OT – Why can’t they stop the oil leak?

[citydweller]

Are there any engineers or other knowledgeable people out there who can explain (in plain English) why they are having such a hard time stopping the oil leak?

My simple brain was thinking “why don’t they just drive one of those ROV’s into the hole to stop the leak while they work on the long-term solution”. But now I’ve heard that part of the problem is the mass of steel framework that collapsed from the explosion.

Does anyone believe that BP or the gov’t are intentionally NOT doing everything possible to fix this?

[Arraya]

The last thing the administration or the industry wants is bad news. Which they can’t seem to hide because it’s such a “big” incident.

These types of leaks are very tough to stop. Especially at this depth. Usually they have to drill relief wells which take months.

Here is industry expert @ 6 minutes, Matt Simmons, he said the flow rate could be 120,000 barrels/day and that the only way to stop the leak is by bombing the well head.

120,000 barrels per day = 5 million gallons per day.

He said BP was concealing the extent of leak from the start and the new videos released show 120k barrels, easily, flowing into GOM.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32450072/vp/37322455#37322455

Seems to be some more problems down below…

At about 8am, CDT, as I watched, things started changing rapidly. Where the water around the two major gush points used to be very clear, it is now super turbid, and detritus is flying everywhere in a chaotic manner. seabed venting is obvious to see when ROV cameras pan around.

Yet-to-be-confirmed rumors are that the casing wall has finally worn through, about 300 feet below seabed, at an annulus (coupling), and the gas and oil are now finding a new way out to the seabed.

Not good news, as it will make the Top-Kill/Junk Shot nearly ineffectual… At the least, it means that more pressure and mud/cement is going to be required.

We’ll see.

See for yourself, here: via BP Live Spillcam

snip

Seabed seems to have sunk rapidly (perhaps scoured away rapidly?). Riser end is now in a big crater. Side pipes more exposed– different angle?

UPDATE 1:20pm CDT: While watching, ANOTHER major “explosion” occurred. ROV Cam now covered in Oil. It was pushed around by the force of expulsion, or moved back a few feet by controllers. Our Favorite Disaster Bot is taking a beating. Gush seems to have at least doubled in size and volume.

Screengrab of the early Morning Chaos Event. Everthing went up all at once. ROV was perfectly stationary. EVERYTHING went “BOOM” and black:

http://www.businessinsider.com/watching-the-bp-live-cam-it-looks-
like-the-leak-just-got-a-lot-worse-2010-

Also, lots of good discussion by engineers and industry experts here on the technical difficulties of the procedure.

http://www.theoildrum.com/

[Arraya]

The last thing the administration or the industry wants is bad news. Which they can’t seem to hide because it’s such a “big” incident.

These types of leaks are very tough to stop. Especially at this depth. Usually they have to drill relief wells which take months.

Here is industry expert @ 6 minutes, Matt Simmons, he said the flow rate could be 120,000 barrels/day and that the only way to stop the leak is by bombing the well head.

120,000 barrels per day = 5 million gallons per day.

He said BP was concealing the extent of leak from the start and the new videos released show 120k barrels, easily, flowing into GOM.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32450072/vp/37322455#37322455

Seems to be some more problems down below…

At about 8am, CDT, as I watched, things started changing rapidly. Where the water around the two major gush points used to be very clear, it is now super turbid, and detritus is flying everywhere in a chaotic manner. seabed venting is obvious to see when ROV cameras pan around.

Yet-to-be-confirmed rumors are that the casing wall has finally worn through, about 300 feet below seabed, at an annulus (coupling), and the gas and oil are now finding a new way out to the seabed.

Not good news, as it will make the Top-Kill/Junk Shot nearly ineffectual… At the least, it means that more pressure and mud/cement is going to be required.

We’ll see.

See for yourself, here: via BP Live Spillcam

snip

Seabed seems to have sunk rapidly (perhaps scoured away rapidly?). Riser end is now in a big crater. Side pipes more exposed– different angle?

UPDATE 1:20pm CDT: While watching, ANOTHER major “explosion” occurred. ROV Cam now covered in Oil. It was pushed around by the force of expulsion, or moved back a few feet by controllers. Our Favorite Disaster Bot is taking a beating. Gush seems to have at least doubled in size and volume.

Screengrab of the early Morning Chaos Event. Everthing went up all at once. ROV was perfectly stationary. EVERYTHING went “BOOM” and black:

http://www.businessinsider.com/watching-the-bp-live-cam-it-looks-
like-the-leak-just-got-a-lot-worse-2010-

Also, lots of good discussion by engineers and industry experts here on the technical difficulties of the procedure.

http://www.theoildrum.com/

[Arraya]

The last thing the administration or the industry wants is bad news. Which they can’t seem to hide because it’s such a “big” incident.

These types of leaks are very tough to stop. Especially at this depth. Usually they have to drill relief wells which take months.

Here is industry expert @ 6 minutes, Matt Simmons, he said the flow rate could be 120,000 barrels/day and that the only way to stop the leak is by bombing the well head.

120,000 barrels per day = 5 million gallons per day.

He said BP was concealing the extent of leak from the start and the new videos released show 120k barrels, easily, flowing into GOM.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32450072/vp/37322455#37322455

Seems to be some more problems down below…

At about 8am, CDT, as I watched, things started changing rapidly. Where the water around the two major gush points used to be very clear, it is now super turbid, and detritus is flying everywhere in a chaotic manner. seabed venting is obvious to see when ROV cameras pan around.

Yet-to-be-confirmed rumors are that the casing wall has finally worn through, about 300 feet below seabed, at an annulus (coupling), and the gas and oil are now finding a new way out to the seabed.

Not good news, as it will make the Top-Kill/Junk Shot nearly ineffectual… At the least, it means that more pressure and mud/cement is going to be required.

We’ll see.

See for yourself, here: via BP Live Spillcam

snip

Seabed seems to have sunk rapidly (perhaps scoured away rapidly?). Riser end is now in a big crater. Side pipes more exposed– different angle?

UPDATE 1:20pm CDT: While watching, ANOTHER major “explosion” occurred. ROV Cam now covered in Oil. It was pushed around by the force of expulsion, or moved back a few feet by controllers. Our Favorite Disaster Bot is taking a beating. Gush seems to have at least doubled in size and volume.

Screengrab of the early Morning Chaos Event. Everthing went up all at once. ROV was perfectly stationary. EVERYTHING went “BOOM” and black:

http://www.businessinsider.com/watching-the-bp-live-cam-it-looks-
like-the-leak-just-got-a-lot-worse-2010-

Also, lots of good discussion by engineers and industry experts here on the technical difficulties of the procedure.

http://www.theoildrum.com/

[Arraya]

The last thing the administration or the industry wants is bad news. Which they can’t seem to hide because it’s such a “big” incident.

These types of leaks are very tough to stop. Especially at this depth. Usually they have to drill relief wells which take months.

Here is industry expert @ 6 minutes, Matt Simmons, he said the flow rate could be 120,000 barrels/day and that the only way to stop the leak is by bombing the well head.

120,000 barrels per day = 5 million gallons per day.

He said BP was concealing the extent of leak from the start and the new videos released show 120k barrels, easily, flowing into GOM.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32450072/vp/37322455#37322455

Seems to be some more problems down below…

At about 8am, CDT, as I watched, things started changing rapidly. Where the water around the two major gush points used to be very clear, it is now super turbid, and detritus is flying everywhere in a chaotic manner. seabed venting is obvious to see when ROV cameras pan around.

Yet-to-be-confirmed rumors are that the casing wall has finally worn through, about 300 feet below seabed, at an annulus (coupling), and the gas and oil are now finding a new way out to the seabed.

Not good news, as it will make the Top-Kill/Junk Shot nearly ineffectual… At the least, it means that more pressure and mud/cement is going to be required.

We’ll see.

See for yourself, here: via BP Live Spillcam

snip

Seabed seems to have sunk rapidly (perhaps scoured away rapidly?). Riser end is now in a big crater. Side pipes more exposed– different angle?

UPDATE 1:20pm CDT: While watching, ANOTHER major “explosion” occurred. ROV Cam now covered in Oil. It was pushed around by the force of expulsion, or moved back a few feet by controllers. Our Favorite Disaster Bot is taking a beating. Gush seems to have at least doubled in size and volume.

Screengrab of the early Morning Chaos Event. Everthing went up all at once. ROV was perfectly stationary. EVERYTHING went “BOOM” and black:

http://www.businessinsider.com/watching-the-bp-live-cam-it-looks-
like-the-leak-just-got-a-lot-worse-2010-

Also, lots of good discussion by engineers and industry experts here on the technical difficulties of the procedure.

http://www.theoildrum.com/

[Arraya]

The last thing the administration or the industry wants is bad news. Which they can’t seem to hide because it’s such a “big” incident.

These types of leaks are very tough to stop. Especially at this depth. Usually they have to drill relief wells which take months.

Here is industry expert @ 6 minutes, Matt Simmons, he said the flow rate could be 120,000 barrels/day and that the only way to stop the leak is by bombing the well head.

120,000 barrels per day = 5 million gallons per day.

He said BP was concealing the extent of leak from the start and the new videos released show 120k barrels, easily, flowing into GOM.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32450072/vp/37322455#37322455

Seems to be some more problems down below…

At about 8am, CDT, as I watched, things started changing rapidly. Where the water around the two major gush points used to be very clear, it is now super turbid, and detritus is flying everywhere in a chaotic manner. seabed venting is obvious to see when ROV cameras pan around.

Yet-to-be-confirmed rumors are that the casing wall has finally worn through, about 300 feet below seabed, at an annulus (coupling), and the gas and oil are now finding a new way out to the seabed.

Not good news, as it will make the Top-Kill/Junk Shot nearly ineffectual… At the least, it means that more pressure and mud/cement is going to be required.

We’ll see.

See for yourself, here: via BP Live Spillcam

snip

Seabed seems to have sunk rapidly (perhaps scoured away rapidly?). Riser end is now in a big crater. Side pipes more exposed– different angle?

UPDATE 1:20pm CDT: While watching, ANOTHER major “explosion” occurred. ROV Cam now covered in Oil. It was pushed around by the force of expulsion, or moved back a few feet by controllers. Our Favorite Disaster Bot is taking a beating. Gush seems to have at least doubled in size and volume.

Screengrab of the early Morning Chaos Event. Everthing went up all at once. ROV was perfectly stationary. EVERYTHING went “BOOM” and black:

http://www.businessinsider.com/watching-the-bp-live-cam-it-looks-
like-the-leak-just-got-a-lot-worse-2010-

Also, lots of good discussion by engineers and industry experts here on the technical difficulties of the procedure.

http://www.theoildrum.com/

[edna_mode]

The Russians have used a nuclear bomb to stop oil leaks five times in the past:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://www.kp.ru/daily/24482/640124/

http://trueslant.com/juliaioffe/2010/05/04/nuke-that-slick/

Of course, context for technical solutions is everything. Don’t know the geological differences.

When is hurricane season again?

[edna_mode]

The Russians have used a nuclear bomb to stop oil leaks five times in the past:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://www.kp.ru/daily/24482/640124/

http://trueslant.com/juliaioffe/2010/05/04/nuke-that-slick/

Of course, context for technical solutions is everything. Don’t know the geological differences.

When is hurricane season again?

[edna_mode]

The Russians have used a nuclear bomb to stop oil leaks five times in the past:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://www.kp.ru/daily/24482/640124/

http://trueslant.com/juliaioffe/2010/05/04/nuke-that-slick/

Of course, context for technical solutions is everything. Don’t know the geological differences.

When is hurricane season again?

[edna_mode]

The Russians have used a nuclear bomb to stop oil leaks five times in the past:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://www.kp.ru/daily/24482/640124/

http://trueslant.com/juliaioffe/2010/05/04/nuke-that-slick/

Of course, context for technical solutions is everything. Don’t know the geological differences.

When is hurricane season again?

[edna_mode]

The Russians have used a nuclear bomb to stop oil leaks five times in the past:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://www.kp.ru/daily/24482/640124/

http://trueslant.com/juliaioffe/2010/05/04/nuke-that-slick/

Of course, context for technical solutions is everything. Don’t know the geological differences.

When is hurricane season again?

[briansd1]

If this continues, BP might go bankrupt. And the drill-baby-drill movement will be dead, even among conservative Southerners.

[briansd1]

If this continues, BP might go bankrupt. And the drill-baby-drill movement will be dead, even among conservative Southerners.

[briansd1]

If this continues, BP might go bankrupt. And the drill-baby-drill movement will be dead, even among conservative Southerners.

[briansd1]

If this continues, BP might go bankrupt. And the drill-baby-drill movement will be dead, even among conservative Southerners.

[Author]

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