Category Archives: Energy

BP’s flotilla and some of the people involved in this effort. I’m going out of my way to buy gasoline at the BP station. updated video link It’s from a distance – it kind of looks like the cut has … Continue reading →

The BOP is bent (not surprising) – there is a level mounted on the top (it’s yellow) that confirmed it isn’t level – the CUT diamond cutter is grasping the the pipe “crooked” in order to make the cut flat … Continue reading →

How the diamond string cutter works – the objective is to get a clean straight cut. Picture dental floss wrapped around a spinning pulley – covered with diamond dust. The cutter moves along a track and is secured to the … Continue reading →

ooh, the BP ROV camera shows one big ass rotary saw blade – first interesting thing I’ve see :) Live Video They’re cutting away the extraneous “stuff” around the main case – you can see the BOP and the bent … Continue reading →

“It’s Bush’s fault” just took a serious hit – CNN (OMG!) is reporting that in March the MMS of the Interior Department was told BP was having problems with the well casing and the BOP, and the MMS said in … Continue reading →

The good news is oil isn’t infinite. Neither is the pressure in an underground reservoir. The estimate of this well was it has 60 million barrels total, but sea pressure will overcome the upward pressure long before all the oil … Continue reading →

BP is “borrowing” a BOP from the 2nd relief well. While they haven’t totally given up on the top kill, this is tangible evidence they are preparing to cut off the riser, and then put the second BOP on top … Continue reading →

“I don’t know if we can round up enough mud to make it work” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/us/29spill.html?hp Going through an entire ship full of mud with no effect was a hint this won’t work. The mud is being forced into the hole … Continue reading →

Water pressure underwater is roughly 1/2 psi per foot of depth – so at 5,000 ft, the pressure exerted by the water on an open hole is about 2,200 psi pushing down the shaft….

Looks like the flow from the well has stopped (looking at the ROV video)…. let’s hope it stays that way. It’s Baaaaaack! (noon ET) Video BP says they are having trouble with keeping the mud up above the oil ;)

Another 24 to 48 hours before we know – what happened is consistent with my theory. When they had the well “balanced” and stopped pumping in mud, the well started spewing gas and oil again. My belief is that when … Continue reading →

Remembering the Kuwait Oil Fires. I specifically remember Boots & Coots being the company taking the lead in trying to cap the 900 or so oil wells that Saddam Hussein blew up as his troops were leaving Kuwait. These are … Continue reading →