GUlf Oil Leak - BP???

[Hysteresis]

I have two issues here to ponder.
1. BP has taken ALL of the flak relating to this disaster. WHY? The drill rig operators were an American outfit contracted by BP to do a job. The Rig contractor as far as I know were responsible for the rig operation and it's complete maintenance and testing, BP mearly contracted them in to drill. It appears I am missing something here as no mention has been made of the incompetance of the American Owned Drilling company. Surely they should carry the major responsibility for the failure of IT'S blow out preventer. Has Obama conveniently forgotten his own companies responsibilities here?
2. The failed BOP has now been replaced hopefully successfully. Providing the Pressure in the well holds and as such confirms the integrity of the initial drill and no Well geological structural damage has occured, then why seal the well with concrete by the relief wells? If the BOP is now a good unit then isn't the well effectively the same as it would have been had the blow out not occured and as such able to resume a normal production schedule.
I am obviously missing something here, as far more intelligent and knowledgable people than me have determined a) It is BP's fault totally and B) the well must be permanantly capped.
Any Ideas anyone?

 

[oompah]

Don't think its been completly sealed yet,
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65O5TA20100719
As for Obamas response he has got mid term elections in November to worry about, so any thing to deflect away from the USA's involvement in the leak will be used.

 

[Hysteresis]

Hi Oompa,
I know the Well may not be fully sealed and as such maybe there is geological damage. I think there is evidence of maybe Methane .
But that is not my question. Even if the well pressure holds, the long term solution is to seal the Well with the relief drilling, but if the well holds, why not use the Well as it will be the same as a newly drilled hole with the BOP in place?
Also it maybe in Obama's interest to deflect critisism away from American Companies but why doesn't BP defend itself and highlight their Drilling Contractors responsibilities in it's maintemance and operational procedures.
It strikes me that the major responsibilities are the American Drilling outfit.

 

[yaleguy3]

Obama is a socialist and therefore is adept at creating mass hysteria to hide his own and his countries failings.
Obama originally created the whole financial collapse of the current banking system when he was an underling of Clinton.
It was THEM who forced the banks to let sub prime by threatening financial penalties if they didn't in an attempt to socially engineer home ownership. . the rest as they say is History.
Obama has proven to be a man of cloth and his word is no longer taken seriously , his honeymoon is well over.
You know I often used to wonder why America ended up with such odd presidents. Reagan , George Bush etc. But in reality despite comic appearances these guys were twice the President Obama has proven to be.

 

[Hysteresis]

Hi yalwguy,
you response is a totally different issue to my query.
1, Why cap a good well
2. why doesn't BP defend itself.
I am at a loss tounderstand these two fundamental issues

 

[yaleguy3]

Hi yalwguy,
you response is a totally different issue to my query.
1, Why cap a good well
2. why doesn't BP defend itself.
I am at a loss tounderstand these two fundamental issues

Sorry my post was in respect to your original questio relating to why BP had taken all the flak.

The reasons that they may be wanting to cap that original well may be due to the fact it blew in the first place and geologically they may have messed up. There was talk of the concrete lining originally installed to prevent the seepage of gasses and pressure into the well being poorly done hence they can't use it anyway.

I am no engineer but I assume the following processes.
1. Identification of an oil field.
2. drill a hole down till its nearly into but not quite into the oil well.
3. Line the hole so gas can't seep in and build up pressure or cause explosions.
4. Fit a BOP
5. Finish the final drill into the oil well itself and bingo up comes the oil through your recently constructed 'pipe' to the surface.

Of course that well is now under pressure from all the oil and gas inside so you can't go back inside and repair the original concrete lining so it is just a case of abandoning it I'm afraid.

edited to add news in is the cap is failing due to seepage.. looks like the original drill was a poor job as suspected.

 

[Hysteresis]

Hi Yaleguy
If indeed that is the process whereby a production hole is not fully drilled until a liner is installed, then that is the answer to my first query.
Can someone confirm that is the process?
Now how about the BP defence question?

 

[oompah]

On March 23, 2005, a fire and explosion occurred at BP's Texas City Refinery in Texas City, Texas, killing 15 workers and injuring more than 170 others. BP was charged with criminal violations of federal environmental laws and has been subject to lawsuits from the victim's families. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration slapped BP with a then-record fine for hundreds of safety violations, and subsequently imposed an even larger fine after claiming that BP had failed to implement safety improvements following the disaster.

Don't know how it works in the States but maybe if Bp contracted out the operation then they are responsible in the first instance and as you can see from the article i have quoted their safety record leaves alot to be desired maybe they can't defend the undefensible.

 

[yaleguy3]

Hi Yaleguy
If indeed that is the process whereby a production hole is not fully drilled until a liner is installed, then that is the answer to my first query.
Can someone confirm that is the process?
Now how about the BP defence question?

Relates to land drilling but basically the same procedure..

http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-drilling5.htm

looks like my off the top of the head hypothesis was on the money.. I award myself a gold star..

 

[masona]

2. why doesn't BP defend itself.
I am at a loss tounderstand these two fundamental issues

Because BP are professional company and let the lawyers do the talking as BP are busy doing everything they can to stop the leak plus paying out with no problem, the problem is in simple term, the USA are well known for shooting first, ask questions later. Obama is also a well known anti-british and trying hard to ramp down BP's shares prices because the USA economy is a mess so the Mobil/Exxon can buy it out which will never happen. BP is UK number 1 company and the 4th biggest company in the world and we i the UK should all support BP and here's why http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10282777

Obama is not popular in the USA, he's now runnning out of idea. I'm disappointment with David Cameron for not supporting BP enough, without BP the UK enonomy will go into meltdown.

I think it's incredible what BP are doing specially 18,000 feet in the water which never ever been done before, BP will be around for years so no need to defend itself unlike Obama

 

[cruicky]

With regards to BP contracting Transocean to drill the well for them. That is true, but it is BP who make all the calls on the well plan. This includes things such as the path the well takes (these wells likely follow a complex trajectory where they drill vertically down and kick the well off before building to horizontal when they enter the oil bearing formation), at which points they will stop drilling to case the well (this involves cementing in a steel liner to contain the formation pressure), type of mud to use, etc etc. BP will also contract out the geologists, directional drilling, mud, cementing etc.

However, there were two other companies who had a share in the well as the operator. Both of these have shunned responsibility.

Transocean will have had their part to play as will Cooper Cameron who manufactured the BOP that failed.

With regard to why they cannot produce from the new cap... In the course of normal drilling the well is cased at various intervals. This casing is typically staged from 36inch hole down to 22inch, 9inch, 6inch and so on. Production casing, that is casing located in the oil bearing formation is typically four or six inch diameter. This casing will usually contain production equipment such as packers, valves, sand control mechanisms. Once the production casing is in place the BOP is removed and replaced with a valve arrangement called a christmas tree (albeit a complex subsea version). The well, in its current state will not have the production equipment downhole, nor will it have suitable top hole equipment.

Additionally, without running wireline tools into the well it is impossible to tell what damage has been done downhole. In this instance it is often safest to cement back, sealing the well, and drill into the formation in another location.

As Masona says, it is incredible what the oil industry can do. BP at Wytch Farm in Dorset have drilled some of the longest wells in the world. Drilled from land they extend 10km horizontally out under the sea. Off the coast of Brazil they drill 9000m wells in 5000m of water. Directional Drilling can hit a target the size of a garden trampoline, blind, from 5000m away!

 

[ColJack]

no one wants to point the finger at america's first black president.. the second they do he'll pull out the race card and shame whoever did the accusing into backing down..

 

[Hysteresis]

Thanks cruicky, That has helped me a lot in understanding the problem. I know the process of drilling to oil bearing formations is an amazingly complex business and the drill head navigation systems nothing short of unbelievable. Not understanding even the fundamentals of the drilling business has caused my question and your expalnation is much appreciated.
With respect to BP taking all of the Flak and the Anti-British Obama attitude, Cameron has been very slow to come to the defense of BP. Although BP are ultimatly responsible, the Transocean outfit are an experienced contractor and shpuld be brought to account for their own shortcomings. Maybe BP's contract with them absolved them of all responsibility but I very much doubt it. Maybe when the dust has settled the finger pointing will start and shift the blamwe to where is should be and that is for me clearly in Obanas backyard. SO all his accusations may in the end fall heavily with him and his seedy administration. Let's hope so.
Thanks everyone for your informative responses.

 

[Hysteresis]

Hi Yaleguy
If indeed that is the process whereby a production hole is not fully drilled until a liner is installed, then that is the answer to my first query.
Can someone confirm that is the process?
Now how about the BP defence question?

Relates to land drilling but basically the same procedure..

http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-drilling5.htm

looks like my off the top of the head hypothesis was on the money.. I award myself a gold star..

The article is interesting and suggests to me that the BP Gulf Well was advanced and as such the preliminary steps of lining the hole and cementing it in place as the different sections of the drill progresses would have been completed before the actual oil bearing formation was encountered. So if the well maintains it's pressure and as such confirms the integrity of the liner then the well would be capable of supporting production. I am obviously wrong but quite why I am not sure.

 

[JohnD]

Obama is a socialist and therefore is adept at creating mass hysteria to hide his own and his countries failings.

what a load of rubbish. You are just pasting your political hostilty onto the actions of a foreign politician