[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thought this might be interesting.

[Yo-Yo]

Not knowing a thing about oil wells isn't going to stop me from voicing my opinion...

The top kill seems to stand a better chance, because now that the flow has stopped, they should be able to pump mud down the choke line at the top of the well, and fill the well with mud.

Before when they tried this, the well was flowing, so as soon as any mud entered the top of the well it was just swept away.

I feared that the intercepting well would have the same problem if the well were still flowing. Any mud that entered the bottom of the well would be pushed out of the top of the well by the flowing oil before enough of a mud column could be built up to overcome the oil outflow pressure.

Plus, the bottom intercept well runs the same risk of simply becoming a second gusher. And if it does, there is no place for a second intercept well to intercept the original gusher well.

I vote for top kill!

[John O]

The question I have about this is "Since they have it capped, why not just put it into production and pump it out?"

Seems that getting the oil out of this tap would be a whole lot easier than drilling a whole new well. Or is that too sensible for the obama regime?

[Vendome]

Top Kill:
Pro: Quicker and easier
Con: subject to pressures and no assurance other fissures in casing or well hole don’t exist or have possible rupture.

Bottom Kill:
Pro: Damn near predictable result of closing off the well at the source.

Con: Very expensive and time consuming.

Either way works.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

What does Barry think?

[CharlesWayneCT]

Technically, “not work at all” is not a risk, if it simply leaves you no better or worse off than you were before.

Blowing out the casing would be a problem, but from what I understand the pressure they would be using would be highly unlikely to blow out anything that is withstanding the current pressure.

But you could hardly make news by saying that things were likely to work or not cause any problems.

[justa-hairyape]

Skandi 2 ROV is water blasting the crude off the 3 Ram Stack. Man was that stuff thick. The leak apparently has not slowed.

[justa-hairyape]

Temperature at the wellhead has not increased, and seeps near the well are mostly nitrogen and biogenic methane unrelated to leakage. BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells’ technical update on July 21 explained these findings and showed how the well will be killed.

When Kent first announced that the tested gas was 15 % methane, he was referring to the leaks NEAR the well. Near the well is not AT the wellhead. In his July 21 recorded briefing he refers to the gas AT the well head not Near the well. So I think they are releasing that information in a confusing manner intentionally. Plausible deniability. The chance of the gas leaking from seeps Near the well having the same composition of methane 15 % as the leaks In the well head are remote.