BP: What reason do we have to believe the second hole won't blow?

[darxus]

Since I heard that BP's long term solution to the oil leak, which was going to take until August, involve drilling a second hole, I've wanted to know:

What reason is there to believe the second hole won't blow?


(Also, why don't they put an upside down funnel over the hole, with a valve at the top, and anchor it with cables?)

Comments

[starphire.livejournal.com]

I'm not convinced anyone in the business is certain that the relief wells will completely stop the flow from the blowout bore, only because we've been told that this well is at a depth that's on the bleeding edge of undersea drilling experience/technology.
But it's all about pressure, and relief wells have worked for similar blowouts, just by providing an alternate path for the oil while they try to seal off the blown out one.
There are actually two relief wells being drilled, both are angled under the seabed so as to intersect with the main borehole *above* the actual oil reservoir. So it's like tapping into an existing pipe to divert the flow. How they have the technology to aim their drills that precisely, I have no idea, but that seems to be the plan: see slide 7 here (I found the other slides informative too): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10317116.stm