BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - the Relief Well Starts and Miners Watch TV - and Open Thread

The Oil Drum ^ | September 14, 2010 - 10:30am | Heading Out

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Admiral Allen issued a statement today, in regard to the situation at the Deepwater Horizon well:

After extensive consultation between BP engineers and the federal science team, as well as reviewing data collected from measurements I authorized Friday, the Development Driller III today began the final steps towards the completion of the relief well that will intercept the Macondo 252 well and perform the bottom kill procedure.

This accelerated progress was possible after several discussions between BP and the federal scientists and engineers, leading to the installation of a lock-down device over the weekend, which resulted in the necessary conditions to commence the finalization of the relief well. I will continue to provide updates on the progress of the relief well, the final step that will ensure the well is fully and finally killed, as necessary.

Following this BP announced that relief well operations re-started.

BP re-started relief well drilling operations from the Development Driller III (DD3) today at 1:40 p.m. CDT following the successful installation of a lock down sleeve, a mechanical device that secures the MC252 well's casing hangar.

The lock-down sleeve was installed on Saturday, and successfully tested – though I am not quite sure what that would entail, since it is a bit like putting a locking nut above the retaining nut on a bolt. It stops the retaining nut from moving – but how to test?

The DDII is continuing to run diagnostic tests on the original well, as the relief well slowly drills forward, over the last 50 ft to make the intersection. Remember that with the very small target (the unlined section of the borehole annulus), the intent is to drill a short distance, re-survey the location and that of the well (determined from an electro-magnetic field generated in the production casing) to make sure that the well is moving on target, and then drill a little bit more. It will still take some time, perhaps four days, to get to the well. Then there will be the circulation of fluid to determine what is really in the annulus will be one of the last stages, before the well is plugged with cement at the bottom, to fill the annulus above the current levels and provide no potential flow path from the reservoir.

Once that is completed, then the relief well can be also plugged both at the bottom and then at the top, and both wells can start the process of inserting plugs close to the seabed and then removing the wellheads and going through the process of abandoning the wells.

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[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[ridesthemiles]

Are NObama & his minions trying to micro-manage everything that happens in the USA?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That is a big topic,...but they are managing the activities with this well in the GOM.

[Marine_Uncle]

Finally. Where in the last stretch. Hopefully the final drilling then casement phase will be a total success. If this whole affair leads toward more secured methods used in DW drilling so be it. The whole industry surely have had a lot to think about as how to proceed in the future regarding Deep Water Drilling operations.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks E.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I hope some real postive changes come out of it....so far what that might be is rather unclear.

[Sacajaweau]

Like drilling closer to shore where they don't have to go so deep...Of course, there's Alaska...Duh...why didn't the politicians think of that.

Obsessed with "pristine".

The word is dumb...it allows for no changes in the universe and it is constantly changing without us doing a thing.

P.S. The universe and our assets are great gifts. To NOT use them is wasting God's gifts.

And back to my old standard:

There is nothing on earth that was created for the sake of "beauty". The "beauty is in it's use.

A rock is just a rock until it becomes a house or a wall...

A tree is just a tree until it becomes a house, a barn, a table.....

An ice cube is just an ice cube until you add it to rum and coke.

[steelyourfaith]

Thanx for your Deepwater Horizon threads !

 

• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - the Relief Well Starts and Miners Watch TV - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Locking the Hanger and Relief Well Role - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Evidence of Erosion - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Rig Workers had Chance to Prevent Explosion? - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Industry Task Forces Report - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - How to Deal with a Dead Well - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Is the Well Dead Already? - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Relief Well Intersection Version 2 - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Details of the Cement Kill - and Open Thread 2
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - The World Continues Drilling - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Cementing the Well - and Open Thread
  
• Offshore-Drilling Overseer Vows Tough Probes of Oil Companies ( But Drilling Ban could end early )
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Tests End and the Kill Begins, Well Reaches Static Condition - Thread 2
  
• Allen: 'Static kill' is controlling oil well, but more work still ahead (Deepwater Horizon )
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Static Kill to Begin Shortly - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Horizon - Oil to Stay Put; Dispersant Questions - and Open Thread (Aug 1, 2010)
  
• BP Macondo Blowout - Static Top Kill vs. Bottom Kill: Weighing the Risks (July 31 )
  
• BP's Deepwater Horizon - Static Top Kill vs. Bottom Kill: Weighing the Risks - and Open Thread,/a>
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - the Hundredth Day - and Open Thread
  
• Key step to kill Gulf gusher may happen sooner ( Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill )
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Clearing the Relief Well to Restart - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Restarting Progress - and Open Thread
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - After the Storm - and Open Thread
  
• As federal panel probes oil spill, picture emerges of a series of iffy decisions,/a>
  
• Dudley Set to Succeed Hayward at BP
  
• 'Blue Screen of Death' on Oil Rig's Computer ( Deepwater Horizon Oilspill )
  
• 'Blue Screen of Death' on Oil Rig's Computer ( Deepwater Horizon Oilspill )
  
• Ships prepare to return to spill as storm weakens ( Deepwater Horizon oilspill )
  
• BP suspends relief-well activities over weather concerns (Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill)
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Bubble, Bubble Oil and Trouble - and Open Thread 2
  
• White House Press Secretary Gibbs Confirms "Ruptured Oil Well Leaking from Top"
  
• BP says seepage unrelated to blown Gulf well
  
• Rig's Final Hours Probed ( Deepwater Horizon )
  
• BP, federal officials confer on closed gulf oil well cap
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Starting the Testing Program - and Open Thread 2 (July 15, 2010)
  
• Professor: Low pressure reading may suggest well has lost power, not that it's leaking
  
• Matt Simmons Shorting At Least 8,000 BP Shares - Oil Spill Conflict Of Interest
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Awaiting the Integrity Test - and Open Thread 2 (July 14, 2010)
  
• Crucial test on ruptured BP well in limbo
  
• BP delays key test on Gulf of Mexico oil well
  
• New U.S. Drilling Moratorium: Same Song, Different Verse
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Capping Stack Installed - and Open Thread ( July 12, 2010 Thread 2)
  
• Deepwater Oil Spill - Inserting the Transition Spool - and Open Thread (July 12, 2010)
  
• Tests to Determine if New Well Cap Will Halt Oil Flow ( BP Deepwater Horizon Wild Well in GoM)
  
• More bad news for BP as arsenic levels rise around Gulf of Mexico ( Circulation Building Headlines )
  
• Deepwater Oil Spill - the end game plan
  
• BP Is Ready to Put Tighter Cap on Runaway Well (Deepwater Horizon oil spill )
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Hitting the Well Annulus - ( link to the Oil Drum)
  
• Oil industry 'double checking' deep drilling safety
  
• New cap may contain gushing oil -
  
• EPA Reports 1st Round of Toxicity Testing Data for 8 Oil Dispersants
  
• BP's Deepwater Horizon - More Insights Relating to DougR's Comment and Flow Rates
  
• Subsea dispersants the right call, EPA administrator believes
  
• New Kent Wells update with detailed drawings of relief well --June 28, 2010
  
• BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Storm Threat, Current Production, and Other News - and Open Thread
  
• UPDATE:BP Oil Recovery Improves, Tropical Storm Raises Concerns
  
• U.S. Asks Court to Keep Deepwater Drilling Ban
  
• Response to DougR's Concerns - and Open Thread (BP's Deepwater Oil Spill-- Facts re- )
  
• DeepWater Horizon-- Digging for Facts
  
• Panel Is Unlikely to End Deepwater Drilling Ban Early ( RE: Deepwater Horizon oilspill)
  
• Failure of Rig’s Last Line of Defense Tied to Myriad Factors ( Deepwater Horizon BOP Fails )
  
• BP exec says relief well within 200 feet of blown well
  
• Deepwater Oil Spill - the BP CEO and Congress - and Open Thread

[FreedomPoster]

As a side note, am on the beach at Santa Rosa Beach, FL (between Destin and PCB) at the moment. Yeah, life sucks (not really).

The beaches look great. Get down here and spend some money with these people, things are quiet, it’s really nice, and the locals could use the business. I’m really liking this 30-A area. Seaside in particular is a really cool little place. It’s about 2-3 miles from where we’re staying.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Now that is a resource list.....such a rich source of reading with all of the comments.

[Marine_Uncle]

Yes SYF. Thanks for the great list. I will bookmark it for future reference.