Mark Levin interviewed a DWH crew member who provides insights regarding the events leading up to the blowout and the evacuation. His comments are generally consistent with the Halliburton release (below) and the “street-talk” about the status of operations at the time of the incident. I suggest that you take a few minutes to listen.
Posts Tagged ‘Deepwater Horizon’
Interview with Deepwater Horizon Survivor
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged Australia, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, safety, well control on May 1, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Interesting Release from Halliburton
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on April 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »
As one of several service providers on the rig, Halliburton can confirm the following:
— Halliburton performed a variety of services on the rig, including cementing, and had four employees stationed on the rig at the time of the accident. Halliburton’s employees returned to shore safely, due, in part, to the brave rescue efforts by the U.S. Coast Guard and other organizations.
— Halliburton had completed the cementing of the final production casing string in accordance with the well design approximately 20 hours prior to the incident. The cement slurry design was consistent with that utilized in other similar applications.
— In accordance with accepted industry practice approved by our customers, tests demonstrating the integrity of the production casing string were completed.
— At the time of the incident, well operations had not yet reached the point requiring the placement of the final cement plug which would enable the planned temporary abandonment of the well, consistent with normal oilfield practice.
— We are assisting with planning and engineering support for a wide range of options designed to secure the well, including a potential relief well.
Halliburton continues to assist in efforts to identify the factors that may have lead up to the disaster, but it is premature and irresponsible to speculate on any specific causal issues.
Macondo Overnight Update – 29 April
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, in situ burning, macondo, offshore, offshore oil, ohmsett, oil spill, safety, well control on April 29, 2010| Leave a Comment »
- NOAA estimates that flow rate could be up to 5000 BOPD. Comment: The technical basis for this and other flow estimates should be provided.
- First in situ burn conducted successfully. Comment: No surprise. In situ burning is neither new nor unproven. This is the best means of removing large volumes of oil from the water quickly and completely. Kudos to the in situ burning pioneers – Ed Tennyson, Dave Evans, Al Allen, and Merv Fingas. Kudos to the folks at Ohmsett where slick burning and fire booms were tested extensively in a tank. Kudos to Canada and Norway for having the foresight to allow this capability to be tested in experimental offshore spills. Unfortunately, these small, controlled research spills are virtually impossible to conduct in US waters.
- Department of Defense being contacted for suggestions. Comment: Appropriate step, but don’t expect any ideas that have not been previously considered.
- BOP actuation and cementing operations (also a major point of discussion during the Montara hearings in Australia) are receiving press attention. Comment: These issues will be a major focus of the investigation. The findings will be discussed and applied internationally.
- A third oil release point has been identified near the base of the riser.
Macondo – Day 9 Update
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on April 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
No major new developments were mentioned at today’s Unified Command Briefing (1500 CDT). Summary:
- Still unable to secure the source by actuating BOPE with the ROV. New intervention options are being designed.
- The in situ burn program was scheduled to begin today, but a report is not yet available.
- Subsurface containment and collection system will be ready in 2-4 weeks
- Development Driller III will spud relief well by Friday
- 100,000 feet of boom deployed for coastal protection purposes
- No apparent change in well flow rate.
Deepwater Horizon Just Before Sinking
Macondo: Unprecedented Response
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on April 28, 2010| 1 Comment »
Cleanup: Santa Barbara Blowout, 1969
During the 1969 Santa Barbara blowout, dedicated volunteers did their best with straw, wooden booms, detergents, rakes, and their own ingenuity. Fast forward to the Macondo response: stockpiles of tested dispersants and plans for applying them most effectively, fire boom and research data to support burning oil in situ, an armada of skimming vessels, boom deployed by trained personnel, a scientific support team, and a pioneering subsea collection system. Without a doubt, every effort is being made to minimize the damage associated with this spill.
There are 2 suggested improvements that I have alluded to previously. These relate to information that is being provided to the public.
- The data on the volume of oil/water mixture that is being collected would be more useful if we knew the oil fraction. Without this information, the effectiveness of the response and the potential for environmental impacts are difficult to assess. Based on the collection figures provided to date, weather conditions, the seafloor release point for the oil, and the estimated flow rate, I would assume that the mixture is mostly water. If no chemical analyses are available, perhaps an estimate (range) of the oil percentage could be provided.
- Very little specific information is being provided on the important subsea intervention operations. A weekly summary of these operations would be helpful. For each attempt, the procedure and outcome could be provided.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on April 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Macondo Blowout – Day 7 Update – 1530 CDT
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on April 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Unified Command News Conference update:
- Efforts to actuate the BOPE continue, but no details were provided. In my opinion, the Unified Command could be more transparent about the BOP actuation program and results. This is a critical aspect of the response. At a minimum, a brief summary of the work that has been performed and the outcomes should be provided.
- Preparations for drilling 2 relief wells continue. The decision to initiate 2 wells is applauded, and increases the likelihood of a timely and favorable outcome.
- To date, there have been no shoreline impacts from the spill.
- 3 whales were observed in the area.
- The Ocean Endeavor has been evacuated for precautionary reasons (see below).
Macondo – Day 6: Coast Guard Images
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on April 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Macondo – Day 5 News Conference – 24 APR, 1700 EDT
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, macondo, offshore oil, safety, well control on April 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Per Admiral Landry: The well is still flowing
- The estimated flow rate is 1000 BOPD. This is a very rough estimate.
- Apparently the flow never stopped and oil is leaking from the end of the riser which is strewn just above the seafloor. The flow was detected during an ROV search over the length of the riser.
- The Deepwater Horizon is on the seafloor 1300 feet NW of the well site.
- The oil is relatively light which should facilitate natural evaporation and dispersion.
Thoughts: Given the absence of confirmation that BOPE have been actuated, yesterday’s “no flow” announcement was more surprising than today’s “still flowing” announcement. While the new flow rate figure is a very rough estimate, the Admiral seems confident that flow is substantially reduced. This could be attributable to the head (about 0.465 psi/fit) imposed by 5000′ of seawater and the crimping of the riser pipe. Also, given the apparent uncertainty about the BOPE, it is also possible that a BOP ram has been actuated but the well bore has not been completely sealed.
Macondo Flow is stopped!!!!
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, ma, macondo, offshore oil, safety, well control on April 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 