BP Suspends "Top Kill" For Second Time After Trying Two Junk Shots. Less Than 10% of Injection Fluids are Staying Inside the Leaking Pipes → Washingtons Blog
BP Suspends "Top Kill" For Second Time After Trying Two Junk Shots. Less Than 10% of Injection Fluids are Staying Inside the Leaking Pipes - Washingtons Blog

Friday, May 28, 2010

BP Suspends "Top Kill" For Second Time After Trying Two Junk Shots. Less Than 10% of Injection Fluids are Staying Inside the Leaking Pipes


As I reported yesterday, the "Top Kill" attempt to stop the oil flow using mud had failed, and BP would now try to use a "junk shot" to close the leaks in the pipe using various debris.

The New York Times is now reporting that the junk shot approach is not going well:

The company [again] suspended pumping operations at 2:30 a.m. Friday after two “junk shot” attempts, said the technician, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the efforts.

"The suspension of the effort was not announced, and appeared to again contradict statements by company and government officials that suggested the top kill procedure was progressing Friday."

***

The technician working on the effort said that despite the injections at various pressure levels, engineers had been able to keep less than 10 percent of the injection fluids inside the stack of pipes above the well. He said that was barely an improvement on Wednesday’s results when the operation began....

“I won’t say progress was zero, but I don’t know if we can round up enough mud to make it work,” said the technician. “Everyone is disappointed at this time.”

Update: It appears that BP is starting preparations for its next fix-it scheme.

As FT's oil spill blog reports:

The ROVs are definitely up to something:

Update: LMRP 3.28pm BST (10.28am EDT; 9.28am CDT)

A couple of TOD commenters believe some of the recent footage shows the Lower Marine Riser Package, which BP says it is preparing in parallel with the top kill efforts. One points out that the camera in the screen shot below seems to say LMRP (see text at the centre).

As BP explains today:
In parallel with the ongoing top kill operation, preparations have been made for the possible deployment of the lower marine riser package (LMRP) cap containment system.

Deployment would first involve removing the damaged riser from the top of the failed BOP to leave a cleanly-cut pipe at the top of the BOP's LMRP. The cap, a containment device with a sealing grommet, will be connected to a riser from the Discoverer Enterprise drillship, 5,000 feet above on the surface, and placed over the LMRP with the intention of capturing most of the oil and gas flowing from the well.

The LMRP cap is already deployed alongside the BOP in readiness for potential deployment. If it is decided to deploy this option, this would be expected to take some three to four days.

In addition to these steps, planning is being advanced for deploying, if necessary, a second BOP on top of the original failed BOP.

6 comments:

  1. We ought to frog-march every conservative mutant who screamed "Drill, baby, drill" down to the Gulf Coast and force them to clean this up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Florida just lifted fishing licensing requirements for this weekend and next weekend. Allegedly to boost tourism. We all know the truth.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hoover: "We ought to frog-march every conservative mutant who screamed "Drill, baby, drill" down to the Gulf Coast and force them to clean this up"

    I see.. so perhaps we should simply stop using oil and save the environment ? Do you have the slightest clue what would happen ? EVERYTHING you touch, drive or eat has petroleum products in them and/or in their production, including the keyboard which you used to post this useless drivel. This type of event is part of the faustian bargain we made upon entering the Age of Oil, however sad. I hope that this catastrophe will serve to speed the day when we can say goodbye to this toxic resource thru new, innovative technologies.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just want to say that several people at BP better do long jail time over this; but I don't think they will. Here's why.
    http://www.usaliberalism.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. We ought to march every whining, leftists envirowhacko who's efforts to prevent drilling on the mainland and in safer locations and obstructed the development of nuclear power leading to the need to drill at such depths in the first place, down to the beach to clean this up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is an eye opening video interview with a biologist discussing BP shortcuts and all the overall incompetence in the clean up. It really is criminal.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us8wSjYSvx4&feature=player_embedded#!

    ReplyDelete

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