BP says it plans to keep gulf oil well cap closed

[DCBob]

Source: Washington Post

After 90 days, BP's gushing oil well may now be as good as dead.

In a press conference Sunday morning, a BP executive said that a mechanical "cap" used to shut off the geyser still seems to be holding. As a result, he said, the company now plans to keep it closed permanently -- or at least for a few more weeks, until a "relief well" can plug the leak near its underground source.

"We're not seeing any problems, at this point, any issues with the shut-in," said Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer, referring to the closure of the well. Because of that, Suttles said, "we'll continue to leave the well shut in."

Suttles' announcement seemed to alter the strategy that Coast Guard Admiral Thad W. Allen (ret.), the federal government's point man in the disaster, had described on Saturday. Allen had extended a two-day "integrity test" on the well until Sunday. But, Allen said, when the test was eventually done, it would likely be re-opened and connected to pipes that would siphon the leak up toward ships on the surface.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/18/AR2010071800814.html?hpid=topnews

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Hooray!!

Now for the cleanup.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Recommended! nt

[lunatica]

2. So why are the fine hairs on my neck standing on end?

Because I bet there's another well shaft near by they'll be using. Maybe more than one. Now that they know how to control the 'leaks'. They just aren't releasing the film on those.

[gateley]

11. There aren't well shafts just scattered around the floor of the

Gulf waiting to be tapped - they have to drill them. I don't think they could get away with that now under the close scrutiny from the Gov. and the press. Not that they WOULDN'T (I have no doubt they'd be all over that) but just that I don't think it's do-able. They're plundering and pillaging plenty of other areas around the globe, so I think they'd like to disappear from the Gulf and carry on their despicable practices elsewhere. Hope so, anyway.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

3. Plans can change.

[obxhead]

4. This was the obvious decision after the tests...

There is no way BP wants to hook pumping equipment to a 100% capture device and have a factual number of daily spillage to fight.

Lets hope it holds without causing more destruction and that the first relief well actually hits the target.

[DCBob]

5. BP claimed the reason was because they would have to let oil flow back into Gulf for 3 days..

before they could hook up the pipe to the ships and that no one wanted that to happen. But who knows what the truth is anymore.

[jaxx]

6. Also if they had to unhook for hurricanes there would be more spill.

If things go right there will be no more spill from the Macondo well....ever.

[obxhead]

7. yeah.....

My stock of bridges has sold out completely. As soon as the new shipment comes in I'll post the for sale ad.

[dipsydoodle]

8. BBC News link

BP wants a new cap on its Gulf of Mexico well to stay in place until relief wells stop the leak for good.

Tests on the cap - which on Thursday stopped oil leaking for the first time since an April accident - continue.

But BP's chief operating officer Doug Suttles said there was "no target" to re-open the cap and let oil flow again.

The US had expected BP to re-open the cap and resume funnelling oil to the surface once testing was complete, until the relief wells were ready.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10678012

[gateley]

9. K&R! Good job, ROVs! nt

[DCBob]

10. Yeah, kudos to the ROV drivers!

:headbang:

[sgsmith]

12. The well will be open at some point

If for no other reason that when they try to kill the WW with the RW, the mud will flow out of the WW until the kill works.

[backscatter712]

13. No oil is flowing! Don't breathe on it!

Let's hope this holds until one of the relief wells kills this gusher for good.

[DCBob]

14. LOL! Excatly how I feel..

ok, its holding, stand back, nobody touch a thing... :)

[gristy]

15. More than anything, BP does not want an accurate measure of the flow of an open well

To that end, we get statements like this

"If the valves are re-opened and collection systems restarted, oil would pour into the gulf for up to three days. “No one wants to see oil flowing back into the sea,” Mr. Suttles said.

The same nytimes article goes on to say

If the well is not reopened, the exact flow rate of oil may never be known. It is estimated at 35,000 to 60,000 barrels a day.

If I had a vendor (I manage technical services from vendors, though not in this industry) who said to me that they had no way to get oil flowing up to the collection ships without letting it gush into the gulf for 3 days, I'd call them on their bullshit in a heartbeat. I'd say, "ok, you think you have to let the oil gush into the gulf for 3 days to be able to hook up your collection vessels. Explain to me the process you have in mind for doing this, and let's see if we can figure out a way to do it without spilling a drop."

This lie is gnawing at me. It's just so obvious.

[westerebus]

16. On hold, pending an oil price of $100 +.

Just a guess.

[sulphurdunn]

17. Is there any chance

of the relief well blowing up too?