“Can someone give me a reason not to use the oil from this well????????”

For the same reason they block all U.S. drilling operations, shale oil exploration, and have a bill pending to impose a $2.50 per barrel extra tax on all oil produced in the U.S., but not on imported oil. They have an agenda, which should be obvious to anyone with a functioning brain cell. They must be removed or we are doomed.

[Wurlitzer]

I was about to pose the same question.

Is there something defective in what remains of the existing well casing and uber-expensive well cap which renders this well unusable?

[Deaf Smith]

Rip Van Winkle: The same reason it blew out...it has been compromised beyond repair and use.

[justa-hairyape]

For the past two days, they have not even been showing ROV video feed of the 3 ram stack leaking seal. There were watching it all day long prior to that.

[Marine_Uncle]

The MC252A and B wells where licensed for exploration (wildcat)in order to determine if this site was worth eventual drilling. BP has no right to turn it into a production well.
The oils collected to date and sent for refinement where agreed upon to profit the GOM coast folks. That is. Eventual sale profits of gas etc., refined would go toward the people in the gulf.

[Marine_Uncle]

I have also taken note of that. We do not know where the Skandi and Deep Boe squidy are presently located. Perhaps they are mainly being used in the continued sea bed recon work. Or where onboard vessels for maintenance.

[justa-hairyape]

The last time they showed the leaking seal on the 3 ram stack, there were quite a lot of oil droplets and gunk floating up in front of the stack. Probably from below in the old BOP assembly. Might explain speeding up the process. Seems logical that as internal pressure increased, so would the leaks. Also, the last macro shots of the BOP showed some nasty conditions. Lots of turbidity, seawater coloring and what appeared to be constant tiny clathrate storms. Gonna be interesting to see what views of the Top Kill process we will get, if any.

[Marine_Uncle]

I had same thoughts. I would assume they will let the public watch the top kill be performed.

[justa-hairyape]

This morning they had an ROV that was possibly right near something interesting. Seemed like ejections from the sea floor (clathrates and smokers) were occurring just below the view of the camera. Was sitting here hoping they would pan the camera downward. Never did. But then all of a sudden the DVD player running the video stopped. Also remember that the time on the ROV was 6 hours earlier then real central time. So they may be doing the Top Kill right now and then going to play the DVD video for us later. This is BP now. They have already been caught tampering with images.

[justa-hairyape]

Here is the DVD video play screen that popped up during what was supposed to be a live feed. The time on the ROV live feed was 6 hours in the past however. So they definitely were playing a prerecorded video. Was Ocean Intervention III ROV 2.

DVD Video Play Screen

[Marine_Uncle]

There are enough people watching closely as events unfold. If they are playing games you can bet there are those that will file complaints. Including some in Congress.
That aside. There will be really nothing much to watch as they feed mud down the lower casement and into the well bore from the lower lines. For all we know as you indicated they may already be pumping mud down the hole.

[justa-hairyape]

You can bet money they will have closeup views of the two main seal leaks. Whether we see that will probably depend on whether they blow or not. IMHO.

[justa-hairyape]

Heads up. The Hos ROV’s on now on the BOP. Looks like possible prepping for the Top Kill. Very dark down there now.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks been away for awhile...been wondering what was going on.

[palmer]

The BOP barely survives the pressure, so they are going to pump crap into it and increase the pressure??

[justa-hairyape]

It is called risk taking to save time and money, it is how BP got to where they are today, unfortunately.