StackerKen
29th May 2010, 10:51 AM
Effort to Plug Well Faces Another Setback
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and LESLIE KAUFMAN
Published: May 29, 2010
HOUSTON — BP engineers failed again to plug the gushing oil well on Saturday, a technician working on the project said, representing yet another setback in a series of unsuccessful procedures the company has tried a mile under the sea to stem the flow spreading into the Gulf of Mexico.
Multimedia
BP Engineers Making Little Headway on Leaking Well (May 29, 2010)
Scientists Build Case for Undersea Plumes (May 29, 2010)
Times Topic: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (2010)
BP made a third attempt at what is termed the “junk shot†Friday night, a procedure that involves pumping odds and ends like plastic cubes, knotted rope, and golf balls into the blowout preventer, the five-story safety device atop the well. The maneuver is complementary to the heavily scrutinized effort known as a “top kill,â€which began four days ago and involves pumping heavy mud into the well to counteract the push of the escaping oil. If the well is sealed, the company plans to then fill it with cement.
The technician working on the project said Saturday pumping has again been halted and a review of the data so far is under way. “Right now, I would not be optimistic,†the technician, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the effort. But he added, that if another attempt at the junk shot were to succeed, “that would turn things around.â€
BP said Saturday it would not comment on the technician’s assertions. Officials have said they will continue the process into Sunday before they declare it a success or failure.
the rest here
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/us/30spill.html?hp
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and LESLIE KAUFMAN
Published: May 29, 2010
HOUSTON — BP engineers failed again to plug the gushing oil well on Saturday, a technician working on the project said, representing yet another setback in a series of unsuccessful procedures the company has tried a mile under the sea to stem the flow spreading into the Gulf of Mexico.
Multimedia
BP Engineers Making Little Headway on Leaking Well (May 29, 2010)
Scientists Build Case for Undersea Plumes (May 29, 2010)
Times Topic: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (2010)
BP made a third attempt at what is termed the “junk shot†Friday night, a procedure that involves pumping odds and ends like plastic cubes, knotted rope, and golf balls into the blowout preventer, the five-story safety device atop the well. The maneuver is complementary to the heavily scrutinized effort known as a “top kill,â€which began four days ago and involves pumping heavy mud into the well to counteract the push of the escaping oil. If the well is sealed, the company plans to then fill it with cement.
The technician working on the project said Saturday pumping has again been halted and a review of the data so far is under way. “Right now, I would not be optimistic,†the technician, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the effort. But he added, that if another attempt at the junk shot were to succeed, “that would turn things around.â€
BP said Saturday it would not comment on the technician’s assertions. Officials have said they will continue the process into Sunday before they declare it a success or failure.
the rest here
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/us/30spill.html?hp