Posted on 05/24/2010 7:56:01 PM PDT by mojitojoe
BP oil leak: Fallen Deepwater Horizon was tapping second largest oil deposit in the world
If there is a single aspect to the dangers of the BP oil leak, it lies in the question CEO Tony Hayward and other BP executives have been avoiding since the first drop of oil went rogue: How much oil is leaking?
The real answer is - more than anyone wants to admit, because the well holds enough oil to make Saudi Arabian drillers jealous.
The oil field the Deepwater Horizon had tapped is said to be the second largest deposit in the world. Viewzone.com reports, “The site covers an estimated 25,000 square miles, extending from the inlands of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. “
The oil deposit is so large, it could produce 500,000 barrels of a day for more than a decade.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
The mobile offshore drilling unit Q4000 (near) holds position directly over the damaged Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer, May 18, 2010, as the drillship Discoverer Enterprise burns gas that is being brought to the surface through a tube that has been placed into the ruptured drill pipe. While the Discoverer Enterprise continues to capture oil from the riser, preparations for the possible utilization of a "junk shot" or the "top kill" method are being made aboard the Q4000.
The ROV thrusters are kicking up mud from the bottom. They’re waiting for it to clear.
Amazing. I was trying to figure out what all that gunk was.
Why the hell can’t they just cut off the pipe near the hole in the ground and shove in a new long piece of pipe one size smaller and start pumping the oil to ships or a pipeline? Dang this isn’t rocket science!
I believe they’ve already done that with the RIT.
(Am I right, Royal Wulff?)
No, the RIT was inserted way near the end of the riser.
You can’t just cut away the damaged riser at the BOP since it’s uncertain how much flow the kink in the riser is holding back.
They now think it’s only ~15-20% of the flow. So Plan B is to cut away the LMRP (lower marine riser package, atop the BOP to which the riser is attached with a swivel joint), and try to bolt another ram or valve onto the BOP. Then close that valve.
I think they should try to hook up to the choke and kill lines, then, instead of pumping mud in (top kill), pump oil and gas out as fast as they can. This might alleviate the pressure difference across the BOP allowing them to cut away the LMRP and attach a ram/valve without a lot of oil flowing out the BOP.
Ai-yi-yi. I’m way in over my head here, Royal.
So, do you think pumping in the top kill is essentially a fool’s errand?
It will either work or it will cause a subsurface blowout. 50/50 IMHO.
okay, I’ve been watching the CNN feed for the last couple of hours. They’ve been working on a yellow pipe sticking up out of the ocean floor. At first there was something, oil I assume, coming up from near the bottom of the pipe. Now that has stopped, and the robot has backed off and is just observing the pipe. What does this mean? Is it good, bad, or indifferent?
I will check it out as soon as I can. I dont think I’ll be surprised though.
See 109 by Smokin’ Joe. He educated me.
Would you please explain to many of us laymen how it can be done and the after result???
It seems to be a very serious problem, so your comments are welcome, and maybe putting some hey of dried grass would ease the spill!!!
See reply #109. He knows 1,000 X more than I do.
The MMS people were very occupied by their computers looking at Porno sites instead of the oil-spill site!!!
What ever happened to the Russian’s claims it was sunk by North Korea???
For what it’s worth:
Latest news:
Update on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response - 26 May.
A series of diagnostic tests are currently underway on the Deepwater Horizon’s failed BOP to improve understanding of the status and configuration of the BOP and determine whether a ‘top kill’ procedure can be successfully executed. These tests involve pumping drilling fluids into the BOP to measure pressures and validate flow paths. When complete, a decision will be made on the execution of the top kill procedure itself.
Read Full Press Release:
http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062409
The environmental waco czars pulling the strings has very much to do with the slow response to “cap” the spill!!!
The 0.465 psi/ft is the weight of a column of salt water. Sediments beneath the earth are porous and filled with salt water so it is as if the overburden of the rock is not there when calculating pore pressure. If there is a seal, then the rocks can become what is called geopressured, which is where the pore pressure is greater than 0.465 psi/ft and require weighting additives to the mud to control the pressure.
Another “scary” thought; in one week the Hurricane Season starts!!!
What is supplying the light source at 5k ft below the surface?
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