Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

[GRG55]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

Is it even possible to run a bonding log at that stage?...

I can't see any reason why that couldn't be done. But I doubt that anybody would run one unless the pressure tests failed and they needed to work up a remedial cement squeeze program.

I was thinking in terms of whether or not the mud guys were still there to monitor the returns for hydrocarbon presence when they displaced the riser. For that to be effective, I suppose they would need to displace via reverse circulation so as to expose the bottom fluid first.

In a complicated environment/operation such as this, I can see that it comes down to a "best educated guess" decision on what exact cement slurry composition to run then hope it will hold up against the known volatile physical properties of the formation.



A whole lot of these unknowns and edge of the envelope variables, as you've alluded to earlier, are reasons for the extent of redundant safety systems, checks and re checks. Since the BOP is in reality a backup mechanism, my overlying implication here stems from the notion that the best way to avoid a disaster like this is to try like heck to avoid it from happening in the first place. Much easier said than done of course.

A lot of wells have been drilled in the Gulf of Mexico over the years so there's probably a lot less "best guessing" than in the less developed basins in other places in the world [deepwater offshore Brazil might be an example of the latter].

I certainly wouldn't disagree with your observation that it's better to avoid the problems in the first place. But at the moment the focus is rightly on killing the well and, until that occurs, doing everything possible to mitigate the effects of the flow. We can be quite certain that every BOP expert in the world [including those from other oil companies] is working to figure out a way to close them, and BP won't stop trying any time soon. The reason that BP is going to drill two relief wells is that any failure of the first relief well, no matter how unlikely, is intolerable in this situation...so a redundant relief well will be underway about one week behind the first one.

In due course there will be an investigation and that's when we will find out if there was some deviation from procedures, or if the procedures themselves contain any previously unrecognized systemic shortcomings.

[strittmatter]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

...20 hours is typical, there's nothing unusual about that aspect in this well.

I see. State regs (Texas) require us to stand down for 72 hours after cementing the liner casing on a public supply drinking well.

I ask these offshore/deepwater questions because our water well industry, for the most part, still utilizes various dated methods and technologies (which remain sufficient for our scaled-down onshore applications) that were developed in the oilfield many years ago.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

btw, I have been trying to write my posts so that they can be understood by any iTulper, but if I fall short people shouldn't hesitate to point that out, as you have. It's not that difficult for me to fall into the habit of using industry jargon and acronyms.

Bless you, GRG55, and thanks for your careful replies. Your posts have been the first ones I go to these last few days. Good stuff. Thank-you.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

thriftyandboringinohio[/B]]Attached is a scholarly paper titled "Mud removal and cement placement during primary cementing of an oil well, Part 2; steady-state displacements", from the Journal of Engineering Mathematics.

Interesting paper - thanks. I was reminded why I was a poor student in my partial differential equations class.

[thriftyandboringinohio]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

Interesting paper - thanks. I was reminded why I was a poor student in my partial differential equations class.

I don't believe I ever studied partial differential equations in any serious way; the last required class in my curriculum was ordinary differential equations. I took one class beyond that as an elective, a graduate level linear algebra class. That cured me of advanced mathematics to this day.

I posted the paper for two reasons. First, it presents some basic info about cementing that is understandable and interesting. Second, one need not follow the math to get some sense of how advanced the research is into just this narrow specialty of drilling. By extension we can gain some appreciation for the level of serious science involved in the many aspects of offshore drilling operations.
This stuff is WAY hard.

[Starving Steve]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

On my prep period at a California middle school where I am filling-in for a teacher, my take on this so-called disaster is that the eco-frauds don't have much of a case. As any native of California knows, oil and tar are a natural part of the marine environment and do little harm to anyone or anything.

And yes, I do own stock in BP, so my viewpoint may be slightly influenced by my stock. But I do remember swimming in California's surf as a kid, and tar balls and oil slime were part of the fun of swimming. The tar and oil leaks up from the bottom of the sea, even in areas of the California coast without oil wells.

We need oil drilling, whether BP does the drilling or not. And so we had better change our (repugnant) righteous attitude against exploitation of the Earth's resources. Mankind will solve the problem with oil leaks and oil blow-outs at great depth, just as mankind has solved prior technical problems in all fields.

Oil leaks are not a disaster to the marine environment, anywhere.

And one more point: There was hardly a trace of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill, just two years after the so-called "disaster". The rocks along the shoreline in Alaska were slightly dis-coloured, and that was about it. The marine environment disolves oil spills naturally, thank you.

Starving Steve

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

I posted the paper for two reasons. First, it presents some basic info about cementing that is understandable and interesting.

Yup .

[leegs]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

GRG55 I just have to say how very much your contributions here are appreciated, in terms of general discussion, but especially on matters related specifically to oil and gas, and especially especially in relation to the current crisis.

[flintlock]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

Oh how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that classroom today. Did you discuss your views about the spill with the class?

[flintlock]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

GRG55 I just have to say how very much your contributions here are appreciated, in terms of general discussion, but especially on matters related specifically to oil and gas, and especially especially in relation to the current crisis.

Ditto. I've learned a lot about oil drilling and the oil business I never knew. Most people have no earthly idea how the heck the process works. Amazing technology.

Did anyone see Fox news interviewing T Boone Pickens about the spill this morning? The interviewer said something to the effect of " Why don't they just cap it, is it really that complicated?" Pickens just sort of winced and said, " Yes, yes it is". Shows how really clueless most people are. It's a mile underwater numbnuts!

[Slimprofits]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

Haliburton = "Chinese, as in Chinese Drywall" Deep Water Oil Well Cementing????

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may...ation-20100501

May 01, 2010|By Margot Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times

Halliburton has been accused of performing a poor cement job in the case of a major blowout in the Timor Sea off Australia last August. An investigation is underway.

[swgprop]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

I found this pic of a BOP stack via a post on Yves Smith's blog...for those that have never seen something like this before it may help put in perspective why so many of us with industry experience watching this want to understand what could possibly have gone wrong that not one single set of rams on the BOP stack can be closed. The probabilities of a complete failure of all the BOPs at the same time is incredibly low...but that seems to be what has happened, and at the worst possible moment. It's like a skydiver with not one but several reserve chutes finding none of them work...

I found this graphic helpful in understanding the complexities involved:

http://media.nola.com/news_impact/ot...use-050710.pdf

[GRG55]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

I found this graphic helpful in understanding the complexities involved:

http://media.nola.com/news_impact/ot...use-050710.pdf

I take issue with the statement on the graphic that "the cement failed". What exactly failed downhole [and why] is not yet known.

[metalman]

Re: Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher

On my prep period at a California middle school where I am filling-in for a teacher, my take on this so-called disaster is that the eco-frauds don't have much of a case. As any native of California knows, oil and tar are a natural part of the marine environment and do little harm to anyone or anything.

And yes, I do own stock in BP, so my viewpoint may be slightly influenced by my stock. But I do remember swimming in California's surf as a kid, and tar balls and oil slime were part of the fun of swimming. The tar and oil leaks up from the bottom of the sea, even in areas of the California coast without oil wells.

We need oil drilling, whether BP does the drilling or not. And so we had better change our (repugnant) righteous attitude against exploitation of the Earth's resources. Mankind will solve the problem with oil leaks and oil blow-outs at great depth, just as mankind has solved prior technical problems in all fields.

Oil leaks are not a disaster to the marine environment, anywhere.

And one more point: There was hardly a trace of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill, just two years after the so-called "disaster". The rocks along the shoreline in Alaska were slightly dis-coloured, and that was about it. The marine environment disolves oil spills naturally, thank you.

Starving Steve

i eat tar balls for breakfast. oil is good for wildlife. the exxon valdez spill was nothing. the wildlife enjoyed the oil & tar balls as much as i did...








couple of dark rocks...



etc, etc...

[Rajiv]

Oil spill update May 7

Oil spill update May 7

by Rick Munroe

1. Relief wells

Yesterday's update from Rigzone (link below, #3) indicates that the first relief well is already 2,000 ft below the sea floor (16,000 more to go...).

A second rig is also about to start drilling.

The time-line for both remains in the 60-90 day range.

2. Containment dome/cofferdam

The first cofferdam arrived yesterday morning, will need about 48 hours for lowering, and is expected to be operational by Monday.

Cold water temperature and extreme pressure are both significant challenges, and this article describes how BP plans to overcome them:

Cofferdam Heads to Wellsite

3. "Top Kill"

This strategy was announced yesterday and involves reconfiguring the existing damaged blowout preventer (BOP).

If successful, it would stop the flow permanently within two weeks.

This Rigzone article does not mention what the risks of this strategy may be: it sounds like a battle of competing (and very considerable) pressures, which should have some inherent risks.

Hayward: 'Top Kill' Might Seal Leaking Well Sooner

This Upstream Online article gives further details of the “BOP brain surgery.”

BP carries out 'BOP brain surgery'

4. Previous BOP trouble

This Upstream Online article describes Transocean’s investigation of a “BOP issue” earlier this year off the coast of India:

Transocean admits India BOP 'issues'

5. Dispersants

This sensible caution from a bioremediation expert at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was issued three days ago:

Caution Required for Gulf Oil Spill Clean-Up, Bioremediation Expert Says

This Upstream Online article provides some details on the dispersants which are being used (as well as other good info):

Reid backs upping spill penalty to $10bn