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

[agnosticoracle.livejournal.com]

Since nobody else answered your actually questions:

1. A relief well is not a well that you pump out of. A relief well is one you pump a denser liquid into. The hydrostatic pressure from the liquid pumped in can then be used to stop the flow of the oil. Once that happens you cap the whole thing with concrete.

The problem with relief wells is they take months to drill. The Canadians solve this problem by mandating a relief well be drilled at the same time as a the primary well. Perhaps we can learn something from them.

2. The upside down funnel idea was kind of like the first two things they tried the "pyramid" and I forget what they nick named the other one. The "cap" thing they currently have in place is something like that. It doesn't get everything though and lots of oil still gushes out.

[darxus.livejournal.com]

#1 didn't really answer my main question. The first hole blew open. I don't see how having a different purpose makes the relief well any less likely to blow.

[agnosticoracle.livejournal.com]

I guess it could blow, but as it isn't going to be open for every long. It will only be open long enough to stop the initial flow and then fill with concrete.

[darxus.livejournal.com]

Yeah but why did the first one blow, and how is this different? How do you stop a 170,000 PSI flow, even for not very long?

[agnosticoracle.livejournal.com]

You probably need to ask an engineer that. But my assumption would be that while drilling at this depth is dangerous, one blow out at that location doesn't mean another well must do the same thing. So while there is a risk of another blow out the probability of it happening during the time it takes to plug it with concrete is low.

[darxus.livejournal.com]

Yeah what I've been looking for is a reason, not an assumption.

[agnosticoracle.livejournal.com]

You might consider turning the question around. Is there any reason the next well must blow?

[darxus.livejournal.com]

Not that I know of. But it's obviously very important to have reasons to believe it won't.

Also, you called my question "silly" and then answered it with an assumption.

[feng-huang.livejournal.com]

They cut corners when they were drilling the first one, and the final cementing job was poor. This led to the explosion on Deepwater Horizon, its sinking, and the resulting blowout. The blowout preventer was faulty and/or didn't work, and there was another device (I forget what it's called) that many other countries require. The US doesn't require it, though, and at half a million dollars, it was deemed too expensive to use, and unnecessary, since the BOP was going to seal the well, right?

Basically, we hope that they're not doing a slapdash job on the relief wells and are using more (and better) safety equipment.