A relief well being drilled to add a second seal to the broken BP well that caused the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico must be completed. BP, in hopes of using the relief well to eventually pump oil, had raised the idea the static kill which stopped the flow of oil last month may be good enough as a permanent solution. Thad Allen, the retired Coast Guard Admiral President Obama appointed to lead the oil spill response, had also said the “bottom kill” from the relief well could be unnecessary. After pressure tests on the well, he confirmed Friday that the bottom kill from the relief well would proceed as planned.
Thad Allen – well not plugged until relief well is finished
In recent days BP refused to commit to pumping cement down the relief well for the bottom kill, saying only that it will be put to use one way or another. The New York Times reports that BP and government scientists conducted the tests to determine the effectiveness of the static kill, in which heavy mud had been pumped into the Macondo well, followed by cement. Evidence from the tests show the static kill appears to have sealed the well. About 1,000 barrels of oil is nevertheless trapped within the well according to BP estimates, Allen said. The government said work on the relief well will continue until the gusher is permanently plugged.
Static kill uncertainties
After completion of the static kill, BP engineers knew cement had plugged the well’s metal casing pipe. They didn’t know, nevertheless, if cement had successfully blocked the annulus, a space between the pipe and also the well bore. The Los Angeles Time reports the tests indicate mud and cement poured to the top of the well and appear to have entirely sealed the leak. Because it is uncertain the static kill has closed all the possible paths for the leak, Allen said the relief well must be the final step.
Relief well threading the needle
Drilling of the first relief well started in early May. The Associated Press reports that the drill has bored two miles under the sea floor since then to come within 30 to 50 feet of its target. The target is less than half the diameter of a dartboard, pursued by a drill about as wide as a grapefruit. BP and government officials say its completion date is yet to be determined.
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New York Times
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Los Angeles Times
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Associated Press
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