Serpo
20th June 2010, 11:56 PM
Experts: “Very high level of concern for the integrity of the wellâ€; “That’s all people are talking aboutâ€
By oilflorida, on June 20th, 2010
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http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/experts-very-high-level-of-concern-for-the-integrity-of-the-well-thats-all-people-are-talking-about
Oil spill containment efforts could be putting strain on damaged well, New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 18, 2010:
As BP and the government have plotted ways to shut down the renegade oil well in the Gulf of Mexico or contain its spewing oil over the past two months, their options have been limited by concerns about the potential for blowout in the underground portion of the well.
In a well of questionable design with a questionable cement job that’s gone through a major explosion, too much pressure on the well, could trigger a rupture, sending oil pushing through fissures in the rock of the ocean floor and bubbling up through the seabed, where it can’t be contained.
That’s why BP abruptly stopped the “top kill†efforts to seal the well May 28 after the company previously had said the procedure would continue for a few more days. It’s also why the company is continuing with efforts to contain the oil flowing out of the well rather than seal the well outright by adding another blowout preventer on top of the malfunctioning one. …
U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen acknowledged as much at a briefing Thursday.
“One thing that nobody knows is the condition of the well bore … We don’t know if the well bore has been compromised or not. One of the reasons we did not continue with top kill at higher pressures, there was a concern that if we increased the pressure too hard it might do damage to the casings and the well bore. What we didn’t want was open communication of any oil from the reservoir outside the well bore that might get into the formation and work its way to the sub sea floor and then result in uncontrolled discharge at that point. …
“We don’t know exactly the condition of the well bore …That’s the reason we didn’t go … to excessive pressures on the top kill and decided that we’d deal with containment and then go for the final relief well.†…
The integrity of the well has become a major topic of discussion among engineers and geologists.
“Everybody’s worried about all of this. That’s all people are talking about,†said Don Van Nieuwenhuise, director of geoscience programs at University of Houston. He said the things that BP has being doing to try to stop the oil or gain control of it have been tantamount to repeatedly hitting the well with a hammer and sending shock waves down the pipe. “I don’t think people realize how delicate it is.â€
“There is a very high level of concern for the integrity of the well,†said Bob Bea, the University of California Berkeley engineering professor known to New Orleanians for investigating the levee failures after Katrina, who now has organized the Deepwater Horizon Study Group. Bea and other engineers say that BP hasn’t released enough information publicly for people outside the company to evaluate the situation.
Florida Senator Bill Nelson also expressed concern. The Democrat sent BP a letter asking for information and documents relating to any breaks in the well casing beneath the sea floor, any monitoring that BP is doing of the structural integrity of the well, any monitoring of the nearby sea floor for oil leaks, and whether any oil or gas has escaped beyond the boundaries of the casing.
BP spokesman Toby Odone said Friday his company can shed little light on the subject. “We don’t know†anything about the condition of the underground portion of the well, Odone said. “We don’t know whether the casing inside the well is damaged.â€
When wells are drilled, engineers send links of telescoping pipe down the hole, and those links are encased in cement. The telescoping pipe, called casing, unfolds like a radio antenna, only upside down, so the width of pipe gets smaller as the well gets deeper.
The cement and layers of casing are normally quite strong, Van Nieuwenhuise said. But with the BP well, there are several weak spots that the highly pressurized oil could exploit. BP ran out of casing sections before it hit the reservoir of oil, so it switched to using something called liner for the remainder of the well, which isn’t as strong. The joints between two sections of liner pipe and the joint where the liner pipe meets the casing could be weak, Van Nieuwenhuise said.
Bill Gale, an engineer specializing in fires and explosions on oil rigs who is part of Bea’s Deepwater Horizon Study Group, said the 16-inch wide casing contains disks that are designed to relieve pressure if necessary. If any of those disks popped, it could create undesirable new avenues for the oil to flow.
Bea said there are also concerns about the casing at the seabed right under the blowout preventer. …
In an answer to a question, Bea said, “Yes,†there is reason to think that hydrocarbons are leaking from places in the well other than the containment cap.
“The likelihood of failure is extremely high,†Bea said. “We could have multiple losses of containment, and that’s going to provide much more difficult time of trying to capture this (oil).†…
Bea said BP isn’t sharing enough information for others to know. If there is oil and gas escaping from the sides of the well, it could erode the sediments around the well and eat away at the support for all the heavy equipment that sits above. Bea said reports that BP is using an inclinometer [to monitor the blowout preventer's tilt] is significant news. “It tells me that they are also concerned,†he said.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/oil_spill_containment_efforts.html
Related Articles:
* April 7, 2010 Flashback: BP oil spill in Gulf of Mexico covers 160 square miles
* “The unit is breaking up†said former rig worker on April 20
* Times Picayune: BP confirms blowout preventer is “tiltingâ€
* Oil expert: 50 million barrels “simply not enough oil to go afterâ€; 500 million barrels more likely
* “1 to 2 day old oil†on Florida beach, “no cleaning crews presentâ€
* FL Supreme Court says tourism and sea-related companies can sue polluters of public waters
Damage Reports blowout, bop, casing, oilspill, wellbore, wellhead
« Times Picayune: BP confirms blowout preventer is “tiltingâ€
Oil expert: 50 million barrels “simply not enough oil to go afterâ€; 500 million barrels more likely »
12 comments to Experts: “Very high level of concern for the integrity of the wellâ€; “That’s all people are talking aboutâ€
*
Florida Oil Spill
June 20, 2010 at 11:54 am
Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #wellbore #wellhead
*
LIGHTFALLONME
June 20, 2010 at 11:54 am
RT @oilflorida: Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #w …
*
Dean Chambers
June 20, 2010 at 3:55 pm
RT @oilflorida: Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #w …
*
GRAY
June 20, 2010 at 3:59 pm
RT @oilflorida: Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #w …
*
Lamar Carroll
June 20, 2010 at 4:36 pm
RT @oilflorida: Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #w …
*
john
June 20, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Look if this is a catastrophe!!! and BP is not giving out all the technical info on the spill then Gov’t must demand the info by directing a stiffer penalty of not provided. Info they have should be handed over today for analysis by qualified others out side of BP. For Gov’t not to make this happen makes them culpable also aiding and bedding allowing the disaster to continue.
1. Should stop all toxic sprays and use bio agents to eat the oil.
2. Should suck the deeper oil from the plumbs that exist.
3. Should check the sea floor for 30 miles radius for signs of leaks and cracks.
4. BP should get out of the way. When a fire is started they don’t let the kid that started the fire put it out, they call in experts to put out the fire.
5. More can be said.,if the above is implemented then other things can also be executed.
By oilflorida, on June 20th, 2010
Share43
14retweet
http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/experts-very-high-level-of-concern-for-the-integrity-of-the-well-thats-all-people-are-talking-about
Oil spill containment efforts could be putting strain on damaged well, New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 18, 2010:
As BP and the government have plotted ways to shut down the renegade oil well in the Gulf of Mexico or contain its spewing oil over the past two months, their options have been limited by concerns about the potential for blowout in the underground portion of the well.
In a well of questionable design with a questionable cement job that’s gone through a major explosion, too much pressure on the well, could trigger a rupture, sending oil pushing through fissures in the rock of the ocean floor and bubbling up through the seabed, where it can’t be contained.
That’s why BP abruptly stopped the “top kill†efforts to seal the well May 28 after the company previously had said the procedure would continue for a few more days. It’s also why the company is continuing with efforts to contain the oil flowing out of the well rather than seal the well outright by adding another blowout preventer on top of the malfunctioning one. …
U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen acknowledged as much at a briefing Thursday.
“One thing that nobody knows is the condition of the well bore … We don’t know if the well bore has been compromised or not. One of the reasons we did not continue with top kill at higher pressures, there was a concern that if we increased the pressure too hard it might do damage to the casings and the well bore. What we didn’t want was open communication of any oil from the reservoir outside the well bore that might get into the formation and work its way to the sub sea floor and then result in uncontrolled discharge at that point. …
“We don’t know exactly the condition of the well bore …That’s the reason we didn’t go … to excessive pressures on the top kill and decided that we’d deal with containment and then go for the final relief well.†…
The integrity of the well has become a major topic of discussion among engineers and geologists.
“Everybody’s worried about all of this. That’s all people are talking about,†said Don Van Nieuwenhuise, director of geoscience programs at University of Houston. He said the things that BP has being doing to try to stop the oil or gain control of it have been tantamount to repeatedly hitting the well with a hammer and sending shock waves down the pipe. “I don’t think people realize how delicate it is.â€
“There is a very high level of concern for the integrity of the well,†said Bob Bea, the University of California Berkeley engineering professor known to New Orleanians for investigating the levee failures after Katrina, who now has organized the Deepwater Horizon Study Group. Bea and other engineers say that BP hasn’t released enough information publicly for people outside the company to evaluate the situation.
Florida Senator Bill Nelson also expressed concern. The Democrat sent BP a letter asking for information and documents relating to any breaks in the well casing beneath the sea floor, any monitoring that BP is doing of the structural integrity of the well, any monitoring of the nearby sea floor for oil leaks, and whether any oil or gas has escaped beyond the boundaries of the casing.
BP spokesman Toby Odone said Friday his company can shed little light on the subject. “We don’t know†anything about the condition of the underground portion of the well, Odone said. “We don’t know whether the casing inside the well is damaged.â€
When wells are drilled, engineers send links of telescoping pipe down the hole, and those links are encased in cement. The telescoping pipe, called casing, unfolds like a radio antenna, only upside down, so the width of pipe gets smaller as the well gets deeper.
The cement and layers of casing are normally quite strong, Van Nieuwenhuise said. But with the BP well, there are several weak spots that the highly pressurized oil could exploit. BP ran out of casing sections before it hit the reservoir of oil, so it switched to using something called liner for the remainder of the well, which isn’t as strong. The joints between two sections of liner pipe and the joint where the liner pipe meets the casing could be weak, Van Nieuwenhuise said.
Bill Gale, an engineer specializing in fires and explosions on oil rigs who is part of Bea’s Deepwater Horizon Study Group, said the 16-inch wide casing contains disks that are designed to relieve pressure if necessary. If any of those disks popped, it could create undesirable new avenues for the oil to flow.
Bea said there are also concerns about the casing at the seabed right under the blowout preventer. …
In an answer to a question, Bea said, “Yes,†there is reason to think that hydrocarbons are leaking from places in the well other than the containment cap.
“The likelihood of failure is extremely high,†Bea said. “We could have multiple losses of containment, and that’s going to provide much more difficult time of trying to capture this (oil).†…
Bea said BP isn’t sharing enough information for others to know. If there is oil and gas escaping from the sides of the well, it could erode the sediments around the well and eat away at the support for all the heavy equipment that sits above. Bea said reports that BP is using an inclinometer [to monitor the blowout preventer's tilt] is significant news. “It tells me that they are also concerned,†he said.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/oil_spill_containment_efforts.html
Related Articles:
* April 7, 2010 Flashback: BP oil spill in Gulf of Mexico covers 160 square miles
* “The unit is breaking up†said former rig worker on April 20
* Times Picayune: BP confirms blowout preventer is “tiltingâ€
* Oil expert: 50 million barrels “simply not enough oil to go afterâ€; 500 million barrels more likely
* “1 to 2 day old oil†on Florida beach, “no cleaning crews presentâ€
* FL Supreme Court says tourism and sea-related companies can sue polluters of public waters
Damage Reports blowout, bop, casing, oilspill, wellbore, wellhead
« Times Picayune: BP confirms blowout preventer is “tiltingâ€
Oil expert: 50 million barrels “simply not enough oil to go afterâ€; 500 million barrels more likely »
12 comments to Experts: “Very high level of concern for the integrity of the wellâ€; “That’s all people are talking aboutâ€
*
Florida Oil Spill
June 20, 2010 at 11:54 am
Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #wellbore #wellhead
*
LIGHTFALLONME
June 20, 2010 at 11:54 am
RT @oilflorida: Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #w …
*
Dean Chambers
June 20, 2010 at 3:55 pm
RT @oilflorida: Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #w …
*
GRAY
June 20, 2010 at 3:59 pm
RT @oilflorida: Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #w …
*
Lamar Carroll
June 20, 2010 at 4:36 pm
RT @oilflorida: Experts: "Very high level of concern for the integrity of the… http://bit.ly/bSux88 #blowout #bop #casing #oilspill #w …
*
john
June 20, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Look if this is a catastrophe!!! and BP is not giving out all the technical info on the spill then Gov’t must demand the info by directing a stiffer penalty of not provided. Info they have should be handed over today for analysis by qualified others out side of BP. For Gov’t not to make this happen makes them culpable also aiding and bedding allowing the disaster to continue.
1. Should stop all toxic sprays and use bio agents to eat the oil.
2. Should suck the deeper oil from the plumbs that exist.
3. Should check the sea floor for 30 miles radius for signs of leaks and cracks.
4. BP should get out of the way. When a fire is started they don’t let the kid that started the fire put it out, they call in experts to put out the fire.
5. More can be said.,if the above is implemented then other things can also be executed.