OT that dang BP well!

[Cutty]

glad to hear they got it capped but I just heard on the news that they were expecting to see 9000 psi!!! They are ONLY seeing 6700 psi! Having worked as a high pressure tech at a National Lab I'm amazed that that well puts out that much pressure! No wonder it pumped out so may millions of gallons of oil. I kind of just pictured it as a low pressure reservoir, I had no idea that it was capable of such pressures. And they were trying to plug it with mud and golfballs and old tractor parts and such. Now I understand why that didn't work.

 

[Dunk]

If they do get it up to pressure, the cap will blow off and shoot down the moon.

You just watch what I am telling you.

 

[Cutty]

I hear ya...a 3000 psi oxygen cylinder and a sledge hammer were all Mr T needed to take out a building full of scum if I remember correctly! Go A Team!

 

[Walston]

OK if I remember my petroleum engineering training correctly. Yes I am actually one.

They were drilling with 14 lb/gallon mud, so
18000' X .052 X 14 = 13,100 PSI bottom hole pressure

5000' of sea water = 5000 X .052 X 8.45 = 2200 PSI

13000' of oil and gas mixture = 13000 X .052 X (.5 X 8.33) = 2800 PSI
(this number is my biggest guess, I would say it is +/- 500 PSI)

So the shut in pressure at the sea floor should be 13,100 - 2200 - 2800 = 8100 PSI (+/- 500 PSI)

I am sure that the guys at BP did a much more rigorous calculation, but this should be in the ballpark of the final pressure.

My old professors would be proud and now I need a beer, my brain hurts.......LOL

 

[Sean (TX)]

(quoted from post at 18:43:17 07/16/10) If they do get it up to pressure, the cap will blow off and shoot down the moon.

You just watch what I am telling you.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[soqueu]

BP is afraid that methane pocket created from the loss of all that oil could erupt nd explode creating a 200' sonami that would devastate all gulf coast life from texas to the keys

 

[Cutty]

Wow Walston I'm impressed! go have that beer...

 

[R Geiger]

Since the well blew out, I would think that they were using way to light of mud while drilling and the actual pressures could have been much higher than your figures.

 

[BillM (OH)]

Well, they were replacing the mud with seawater when she blew - and did not measure the mud coming out, so did not notice that more mud was coming up than seawater going in - a complete no no. Transocean rig boss told BP super not to remove mud, but BP super said that's the way it's going to be, whereupon the Transocean guy said, "Thank God for the BOP," (which unfortunately did not close...........)

 

[Walston]

(quoted from post at 00:12:09 07/20/10) Well, they were replacing the mud with seawater when she blew - and did not measure the mud coming out, so did not notice that more mud was coming up than seawater going in - a complete no no. Transocean rig boss told BP super not to remove mud, but BP super said that's the way it's going to be, whereupon the Transocean guy said, "Thank God for the BOP," (which unfortunately did not close...........)

Yep, from what I have read, it looks like the decision to displace the mud with sea water and return the mud directly to the boat (not measuring the returns, thus they had no way to tell the well was flowing) cost 11 lives and the mess that followed. VERY BAD decision!