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BP Official Admits to Damage BENEATH THE SEA FLOOR
As I noted Tuesday, there is growing
evidence that BP's oil well - technically called the "well casing" or
"well bore" - has suffered damage beneath the level of the sea floor.
The
evidence is growing stronger and stronger that there is substantial
damage beneath the sea floor. Indeed, it appears that BP officials
themselves have admitted to such damage. This has enormous impacts on
both the amount of oil leaking into the Gulf, and the prospects for
quickly stopping the leak this summer.
On May 31st, the Washington Post noted:
Sources
at two companies involved with the well said that BP also discovered
new damage inside the well below the seafloor and that, as a result,
some of the drilling mud that was successfully forced into the well was
going off to the side into rock formations.
"We discovered things that were broken in the sub-surface," said a BP official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. He said that mud was making it "out to the side, into the formation."
On June 2nd, Bloomberg pointed out:
Plugging
the well is another challenge even after BP successfully intersects it,
Robert Bea, a University of California Berkeley engineering professor,
said. BP has said it believes the well bore to be damaged, which could hamper efforts to fill it with mud and set a concrete plug, Bea said.
Bea is an expert in offshore drilling and a high-level governmental adviser concerning disasters.
On the same day, the Wall Street Journal noted that there might be a leak in BP's well casing 1,000 feet beneath the sea floor:
BP
PLC has concluded that its "top-kill" attempt last week to seal its
broken well in the Gulf of Mexico may have failed due to a
malfunctioning disk inside the well about 1,000 feet below the ocean floor.
***
The
broken disk may have prevented the heavy drilling mud injected into the
well last week from getting far enough down the well to overcome the
pressure from the escaping oil and gas, people familiar with BP's
findings said. They said much of the drilling mud may also have escaped
from the well into the rock formation outside the wellbore.
On June 3rd, The Canadian Press quoted
the top government official in charge of the response to the oil spill
- Admiral Thad Allen, the commandant of the Coast Guard - as pointing
to the same possibility:
The failure of the so-called top kill procedure - which entailed pumping mud into the well at high velocity - suggested "there
actually could be something wrong with the well casing, and there could
be open communication in the strata or the rock formations below the
sea floor," Allen said.
On
June 7th, Senator Bill Nelson told MSNBC that he's investigating
reports of oil seeping up from additional leak points on the seafloor:
Senator
Bill Nelson (D-FL): Andrea we’re looking into something new right now,
that there’s reports of oil that’s seeping up from the seabed… which
would indicate, if that’s true, that the well casing itself is actually
pierced… underneath the seabed. So, you know, the problems could be just enormous with what we’re facing.
Andrea
Mitchell, MSNBC: Now let me understand better what you’re saying. If
that is true that it is coming up form that seabed, even the relief
well won’t be the final solution to cap this thing. That means that
we’ve got oil gushing up at disparate places along the ocean floor.
Sen. Nelson: That is possible, unless you get the plug down low enough, below where the pipe would be breached.
Indeed, loss of integrity in the well itself may explain why BP is drilling its relief wells more than ten thousand feet beneath the leaking pipes on the seafloor (and see this).
Yesterday, recently-retired Shell Oil President John Hofmeister said that the well casing below the sea floor may have been compromised:
[Question]
What are the chances that the well casing below the sea floor has been
compromised, and that gas and oil are coming up the outside of the well
casing, eroding the surrounding soft rock. Could this lead to a
catastrophic geological failure, unstoppable even by the relief wells?
John Hofmeister: This is what some people fear has occurred. It is also why the "top kill" process was halted.
If the casing is compromised the well is that much more difficult to
shut down, including the risk that the relief wells may not be enough.
If the relief wells do not result in stopping the flow, the next and
drastic step is to implode the well on top of itself, which carries
other risks as well.
As noted yesterday in The Engineer magazine,
an official from Cameron International - the manufacturer of the
blowout preventer for BP's leaking oil drilling operation - noted that
one cause of the failure of the BOP could have been damage to the well
bore:
Steel casing or casing hanger could have been ejected from the well and blocked the operation of the rams.
Oil industry expert Rob Cavner believes that the casing might be damaged beneath the sea floor, noting:
The
real doomsday scenario here… is if that casing gives up, and it does
come through the other strings of pipe. Remember, it is concentric pipe
that holds this well together. If it comes into the formation,
basically, you‘ve got uncontrolled [oil] flow to the sea floor. And
that is the doomsday scenario.
Cavner also said BP must "keep the well flowing to minimize oil and gas going out into the formation on the side":
And prominent oil industry insider Matt Simmons believes that the well
casing may have been destroyed when the oil rig exploded. Simmons was
an energy adviser to President George W. Bush, is an adviser to the Oil
Depletion Analysis Centre, and is a member of the National Petroleum
Council and the Council on Foreign Relations.
On May 26th, Simmons referred to this issue on MSNBC:
On May 27th, Simmons again addressed this issue on MSNBC:
And he referred to it again on Bloomberg on May 28th:
And again on MSNBC on June 7th :
We have a right to know what's really going on.
Given
the impact on America's people, natural resources and economy, BP and
the government must fully disclose the amount of damage underneath the
sea floor, and what that means for the efforts to cap the well.
»
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Isn't that interesting. I had "Stairway to Heaven/Led Zeppelin" and then "Yes" playing in the background when I wrote that reply. The mind is a terrible thing.......to waste. :>)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Jones_(musician)
Floydian slip
+1
So Pulitzers all around to ZH then.
GW, thank you for your dedication to this topic. It is of the utmost importance.
Personally I feel the gulf coast States should have been evacuated immediately, as this oil is highly toxic.
Calling for an evacuation would have required someone taking responsibility for calling the shot. And all politicians who might have done so have elections coming up. Kids who get cancer 20 years from now are someone else's problem, from perspective of current politicians. And that's the way it is.
Where should the millions of us who live down here go? Where can we go? FEMA camps?
...why the inland empire of southern California. Haven't you heard? Its the new Valhalla!!
I believe they are ready and waiting for you in Maryland among other places.
http://www.prourladyofemmitsburg.org/
Hey Gordon so what else should america do keep doing the green thing and wait 50 years until the technology evolves shipping trillions to wacko countries? The issue is not drill baby drill its drilling safely. If you dont have regulations/plans in place to contain and/or shut down a well then you should not drill period. Its like having a gas pipleline you cant shut off...would that be allowed? Energy is the only thing that could restore americas prosperity besides dramically downsizing govt. It will balance trade deficit, improve its national security, indirectly shut funding towards terrorism and generate jobs.
I am not at all part of the green movement, but at the same time I don't think energy alternatives are 50 years away. I power my home with a wind turbine and solar panels. Today I used 40 KwH of electricity, and I produced 55 KwH, so I am powering my home and putting some back on the grid with TODAY'S technology. Presently, I am not able to take advantage of excess power for transportation, but with the Nissan Leaf coming out in November, and a few more solar panels, I should be self sufficient in transportation as well. The moves I have made towards personal energy independence have not been motivated by wanting to be "green" but as a hedge against uncertain energy prices in the future.
Rebel,
sounds like a smart idea...what size sq footage, are you managing to heat/cool.
Also, your cost's for this type of self sustained power grid.
Iam surprised no entity, has not started taxing you, or charging you for your usage, I see that a coming evil.
DosZap,
I heat home with firewood. Can heat entire home all winter on two cords of firewood. Seasoned hardwood, delivered to my home, and stacked is $150 per cord. The fireplace is designed for heat generation, and is connected to duct work which goes through the home. A large log thrown in before bedtime keeps the house very warm all night. So, very little electrical power is required for heating.
On the square footage, it is a fair question, but would rather not be specific other than house is a larger than average house. It was built with state of the art windows and insulation, so core part of the strategy starts with energy efficiency.
The solar plant is rated at 6 KW. It produces 35-42 KwH each day. The turnkey installed cost of the system was $15K. This price took advantage of various rebates and incentive programs. The wind turbine is a 4 KW turbine, and it produces 10-25 KwH per day, depending on conditions. I think the turnkey installed cost was $15K on this. If you run the numbers on today's cost of energy, it barely makes sense, or maybe does not quiet make sense. However, if you consider it as a hedge against future energy price increases, it starts to make sense. Also, potential grid disruptions in the future must go into the math.
Presently, I am still on the grid. While I consistently produce more energy than I consume, I still need the grid to load level. Solar does not produce during peak usage periods of morning and evening, so the grid is needed to receive power during peak production, and provide it back during times of peak usage.
On taxes, the turbine and solar panels are exempt from property taxes here. I do note that my electric provider chargers me a $10 penalty a month for not using enough electricity. B**tards.
I am presently evaluating ways to get off the grid. Batteries at this point are simply not a viable scenario for my situation. I am investigating a Natural Gas generator, and very small battery system. Batteries could carry load in the few minutes it would take for generator to come on in times of no sun/low wind. One might ask, what is the point, if you have to be buying natural gas. There is much less infrastructure needed to get NG to my house compared to the electrical grid. I am not far from the well head producing the NG, so little infrastructure is needed to keep the NG flowing.
Note I am not in some sort of hunker down and wait to the end mode here. I consider it an interesting "hobby" to pursue personal energy independence.
Rebel, good on you.
Based on what you've written here, you embody everything the Green movement was supposed to represent. I hope you won't take that as an insult.
This is the often-ignored danger posed by the PR/marketing industries today. That you make it a point to mention that you're "not" part of this movement (twice!) shows that terms like "green" and "sustainable" have been deprived of their ability to communicate a meaningful concept and are now muddied marketing-speak. Like-minded individuals now have no easy way of separating the poseurs from the truly green, and the whole movement has to find a new way of communicating. Orwell would be impressed.
Yes, the green movement is too focused on telling everyone else what they should do, as opposed to taking personal responsibility. Green movement leaders jet around the world on private jets, but want to pass laws dictating how the rest of us live.
rebel, your actions (rather than words) reminds me of a saying spray painted on the walls in an art installation i saw a couple days back:
GREEN PEOPLE ARE THE NEW KIND OF SHIT
(btw that's meant to be a compliment)
In the sub title of this article GW says......
"We've got a right to know what's really going on!"
Oh really? From the way I read the law we do not have a right to know anything unless and until the USA nationalizes BP's assets in America or declares a national state of emergency or declares some other "right" that I'm not aware of, which admittedly could be many.
The environmental laws require BP to clean up this mess and to cooperate with governmental efforts but not to divulge this information. The law assumes a tanker or pipeline or other land or sea based finite source has a problem. The law never really imagined this type of scenario. For all intents and purposes, this well is infinite, meaning that this reservoir field could flow for decades.
Ironically the damage to the well, the internal obstructions, slows the flow to that of less than an uncontrolled blowout. A totally unrestricted flow could/would damage the field and possibly cut the infinite period down to years instead of decades. Do some reading on oil reservoirs and well technology.
Remember that the field has something like 30% permeability, which is huge and will allow oil and gas to flow to this well bore or any low(er) pressure area for decades. It's the cap rock that keeps the field contained and the huge number of "natural" oil seeps in this area of the GOM shows how permeable the cap is. Damage that cap with a well bore and you have trouble.
This well is BP's "property" and any information about this well is "propriety information" and BP has no obligation to divulge it. From the technical and legal stuff I've been looking at, the President is using moral suasion and other "threats" on BP to keep them "cooperating".
The USA has no interest in admitting the true extent of this disaster. This is why the so-called flow rate has slowly been adjusted upwards and not by BP. BP has a legal obligation to it's shareholders and itself to stall, obstruct and deny for as long as they can, considering the amount of damages they will be subject to is $4,000 per barrel of oil "spill" during this disaster.
Personally I expect them to have problems with the relief wells if this existing well bore has problems. I could very easily be wrong on this but my view does seem to mix nicely with how BP, it's subcontractors and the US Government have acted to date.
Anyone wish to add to this?
the peanlty for ECOCIDE should be the nationalization of B.P's U.S. assets.
And true criminal prosecutions, with the convicted sentenced to be jailed in the worst affected areas. For beginners. The cause is the type of vicious capitalism in control which Chavez, Correa and Morales are attempting, with some success, to counter. And that's why they, especially Chavez as he spearheads the anti- neoliberalsm, are so disparaged by the corporate controlled press. To get a real picture of this movement read CHAVEZ and REVOLUTION by Nikolas Kozloff.
the penalty should be a nice vacation in the GOM complete with a snorkeling trip in the plume.
I actually worry about the relief wells. Drilling back into a situation that has already shown itself to manifest massive pressures is not a bright idea, to put it mildly. Are we sure that even with properly functioning BOPs that the relief wells can be managed? The truth, if one is to be revealed, should be what the gas/oil pressures actually are. We could be putting a total of 3 holes into this monster. The mind boggles.
I worry a bit less Rocky. A good well plan (which BP did NOT have) and careful attention while drilling should resolve the blowout via the relief wells. Granted in some 6 or more weeks, +/-.
I was in the business for 2 years about 1980, inc. hitches offshore. Even with the high pressures and the deep water this (relief wells)should be "doable".
DoChen,
I agree,relief wells, should alleviate a lot of pressure off the single unit..........maybe to a FAR more manageable level.
I'm sorry but aren't WE the government? This is an attack on our soil that threatens American lives and property. WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????
If WE are the government, it's time to see the proof. All I see are self interested slaves comfy in their cells and psychosis.
"" From the way I read the law we do not have a right to know anything unless...""
The well may be BP's property but they are on government owned land -- the US public owns the land and BP is leasing it...I do not know the particulars & legalities of the lease agreement however, but given that BP has royally f**ked up our property, I would think we have some rights here....
That's actually an interesting question, one I've not seen answered in the media. Is this beyond territorial limits for the US? Looking at the positions of the well, it may very well be in International Waters, which would limit the degree to which the US could in fact do anything.
Well, if it being in international waters limits the US maybe we can find a group that isn't afraid to operate in international waters.
What are the Israelis up to these days? Maybe the could even provide a nuke if it is needed.
I'm not picking a fight. I'm just as outraged as the next guy.
But "we" only have the "rights" we exercise. An unexercised right becomes a privilege in the eye's of the more powerful, to be granted and removed at someone else's whim.
We have a "right" to bear arms. We have a privilege to drive a car on public roads. A right is inalienable and we determine when and if we exercise it. A privilege is always granted and revoked by someone else.
Since the American people (of which I am one) long ago stopped exercising our "rights" all of them have been downgraded to privileges. A perfect example is the right to privacy, to be free from search and seizure, the right to free and open elections, the right to a free press. And so on. Anyone who thinks the above examples are rights needs to explain to me when they were last exercised.
As long as we Americans continue to exhibit a slave mentality where we demand but always back down, we will be given what others think we deserve. So, do we have the right to know what's going on in the GOM? Sure. Now, exercise that right and see what it gets you. We have divided ourselves into 325 million scrabbling individuals fighting over table scraps. When are we going to take our fill from the table?
Right on CD ... right on
I certainly agree that attitudes are the problem and people have been educated to believe government is good when the opposite corresponds to fact. Personally I am completely against anything publicly owned, and this most recent debacle is a prime example why. Government is inherently inefficient, wasteful, coercive, and puts special interests ahead of the public (obviously), and along with all that other stuff we discuss on a regular basis here at 0hedge....
You are suggesting that when a right is not exercised for a period of time that a person no longer has a right to exercise it? I have not owned a gun in 20 years but I plan on owning one again some day...Not sure I agree that just because you don't exercise a right you automatically give it up...you do reserve the right to exercise (a "right") it don't you? Also, don't lump everyone together--there are a lot of people out (Ron Paul supporters???) who do exercise their rights, they just get labeled as lunatics by the left wing....
eccitante, I too had a 'gap' of 20-something years between ownership of guns.
I took the plunge a few months ago and bought a beautiful Saiga AK-47 and a stainless steel 9mm Beretta. And 500 rounds for each.
Go for it while you still can!!!
If you do not have precious metals, get some of them too while they are still available...
...
CD, sometime soon I will tell you about my experience with the On/Off Switch thing in the back of my head you suggested in Chapter 4.
Looking forward to Chapter 5 and how I can liberate myself.
"You are suggesting that when a right is not exercised for a period of time that a person no longer has a right to exercise it?"
No. Please carefully read what I wrote. I never said "we" give up a right if we don't exercise it. "An unexercised right becomes a privilege in the eye's of the more powerful, to be granted and removed at someone else's whim."
Also, what do people care what they are labeled? Oh, now I remember, when people in general believe surface appearance is more important than substance. I agree there are people who are demonstrating. I'm not denigrating them. But I also know plenty of people who do demonstrate yet don't practice what they preach.
I have seen plenty of people mouth off when in a group yet will hold their tongue when with just one or two other people of differing views. I regularly demonstrate and I'm a local activist. Many people who do demonstrate have crowd courage. Personal moral courage is in short supply these days.
mob rules baby...watch the world cup for example.
"Personal moral courage is in short supply these days."
totally agree....
Absolutely agree, personal courage (or lack of) is what's got US in the mess.... and I mean us. While black crap is being leaked into OUR livelihoods, and the masses watch in horror, one man similtaneously is (Wiki) leaking information to the horror of mass security... demonstrating how much of a difference one person can make. Who's got remote control?
Well put as usual CD. It's just so damn scary.
Government owned land?
I'm not sure the public owns the government anymore.
If the problem belongs to the people that own the government, then should Goldman take over?
Yeah I do. Obama, Mr. Transparency, has become the all time leading prosecutor of "leaks."
As far as TPTB are concerned we are entitled to know jack shit, pick the candidates from the dinner plate menu, and pay our tribute; or else.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/us/politics/12leak.html?pagewanted=1&hp
I would have to agree, it is the only logical assumption we can make from all the data and what has been said and lied about. Many of these reservoirs have extensive salt domes and until recently were perceived to be far to dangerous to drill. I did notice how the Norwegians sold off half the interest in Tupi to the Chinese the next day of the BP spill.
So you think that deal was a consequence of the spill - can you imagine all the negotiations going on for such a deal, and the number of people involved, as well as the number of reports, etc., going back and forth? You make it look like they just sold some hot property to some passer by (psst - hey! wanna buy an oil field? it's a steal!). Most likely, in this case, it wasn't the Norwegians that sold, but the Chinese that bought, if you know what I mean.
Maybe this will be the catalyst to re-populate the rustbelt, having been mostly abandoned over the past 30 years by people relocating to the south.
Detroit houses, anyone?
I think many will actually prefer living in oil to Detroit.
The old. If i owned Detroit and oil soaked toxic Florida. I'd live in florida and rent out Detroit.
Cruel and sad -- but true.
LOLOLOLOL!
First laugh of the evening! Thx Gordon!
HILARIOUS. also, oil can't shoot you.
Goodbye East Coast of the United States. It would be only fitting if all the "drill baby drill" morons end up getting drowned in oil.
GG,
This entire fiasco,has been caused by the ECO NAZIS.........
Not the Drill baby drill folks.
The Green Machine FORCED this shit upon the world.....
If it were up to the oil companies, they would still be in a hell of a lot less than 5000' feet of water.Cost's to do this, are astronomical compared to traditional methods.......
This ultimate blame for this will be misplaced.