BP pumps cement into damaged Gulf of Mexico oil well

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

BP has started pumping cement into the top of its damaged Gulf of Mexico oil well as part of its "static kill" procedure.

The move comes the day after it was announced that almost three-quarters of the oil spilled had been cleaned up or broken down by natural forces.

>

Work on a relief well will continue.

>

The cementing of the well "will virtually assure that there will be no chance of oil leaking into the environment", US oil spill response commander Thad Allen told reporters

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10883784

[Arctic Dave]

1. Headline for BP next week, "What Spill"?

We don't know were that oil came from, we don't owe you anything.

[breadandwine]

2. That headline will be followed by this one: BP cement seal fails. Oil gushing again.

The cement is not designed to withstand the pressures of the crude at that depth.


What's now holding down the crude is heavy drilling mud. Heavy drilling mud is made of a liquid such as oil mixed with heavy crushed rock. That's a SUSPENSION and suspensions are not permanent. Eventually the crushed rock will settle out of suspension and sink down into the crude oil reservoir. Then the drilling mud will be no heavier than the crude and the pressure of the crude will push back up, destroying the cement even after it has hardened. The cement seal is going to eventually fail.



For the same reason the RELIEF WELL is also going to fail eventually.

[dipsydoodle]

3. The most fortunate aspect of this subject

is DU's own search engine to help determine at a later date exactly who the pessimists were as opposed to the optimists on this whole issue regarding its long term effect.

[JuniperLea]

4. If you mean, among DUers...

I've never trusted a damn word they've said... and I've been 100% correct in my pessimistic POV.

I'm still waiting for reports on the health (or death, more likely) of the seafloor in the Gulf. And my pessimism is further stoked by the lack of reporting on the damage to wildlife.

[Nihil]

6. You'd better start praying then hadn't you? ...

> The cement is not designed to withstand the pressures of the crude at that depth.
>
> What's now holding down the crude is heavy drilling mud. Heavy drilling mud is
> made of a liquid such as oil mixed with heavy crushed rock. That's a SUSPENSION
> and suspensions are not permanent. Eventually the crushed rock will settle out
> of suspension and sink down into the crude oil reservoir. Then the drilling mud
> will be no heavier than the crude and the pressure of the crude will push back
> up, destroying the cement even after it has hardened. The cement seal is going
> to eventually fail.
>
> For the same reason the RELIEF WELL is also going to fail eventually.

... seeing as this is how EVERY SINGLE CAPPED WELL in the Gulf or any other
submarine field has been sealed (and some of those are getting pretty long
in the tooth by now).

:eyes:

There again, you could just be yet another panic-monger without a clue.
:think:

[dipsydoodle]

5. BP finishes cementing damaged Gulf of Mexico oil well

BP has finished pumping cement into the top of its damaged Gulf of Mexico oil well as part of its "static kill" procedure.

Work on a relief well can now continue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10883784 update of original link which has now been amended.