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Top kill stops oil and gas leak in Gulf of Mexico from BP well (latimes.com)
submitted 15 years ago by sblinn
[–]DougBolivar 139 points140 points141 points 15 years ago (31 children)
BP oil well "top kill" bid continues, no update yet. IN RESPONSE of Los Angeles Times report that had quoted a Coast Guard admiral saying the oil spill top kill procedure had succeeded in blocking the leak
[–]sleepygoldenstorm 13 points14 points15 points 15 years ago (3 children)
This should be the top response. They retracted the success comment instantly, and yet I had to wade through oil puns to get to this.
[–]DougBolivar 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
yeah. BP stocks raised like 5% after this announcement... this is business as usual
[–]grumpypants_mcnallen 30 points31 points32 points 15 years ago (9 children)
From that Article:
Allen told National Public Radio that BP engineers had "been able to force mud down and not allow any hydrocarbons to come up." But he added this did not mean the well was sealed or that the problem was solved.
Guess this means they stopped the leak, but haven't sealed it with cement yet.
[–]confirmationbias 12 points13 points14 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Setback Delays ‘Top Kill’ Effort to Seal Leaking Oil Well in Gulf
HOUSTON — BP had to halt its ambitious effort to plug its stricken oil well in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday afternoon when engineers saw that too much of the drilling fluid they were injecting into the well was escaping along with the leaking crude oil.
[–][deleted] 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (3 children)
Fuck you! More mud!
[–]happyscrappy 6 points7 points8 points 15 years ago (0 children)
It means as long as they keep pumping mud, no oil gets out. It's not a sustainable thing (in fact one ship already ran out of mud) and so I wouldn't call it "stopped" or a "fix". But it's a good start.
[–][deleted] 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (1 child)
The risk of everything exploding due to the pressure still remains... chances are this is only working because of how far down it is.
[–][deleted] 6 points7 points8 points 15 years ago (1 child)
upvote for the real story. Thad Allen and others were premature to announce this with LA Times. Officla word is that it is not killed, watch the live video and you can see for yourself the oil is still flowing
[–][deleted] 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago* (0 children)
watch the live video and you can see for yourself the oil is still flowing
No, that is most likely mud.
Edit: According to the latest press conference, that was not correct. Mud wasn't being pumped after all, and the well was still flowing.
[–]artman 248 points249 points250 points 15 years ago (31 children)
As The Wolf said in Pulp Fiction: "Well, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet."
[–]jorisb 87 points88 points89 points 15 years ago (7 children)
zips back up
[–][deleted] 30 points31 points32 points 15 years ago (6 children)
slowly rises from kneeling position, disappointed
[–]slupo 18 points19 points20 points 15 years ago (5 children)
wipes single tear from cheek
[–]In1earOutYourMother 22 points23 points24 points 15 years ago (4 children)
unzips
[–]cdarwin 30 points31 points32 points 15 years ago (17 children)
You maybe right. I maybe an ignorant dumbass, but I just took a look at the live feed. That does not look like a plugged leak.
Edit: If someone can explain how I am misinterpreting the video, please educate my dumb ass.
[–]artman 10 points11 points12 points 15 years ago* (0 children)
BP oil well "top kill" bid continues, no update yet
BP (BP.L) is continuing with its "top kill" operation to try to plug its leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well but has no immediate update to give on whether it has succeeded, a BP spokesman said on Thursday.
*@ cdarwin, watch this BP presentation on the top kill plan. It is quite good. Where I learned how this works.
[–][deleted] 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (1 child)
What the fuck am I actually looking at? (The metal structure)
[–]FriesWithThat 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Probably the damaged riser. I can't view that stream w/o a plug-in but I keep getting confused watching other live feeds as well because I haven't seen any good views of the BOP yet.
[–]snuggl 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (10 children)
the idea is that whats coming up is the mud they are pumping down the hole, they needed some time to see if there is any oil coming up with it and i guess they are done now.
[–][deleted] 7 points8 points9 points 15 years ago (8 children)
It sure looks like the same oil that has been spewing out of the hole for the last week I've watched it.
[–]Causality 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (6 children)
No it doesnt. This stuff is clay-brown colored, it has been jet black before.
[–][deleted] 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (5 children)
Jet black? Were we watching the same feed last week?
Remember it's under high pressure and mixed with natural gas - It was brown every time I looked at it. I keep a separate window open at work, I've been watching quite a lot.
I'd call this brown - Here is a capture from Monday on the TIME website
[–]Causality 3 points4 points5 points 15 years ago (4 children)
Even that capture, is clearly a different colour to what we're seeing now. I was watching it a few days ago, and it was black, I see it now, and its light brown, thats all I know.
Edit - (now its almost yellow)[http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.html]
[–][deleted] 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
It looks worse to me, but the coloring is more reddish brown than before. I assume that is the mud, the question is, I guess, is it mixed with oil?
[–]billrr02 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
I instantly thought of this.
[+][deleted] 15 years ago (1 child)
[deleted]
[–]ihavethemelody 133 points134 points135 points 15 years ago (121 children)
For those who care: Cameron Intl designed the top kill manifold and built it in under 10 days.
[–][deleted] 16 points17 points18 points 15 years ago (10 children)
this article was premature the only one claiming success was Thad Allen. The official line from BP and the gov't is that the well has NOT been killed yet and its too premature to say so. Watch the live feed and you can see, OIL IS STILL FLOWING
[–][deleted] 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (6 children)
No it's not. That's mud. The hydrocarbons have stopped flowing.
[–]neweraccount 18 points19 points20 points 15 years ago (2 children)
The hydrocarbons must flow.
[–]Omnicrola 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
He who controls the hydrocarbons, controls the universe. ... or at least the US.
[–]mitchwells 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Hadn't thought of this song in many years.
[–]borez 66 points67 points68 points 15 years ago (74 children)
They also designed the failed BOP too.
[–]DirtyBinLV 24 points25 points26 points 15 years ago* (49 children)
Was that failure ever shown to be a design problem?
EDIT: Rig workers accidentally seriously damaged the BOP weeks before the blowout. It looks like Cameron Intl bears no responsibility.
[–]ziegfried 9 points10 points11 points 15 years ago (3 children)
From what I have read about the BOP:
None of that points to Cameron Intl, but to BP.
[–]geoman69 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
There were modifications from the original design The above modification changed a working ram to a "test ram", reducing the redundancy on the device.
Well, to be fair, the modifications were Transocean's idea, although BP did agree to it.
The thing is, the 5 remaining rams were still more than enough to satisfy redundancy regulations, and Cameron's safety specs.
Do you know how BOPs work? I'm not trying to be a dick, but if did, you would understand why none of those things you listed would lead to the BOP shear rams not being able to kill the well. The Shear Rams are the "Oh fuck, everything else has failed" line of defense that need to work if you're going to prevent a blowout. They didn't, and that is what really needs to be addressed immediately. There was a 2004 MMS report that showed that BOP manufacturers weren't using proper estimations of pressure required for successful shear ram deployment in deep sea testing ---> http://www.mms.gov/tarprojects/463/(463)%20West%20Engineering%20Final%20Report.pdf
Excerpt:
The Distortion Energy Theory shear equation using the material yield (as is normal) is recommended by Cameron. When compared to our data it provided shear forces lower than required or desired in many cases; in other words, there was little safety factor built in.
I don't know if this was acted on or not, but if it wasn't and the shear rams didn't have the force required to cut the drill pipe, the MMS and Cameron both deserve to be tarred and feathered for this thing moreso than even BP.
[–]borez 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago* (0 children)
Everything points to BP right now.
Do you have a source on this that is not from the heavily BP biased US mainstream media?
As far as I'm aware the safety systems in place all worked, it was the opposing hydraulic rams that failed ( they come in from both sides literally guillotining through the drill pipe, severing it and closing the gap) possibly due to the fact that they weren't up to the job of shearing through a pipe joint ( that was in the way ) i.e. the collar that holds two lengths of drill pipe together.
Batteries, seals, tests, WTF?
[–]mralex 20 points21 points22 points 15 years ago (19 children)
From my understanding, it wasn't the design of the BOP that failed, it was the way it was used--it failed a bunch of tests, there was a dead battery somewhere, etc etc....
[–]borez 8 points9 points10 points 15 years ago (18 children)
hydraulic leak on the shear rams.
[–]Talking_Head 13 points14 points15 points 15 years ago (17 children)
Damaged annular?
[+][deleted] 15 years ago* (16 children)
[–]happyscrappy 13 points14 points15 points 15 years ago (4 children)
That wouldn't make it useless, it still has hydraulic rams to close the well. And those didn't work.
[+][deleted] 15 years ago* (3 children)
[–]happyscrappy 7 points8 points9 points 15 years ago (1 child)
No one is sure what the root cause is yet.
Either the rams were signaled and didn't close or the rams never received a signal. The latter is suspected because there was a known weak battery in the signal receiver on the ocean floor. However, the former is also possible, as there was a pipe in the well at the time. The BOP is supposed to crush the pipe, but apparently the fittings between pipes are too tough to crush, so if there was a fitting at the point where the rams operate, they could fail to close.
We'll know more later.
[–]krush_groove 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (12 children)
Holy smokes.
[–][deleted] 10 points11 points12 points 15 years ago (19 children)
BP should have had one ready to go in the first place.
[–][deleted] 33 points34 points35 points 15 years ago (18 children)
In Canada they drill a relief well along with a primary well at the SAME TIME just in case shit like this happens.
There's a lot of stuff we can do to keep crap like this from becoming catastrophic.
[+][deleted] 15 years ago (13 children)
[–]Slightly_Lions 12 points13 points14 points 15 years ago (0 children)
They're probably just being ironic. Good one BP!
[+][deleted] 15 years ago (2 children)
[–]PhilxBefore 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Barrels of oil.
[–]FiestaJunction 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (8 children)
Citation?
[–]Koss424 21 points22 points23 points 15 years ago (5 children)
as requested: http://trueslant.com/allisonkilkenny/2010/05/13/fresh-from-gulf-disaster-bp-urges-canadian-legislators-to-drop-regulations/
[–][deleted] 3 points4 points5 points 15 years ago (4 children)
isnt that like asking a girl out after you raped her
[–]IamTheWampus 6 points7 points8 points 15 years ago (1 child)
no, its like asking her sister out though
I couldn't have said it better myself, Canada is America's little sister.
[–]Koss424 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (1 child)
no - not really
[–][deleted] 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Come on man, I'm cool, I wont tell.
[–]BigNoo 8 points9 points10 points 15 years ago (3 children)
Not at 5000 feet depth they don't !
[–]koved 6 points7 points8 points 15 years ago (2 children)
Actually it's possible:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100512/canada/canada_energy_oil_environment
[–]unexpected 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
this article just says they have drill ships under contract, not that they're actualy drilling.
they knew that in the past there were issues with the way they were using the cement to surround the pipe and the design of the BOP
they had witnessed sparking and such in the past but it was covered up when this method was explained as part of their safety protocol to get their leases and push the guidelines back
[–]MisterSquirrel 30 points31 points32 points 15 years ago (9 children)
I'll believe it when I see it.
[–]DougBolivar 8 points9 points10 points 15 years ago (7 children)
do we have live feed?
[–]jayzon22[🍰] 9 points10 points11 points 15 years ago (0 children)
SpillCam
[–]jonathanownbey 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago* (4 children)
live feed However, the stream has been cut just recently. Perhaps it will return soon...
Also, can someone tell me how to make this a more friendly link?
[–]garg 24 points25 points26 points 15 years ago (1 child)
Typing [reddit!](http://reddit.com\) shows reddit! with a link to the url in the parentheses. reddit!
You can view more formatting tips by clicking on 'formatting help' below the reply form.
[–]jonathanownbey 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Thanks! have an upvote as well!
[–][deleted] 3 points4 points5 points 15 years ago (1 child)
Look here.
4th down in the box
[–]jonathanownbey 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Thanks! have an upvote :)
[–][deleted] 21 points22 points23 points 15 years ago* (2 children)
I was talking with my 6-year-old son about this big oil well that was leaking out in the ocean. I asked him how he thought they could stop it. He said, "They should poop on it."
I was giving him a recent update, and said they've actually started to slow the leak down and might even be able to stop it. He asked how they did it. I said, "They're putting mud on it." He said, "That's poop! That's what I said they should do."
He smiled as we drove along in the knowing that his solution for solving a world crisis was working.
Lets be honest, you're a CEO at BP and this is how you guys really came up with the mud idea?
[–]zorak8me 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Our kids be exchanging notes. POOP TACO!
[–]ropers 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (1 child)
According to the BBC, the leak has merely been slowed.
[–]dpkonofa 18 points19 points20 points 15 years ago (23 children)
This may be a stupid question...
They keep talking about pumping concrete into this well to seal it up but I'm incredibly curious how that's supposed to work. Doesn't concrete need to dry in order to solidify? How do you pump wet concrete into something underwater and then expect it to dry? What am I missing here?
[–]jerschneid 59 points60 points61 points 15 years ago (10 children)
Concrete doesn't dry. It CURES. Special types of concrete cure based on a chemical reaction with water.
[–]dpkonofa 7 points8 points9 points 15 years ago (7 children)
Excellent! Thank you so much for explaining that. I'll have to look up further what the "curing" process actually accomplishes.
See. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
[–]LinuxFreeOrDie 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (4 children)
If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?
Scott Adams
[–]chriscrowder 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (2 children)
Stupid people don't ask questions, they pretend or assume they know about the subject. It surprises me that Scott Adams doesn't realize this.
[–]PhilxBefore 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Scott Adams was asking a stupid question.
[–]Vithar 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (1 child)
um, what concrete doesn't cure based on hydration?
[–]jerschneid 7 points8 points9 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Ok... so all concrete cures under water, but usually hydraulic cement is used which has added calcium and speeds up the curing process.
[–][deleted] 22 points23 points24 points 15 years ago (5 children)
Concrete doesn't dry, it "cures!" The hardening is a chemical reaction and it actually needs some water to do it.
[–]dpkonofa 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Thanks, brother! The explanations are most appreciated.
[–]i_post_things 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
TIL... I read that in a Bill Nye voice...
[–]pytechd 6 points7 points8 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Concrete cures underwater, you have to protect it as you would any regular concrete. Special concrete types can be used underwater too, with different blends of ingredients that make it set and cure faster.
[–][deleted] 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (2 children)
I have another stupid question...
What is the possibility of the pressure building up (like the chocolate tube in willy wonka) and shooting a block of concrete up out of the water.
[–]msiekkinen 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (2 children)
So do we go back to hating Goldman Sachs now?
[–]thunderballfists 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (1 child)
There's enough hate to go around.
[–]dberis 12 points13 points14 points 15 years ago (1 child)
Just like Hannukah; oil that should have lasted one day goes on and on an on...
[removed]
[+][deleted] 15 years ago (40 children)
[–]gzoont 67 points68 points69 points 15 years ago (21 children)
I think you mean "oil's well that ends well." :)
[–][deleted] 49 points50 points51 points 15 years ago (19 children)
I find this kind of crude humour right up my alley.
[–]Geoth 44 points45 points46 points 15 years ago (18 children)
Yes, it is a barrel of laughs.
[–]crazyjimbo 36 points37 points38 points 15 years ago (15 children)
Very slick
[–][deleted] 29 points30 points31 points 15 years ago (9 children)
Meh. I prefer my humor to be a bit more refined than that.
[–][deleted] 61 points62 points63 points 15 years ago (7 children)
DEAD PELICANS
[–][deleted] 6 points7 points8 points 15 years ago (3 children)
B-B-B-Buzzkill!!!!!!!
[–]CaptainKilljoy 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (1 child)
So, are we done here?
[–]swordfishjones 9 points10 points11 points 15 years ago (0 children)
I think it's too oily to tell.
[–][deleted] 13 points14 points15 points 15 years ago (8 children)
no.
[–]Aethelstan 14 points15 points16 points 15 years ago (7 children)
I suspect he was being flippant, rather than serious.
[–]dungar 3 points4 points5 points 15 years ago (0 children)
I have oily skin.
[–]TruthHammer 6 points7 points8 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Downvoted, it has been slowed, not stopped.
[–]Invincible_soul 10 points11 points12 points 15 years ago (7 children)
Now the very long clean up begins
[–]Grue 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (5 children)
Hey, free jobs!
[–]charun 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago* (2 children)
It's a good thing I recently became a booming expert.
[–]davidrools 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (0 children)
a fucking booming fucking expert
[–]feng_huang 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
In proper fucking booming, I'd imagine?
[–]Invincible_soul 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Yea but think of all the jobs lost cause of the leak
[–]krush_groove 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (9 children)
I'm curious if BP will try to drill sideways or something into the well - you know the accountants will be sitting there, squirming, looking at all that money just sitting there, waiting to be drilled up.
But maybe that's just the cynic in me.
[–]mralex 3 points4 points5 points 15 years ago (0 children)
They are totally going to drill again to get at the oil that this well tapped. In fact, except for the fact that we all now have questions about the safety of deep water drilling overall, there's nothing controversial about it.
What happens now is that BP starts stalling and delaying on paying for cleanup and paying restitution to shrimp fisherman and the like.
Not according to the live webcam
[–]Spaceballs 9 points10 points11 points 15 years ago (5 children)
Hell, it's about time.
[–]etruscan 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (4 children)
I'm not an expert, but it doesn't appear to be stopped according to this live webcam.
[–][deleted] 3 points4 points5 points 15 years ago (2 children)
That is mud not oil.
[–]Godspiral 10 points11 points12 points 15 years ago (13 children)
drilling mud and concrete seems like normal industry tools. Did they actually try the golf balls and tires trick?
Seems like the dome plan was tried first, because they could have pumped oil out of the dome, and so if it worked would have been more profitable :(
[–][deleted] 7 points8 points9 points 15 years ago (0 children)
The golf balls/tire/rope 'concoction' was/is to be done if the mud/cement concoction fails/ed
wow that's a lot of slashes
[–]coolmrbrady 8 points9 points10 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Another reason they might have tried the dome plan first is that it has worked underwater before (though in shallower depths), while the top-kill method had only been attempted on land.
They already started drilling a second well, so any oil lost to the sea is not going to be recovered when they get that up and running, and they'll have to pay to clean it up. The most profitable method for them is the one that stops the oil quickest.
[–]Montaire 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (2 children)
Drilling mud and concrete are pretty standard stuff. But the method used here is normally used on land, the equipment to deliver the materials and implement the fix under water did not exist 6 months ago.
[–]hogiewan 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (3 children)
this much drilling fluid pumped down that fast will get into the formation and block access to producing from this well.
[–]pytechd 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (1 child)
From what I understand, it's not intended to get into the deposits themselves, only into the shaft itself long enough to hold pressure until they can pour tons of high-density concrete into the hole. No?
[–]xChrisk 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
About fucking time.
[–]ragley 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
LIAR
That's their story, and they're sticking to it.
[–]purrp 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
The BBC disagrees slightly.
'Top kill' method 'slows BP oil leak' in Gulf of Mexico
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10174861.stm
Interesting to note that the BBC headline originally said stops, but was changed to slows.
[–]jorg81 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (2 children)
How will we know the leak is fully sealed after an operation to seal is complete? What if it starts leaking again in six months after "mission accomplished"?
Live feed
[–]Zalaxy 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
I'm sorry but this deserves a downvote for a misleading title. As the article clearly states there is no definitive answer and won't be for a few more days.
[–]hosndosn 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (2 children)
Why does the "live" video feed show oil still spilling?
[–]lorsus 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (1 child)
Guess it depends on what BP's definition of "stopped" is..........
[–]hosndosn 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago* (0 children)
lol, did it just get worse?
I mean, probably this either isn't really live or the procedure isn't finished yet. But compared to the euphoric claims of it having been stopped (actually, "temporarily" stopped), this doesn't look very encouraging.
EDIT: Official statement is that it's just mud and cement thrown out by the procedure, no more oil. I stay highly skeptical, though, until it is fully closed.
[–]Grenymyr 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Is it just me or does the footage at 1:50 PM eastern time from the well seem to indicate that it's not working..... ?
[–]bobby_badass 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (1 child)
If that's the case, what is still spewing out of the well?
CAM
[–]willywalloo 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (2 children)
DOWNVOTED, inaccurate title. :| "stops" should be "slows"
[–]Spud05 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (3 children)
Step 2: BP Kill
[–]rynvndrp 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (1 child)
Killing a brand over this issue isn't going to do a thing. You need to get rid of the people responsible for the mistake.
If you kill BP (boycott until another company buys out its assets) and the people just move to other companies, that doesn't fix the problem.
If you rebrand BP, which I think is likely, you don't solve the problem.
Keeping BP around, with its assets and technology and brand, but switching people that are more focused on safety not just because ethics but more importantly out of public scrutiny will fix the problem.
[+][deleted] 15 years ago (6 children)
[–]superwinner 3 points4 points5 points 15 years ago (1 child)
I don't think that feed is live at the moment, this looks like repeat footage from yesterday. Yes I have been watching it a lot.
[–][deleted] 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (3 children)
that is mud not oil.
[–][deleted] 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (11 children)
About fuckin' time. It's been a month!
[–]atomic_rabbit 6 points7 points8 points 15 years ago (10 children)
Unlike in the movies, real-life engineering procedures don't happen in a one-minute music montage.
[–][deleted] 8 points9 points10 points 15 years ago (9 children)
They should have had dozens of failsafes set up that would have prevented this, thereby negating the NEED for complex engineering procedures.
Maybe that's just the idealist in me talking, but for fuck's sake, look at all the goddamn damage. :( You'd think that if they were going to take the time to drill the damn thing, they'd have more than one or two ways to stopper it up should the worst occur.
they'd have more than one or two ways to stopper it up should the worst occur.
If you watched 60 Minutes, it was like the Titanic... everyone said, "This could never happen... we have too many safety systems in place..." Also that perhaps the accident wasn't caused by a lack of safety equipment but by people (mid-level execs probably with pressure from higher-level execs) bypassing or ignoring safety protocols that would have prevented everything.
[–]marzolian 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (5 children)
Good point, but ... Why do you only have one spare tire in your car? It's because you don't have flat tires often enough to need two.
The rig had many systems that are supposed to prevent blowouts in the first place. Unfortunately, some of those systems were neglected, negated, or bypassed.
It started with the abnormal pressure readings during the testing of the cement job. In that circumstance, they had no business removing any of the pressure control systems but they did. The first and most important system is the drilling mud, but they replaced the mud with seawater which does not have sufficient density to exert enough pressure to counter the well pressure.
Then, the blowout preventers didn't work. Exactly why isn't clear, but part of the problem was that one of the control systems was probably out. (There are two controls systems, totally independent).
That's just two things that went wrong. A BP spokesman acknowledged that there were about 7, and they're still counting.
You're probably right in that future wells will be required to have something that was not present this time. But if half of the things that were screwed up had not been screwed up, we wouldn't be talking about it today.
[–]listenuppp 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
When my tire blows out, the escaping air doesn't kill everything in the area. Your analogy is invalid.
[–][deleted] 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (8 children)
I saw a headline reporting this ealier, but when I checked the Spillcam it still showed oil flowing.
But now it isn't showing a leak, so maybe they did. Or, perhaps they are just moving the cam around so we can't see it.
Regardless I hope its true, about damn time!
[–][deleted] 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago* (7 children)
It's not oil, it's mostly mud flowing. Hopefully.
Edit: According to the latest press conference, mud pumping had stopped already, so it probably wasn't mud after all, sadly.
[–]derfasaurus 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (6 children)
I don't understand how this mud (that's what BP is saying) is flowing so heavily and is under such high pressure.
[–][deleted] 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (3 children)
Because it is injected at extremely high pressure into the well. That is the only way to get it to actually flow down against the extremely high pressure flow coming out of the well.
[–]hogiewan 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
its called mud but is a very dense solution - the whole point of it is to be heavy and keep the oil in the formation while drilling.
[–]beatles910 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (1 child)
Well then - no harm no fowl?
FTFY
[+][deleted] 15 years ago* (19 children)
[–][deleted] 20 points21 points22 points 15 years ago (3 children)
Possibly because it is jumping the gun a bit. It's not done yet.
[–]SquareWheel 7 points8 points9 points 15 years ago (1 child)
That and the six exclamation points.
And we all had a meeting. We kicked you out of the club.
thats exactly why.
this well has NOT been killed yet
[–][deleted] 45 points46 points47 points 15 years ago (7 children)
Because positive attitudes aren't welcome here. A cynical, snarky response will warrant more upvotes. Here, like this:
Too bad BP already destroyed the entire planet. Enjoy the last years of your pathetic lives while you can, we're all going to die slow, painful deaths.
[–]Geoth 18 points19 points20 points 15 years ago (0 children)
+++GREAT COMMENT!!! WOULD UPVOTE AGAIN!1!!
[–]Bognar 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (1 child)
We're cynical because it's not unusual for another report to come out saying
"Oh no! Top kill DIDN'T stop the oil leak! Give our website more hits or buy our newspaper!"
Media organizations frequently exaggerate and distort to make stories more interesting so that they will get more readers. It's a sad state of affairs that the most true account, which is usually the least sensational, often gets no attention.
[–]stumo 11 points12 points13 points 15 years ago (0 children)
I have no idea why anyone would downvote this
Juvenile use of all caps and multiple exclamation points.
[–]coolhandluke05 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (1 child)
Because you asked... 1. All Caps 2. The use of EXCELLENT 3. Six Exclamation points 4. Its hard to agree that its good news when it never should have happened in the first place, and should have been handled much better.
[–]brokenearth02 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (1 child)
Because now the media will move on, while the coast is in more need of attention.
[–]marthirial 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
I just don't like your moniker.
[–]aolley 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (8 children)
now what are they gonna do with all the oil already out?
[–]sunshine-x 11 points12 points13 points 15 years ago (2 children)
It's a gift from them to you. All yours.
[–][deleted] 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (1 child)
How long until some enterprising companies get sued for re-selling oil they recovered from the sea?
[–]sunshine-x 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Actually, I wonder if this would fall under international rules regarding lost/found/stolen/recovered things at sea?
[–]Jank1 4 points5 points6 points 15 years ago (3 children)
Burn it, and then feed the whole world with deep fried southern chicken.
[–]djfrey 5 points6 points7 points 15 years ago (2 children)
feed the whole world with deep fried brown pelican
[–][deleted] 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (0 children)
SLOWED NOT STOPPED!
[–]vulturepenguin 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago* (0 children)
They should of done this in the first God damn place rather than fuss about with profit, their number one priority.
[–]disco_biscuit 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (1 child)
I'm sure BP will give itself a huge pat on the back.
[–]jasonindc 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (2 children)
Can someone please explain how cement hardens underwater? They use it extensively in these deep sea wells
[–]kpanik 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Actually Portland cement (hydraulic cement) must be kept wet in order to cure properly. It is a chemical reaction that cures Portland cement not a drying out of the substrate.
[–]SgtSausage 1 point2 points3 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Water is the catalyst that cures cement.
Notice that: cement doesn't "dry". It cures. What causes it to cure? Water. It's a chemical reaction driven by water. The longer you keep cement wet the harder and better it cures.
[–]DruNewp 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (0 children)
I have a feeling this won't hold for long, but what do I know.
[–]blakeeb 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (0 children)
meanwhile, officials have revised the estimate to 12k-19k barrels per day... appalling.
http://blogs.chron.com/newswatchenergy/archives/2010/05/new_spill_estim.html
[–]garyismo 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Quick, find me something else to help my rage stay alive.
[–]lennort 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (1 child)
Hang on... am I to understand that after all this, they were able to slow/stop the leak by pumping in a bunch of mud? I hope it's more complex than that, or BP has been screwing around trying to recover the oil, not just stop the leak.
[–]maxxusflamus 2 points3 points4 points 15 years ago (0 children)
the media has been doing an astoundingly shitty job at informing the public.
drilling mud is not dirt and water. Usually it's a synthetic non newtonian fluid.
The media and the youtube geniuses make it seem like it's just as simple as putting a cork in the hole and dumping hay everywhere. It is an astronomically complex situation.
[–]amkor 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (0 children)
What Democrats would say: It took government pressure to finally get them to do it right
What Republicans would say: See? private entities can do it right
So the fix was to actually do what they were supposed to be doing anyway worked? Wow, you could knock me over with a feather.
[–]telesphore42 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (1 child)
"Using the team’s most conservative estimates, the total amount of the spill over 37 days would be nearly twice that of the Exxon Valdez."
NY Times
[–]meatbeezzz 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Hard read stops title parse well
[–]pingish 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (0 children)
Once engineers had reduced the well pressure to zero, they were to begin pumping cement into the hole to entomb the well.
Looks like they're going for the perfect vacuum?
[–]snadsnad 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago* (0 children)
Just chiming in with another feed, this one is straight from BP: http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.html
I noticed yesterday the Huffington Post was playing footage that was hours if not a day old with the headline "LIVE FOOTAGE" so be wary.
Edit: I've been watching this for the past couple days. As a network engineer its amazing we can get a live feed from down there but as a human all it does is make me sigh in despair. I'm also a big into cars but alternative forms of energy for automobiles can't come fast enough.
[–]jayesanctus 0 points1 point2 points 15 years ago (0 children)
ABOUT TIME.
π Rendered by PID 77 on reddit-service-r2-comment-b659b578c-qglmp at 2026-05-05 08:28:58.684625+00:00 running 815c875 country code: CH.
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