Article

2010-05-27 Science & Technology

BP's 'Top Kill' Effort to Plug Oil Spill in Gulf Reportedly Working

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2010-05-27 11:01|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 Does that mean it was Obama's plan all along?

"And behold on the ~~8th~~ 36th day the One said 'Plug the damn hole' and it was done"

Posted by Frozen Al 2010-05-27 11:15|| 2010-05-27 11:15|| Front Page Top

#2 Live View

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2010-05-27 11:21|| 2010-05-27 11:21|| Front Page Top

#3 Update on size of oil spill from scientists has it surpassing Valdez: anywhere from 17M to 39M barrels

Posted by Chaque Stalin6841 2010-05-27 11:41|| 2010-05-27 11:41|| Front Page Top

#4 I don't think it is possible to tell whether it is working yet. It has not yet failed though. I see it as a race between the earth spewing out oil & gas and man pumping in 'kill mud'. Kind of like trying to stop a water main leak by pointing a fire hose at it, but with mud instead of water coming out of the fire hose. Most of the mud will be washed right back out, but a little with get through. If you can keep the hose going long enough, maybe enough mud will get through and stay in the water main to restrict its flow, allowing more mud to get through and stay, until maybe the main is plugged. How much mud does BP have? It had better be a lot (my guess is they have all that is available right now and they hope it's enough.)

Posted by Glenmore 2010-05-27 11:45|| 2010-05-27 11:45|| Front Page Top

#5 Top Kill

The process involves pumping heavy drilling fluids through two 3-inch (7.6 cm) lines into the blowout preventer that sits on top of the wellhead. This would first restrict the flow of oil from the well, which then could be sealed permanently with cement. The top kill procedure, approved by the Coast Guard on May 25, commenced at 1 p.m. CDT on May 26 and, according to BP sources, while failure could be evident in minutes or hours it may take "a day or two" before its success could be determined.

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2010-05-27 11:54|| 2010-05-27 11:54|| Front Page Top

#6 I forgot a complication - if BP is TOO successful, it fails. If they succeed in getting too tall a column of kill mud in the hole, the pressure of that fluid against the rock near the bottom of the hole would be enough to fracture it, and then the kill mud would escape into the fracture, and allow the oil to come back into the well and out into the Gulf.

Posted by Glenmore 2010-05-27 13:10|| 2010-05-27 13:10|| Front Page Top

#7 The 'Mud Pump' is your friend.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-05-27 14:28|| 2010-05-27 14:28|| Front Page Top

#8 Obama: Gov't in charge of oil disaster response

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama defensively and sometimes testily insisted on Thursday that his administration, not oil giant BP, was calling the shots in responding to the worst oil spill in the nation's history.

"I take responsibility. It is my job to make sure this thing is shut down," Obama declared at a news conference in the East Room of the White House. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill dominated the hour-long session.

I look forward to the fawning, drooling "Obama Fixes Oil Spill!" stories in the coming days.
Unless, of course, it blows out again...

Posted by tu3031 2010-05-27 14:37|| 2010-05-27 14:37|| Front Page Top

#9 If Obumbles is taking credit - it must be working.

Posted by CrazyFool 2010-05-27 14:42|| 2010-05-27 14:42|| Front Page Top

#10 anyway to freeze the mud before putting on a cement cap?

Posted by 3dc 2010-05-27 17:34|| 2010-05-27 17:34|| Front Page Top

#11 in past two hours BP suspended kill ops

drilling fluids were not acting right

Posted by lord garth 2010-05-27 18:05|| 2010-05-27 18:05|| Front Page Top

#12 Workers on the ocean's surface have been reporting sickness after exposure to either the crude or to the dispersant(s) used. I think the crude itself is the problem. ABC evening news tonight showed a $25 particle mask that in their minds would prevent inhaling the fumes. Separating air from a high concentration of volatile hydrocarbons is a bit more difficult than that. Workers may well need self-contained breathing apparatus and a suit to prevent skin absorption of hydrocarbons also. Then you need some type of cooling system to prevent workers from overheating in that environment. The EPA completely misunderestimated the toxic effects of dust for workers cleaning up after 9/11 in Manhattan. EPA appears to be making new mistakes along the same old lines now in the BP spill. A few years down the line, there will be the big class action lawsuit for all the workers sickened by the fumes, and the contingent fees going to tort lawyers, again similar to 9/11.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-05-27 18:50|| 2010-05-27 18:50|| Front Page Top

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