BP is cutting the riser right now!

BP.com ^ | 05/31/2010 | BP

[omega4179]

Very interesting.

[tapatio]

If you mute Anderson Cooper’s whining,CNN actually has some good pictures of what is going on.

[Errant]

If there isn’t a seal, you’re probably looking at the best this top cap is going to be able to stop. They may have to replace it with a better design.

[Errant]

I’m just going by what RW said above and not sure were he got that information.

[emax]

Thanks for letting me know. What I did see was that the stuff was coming through the top at a very strong force so therefore a significant amount of the oil was making it through. Obviously some is still leaking, but it could take days before we can determine how much relative to the total coming out.

[emax]

Ok. Well it was supposed to be at least 12 hours before they know how well it’s working, so if there is no seal then maybe they are doing soemthing else instead like adjusting the connection.

[refermech]

Well if there is no seal they must have figured there was no good surface to seal to. I hope when I get up tomorrow it’s capped. Good luck to all and to all a good night!

[Lowcountry]

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/local_assets/images/Containment_Contingency_Option_large.jpg

[mad_as_he$$]

Unfortunately API specs have to be purchased. There are many grades of drill pipe and as I recall (been years since i looked at it) the “best” grade is tough but still flexible and had 45-50,000psi specs or so. Like I say been years.

[Errant]

Thanks and good night. I’ll be following you soon. :)

[emax]

If you don’t mind me asking, how can you tell there was no seal ? Did a news brief just comne out saying there wasd no seal ? I thought just a while ago they were putting an O Ring on it. So then the cut was so bad that no seal at all would work or something ? It seems wierd since I thought sealing it in some capacity was the basis for this whole method.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

IP

[Royal Wulff]

I was speculating that it had an O-ring. Cause, you know, WTF? if it doesn’t.

[Royal Wulff]

In the Enterprise 2 feed, it looks like one of the fins is resting on a T-handle.

[Royal Wulff]

Because it’s leaking like crazy.

[emax]

TRhanks also for letting me know that. So I guess they still do have some sort of attempt to seal it then, I mean, every diagram comes with somen sort of seal. Now we jsut have play the waiting game to see how it works, apparently.

[Errant]

We’ll just have to wait and see I guess. It shouldn’t be too hard to improve on this. Maybe there is a seal and they just need to pump it up. Hell, if they just bound it down with chains and binders (metal to metal) it should help a lot.

[emax]

Well also they were expecting a leak regardless of how well it looks. So there is almost certainyl going to be leaks, and now it is very hard to tell the percentage leaking. And the natural gas is probably coming out of the leak at such force that it is expanding the gas rapidly so it looks like huge amounts are coming out even if the leak is not very big; the gas and oil mix will be increasing in volume very quickly. SO then it goes back to what was said earlier, it will take as much as a full day to know how well it works. This is not an expert opinion, just trying to use the knowledge I have of certain physics principles to determine what’s going on. The force at which the stuff is coming out the top and the fact it is even still intact are good signs.

[emax]

So as long as the whole thing does not break apart int he meantime, it looks like we mayhave to wait until they start colelcting the oil before we know the result.

[BiteYourSelf]

The lock-box is in davy jones locker?

[American Bulldog777]

On the WKRG link it says...’FL Politicians say more skimmers needed’...As far as I have read/heard the skimmers have been sitting and waiting for weeks...BUNK?