Posted on 07/14/2010 10:19:51 AM PDT by tobyhill
BP's work on capping the Gulf of Mexico gusher was frozen Wednesday after the federal government raised concerns the operation could put damaging pressure on the busted well that could make the leak worse.
An administration official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the talks with BP, said the government was acting out of "abundance of caution" and didn't want potentially dangerous pressure tests on a tighter containment cap that has been placed over the well to go ahead until BP answers questions about possible risks.
At the same time, BP on its own halted the drilling of two relief wells that are designed to be a more permanent solution to plug the well.
The delays were a stunning setback after the oil giant finally seemed to be on track following nearly three months of failed attempts to stop the spill, which has sullied beaches from Florida to Texas and decimated the multibillion dollar fishing industry.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Hubby and I are in south Louisiana now, having driven over Monday so he could work at one of the refineries. I can tell you, the people here are angry. . . very angry. If the delay is because "Free Ride Barry" and his thugs are messin' with honest progress, well let's put it this way, he and his Bag Woman might want to stay in Maine.
The link above will help explain how the relief wells get close. But even when they got down to 20, even 5 foot of separation, they are still separated by 20~5 feet of rock. There is no way to test the integrity of the original casing at that point. Magnetic sensors are used to detect the casing and used to help with the steering, but it doesn't give pressure, flow or any data like that.
This following is the transcript that went with the above slide show presentation on June 28th.
But they haven't intercepted the original well bore or the field yet. It is stopped in rock short of any oil source.
Yep. 5 Feet from the WW bore. So now is a good time to do the pressure test ?
Thanks. If I were more knowledgeable I wouldn’t be pinging you. :-)
I’ve learned a lot myself in the event.
Most of my direct experience is involved after the well is completed and becomes a producer.
I’ve been around drilling some but more as a sideline interested party, never as part of my direct responsibilities.
I’ve had to provide some limited support to a drilling crew, but that is as close as my work has taken me.
Yes I am.
I am not talking about the cap failing, I am talking about the well itself failing when the pressure from being capped raises the wellbore pressures.
That is what is being tested and examined right now - is there anywhere downhole that can’t handle the pressure that is going to happen when the flow of the hydrocarbons is stopped.
I’ve been convinced that this is all about
BP keeping the well in production.
The well could have been nuked on day 2,
but BP would have lost this highly productive
hole in the ground.
So if you stop the flow, (which was the intent) and the pressure builds up, (which everyone knows it will), and the casing fails, which could happen, it would cause trouble in the relief well?? Just don’t see it.
The link above will help explain how the relief wells get close. But even when they got down to 20, even 5 foot of separation, they are still separated by 20~5 feet of rock. There is no way to test the integrity of the original casing at that point. Magnetic sensors are used to detect the casing and used to help with the steering, but it doesn't give pressure, flow or any data like that.
I went to the link. Surely the magnetic sensor can give a rough idea if the gusher's steel well casing has been abraded to less thickness.
From the diagram it looks like the relief well will not be punching through the gusher well. It will just pump in mud like crazy when it finds the end of the gusher well casing and hopes the mud will crowd out the oil surging upward
Yes, thank you.
I see that I was mistaken, I thought they had attached the siphon but my bad.
“I’ve been convinced that this is all about
BP keeping the well in production.”
That’s what I’m thinking too. Maybe this is the reason they are not allowing the foreign ships to come in and help? There’s no other explanation. BP told Obama to not waive the Jones Act.
For someone who wants to “plug the damn hole”, he doesn’t seem very motivated.
I wonder why that is?
The risk is low, but possible. The scenario would be the well is capped and the pressure builds. That pressure will do one of a couple of things.
One it could build to an equilibrium point and the deposit becomes static - everything holds together and just reaches a steady state. This is the best outcome because then the relief well restarts drilling and intercepts at the planned point.
Another option is the pressure builds and while building there is a weak point in the existing effecting the original well bore that causes a displacement event. That displacement event either moves or rupture the original well bore. If the relief bore is to close it could be damaged in this scenario which means we start over with a relief well and in the mean time bring in the well bore from DDII. Not a good scenario.
The scenario is not likely, but then again in March I would have told you a failure of this magnitude was unlikely as well.
Mag sensor is nothing like a UT measurement.
It will no provide any casing integrity information.
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