Deepwater Horizon - Transocean Oil Rig Fire

Offshore
5382

[QUOTE=ExCompanyMan;40305]Listening to it now and the professor (John Smith) mentioned:

  • they actually seem to have done 4 negative inflow tests
  • when they did it correctly (with the cement unit) and an IBOP on the DP they kept on getting flow back and pressure.
  • during the 4th inflow test they started looking at flow and pressure in the kill line. When this was negative (zero pressure and zero flow) they concluded the well was ‘safe’, even though the DP had pressure and flow…
  • the professors thinks that the spacer had somehow gotten into the kill line and gave the false indication.
  • he further concluded the well started to flow during the 2nd inflow test at circa 17.55hrs and that the well flowed until 21.30hrs when the rig finally took action (too late; well should have been closed in at 1800hrs).
  • also stated that 3 key safety components seem to have failed: the cement, casing (hanger or float or casing itself) & BOP.
  • calculations should be made whether the casing hanger moved up under the differential pressure (with no lock down sleeve in place).

Transocean is again a pain and tries to discredit the professor’s report (that studied only the last 24hrs). Said the professor’s report is mainly based on data as outlined in a draft BP report that still needs to be finalised and may still be full of errors, and that some statements in the professors report have since been withdrawn or changed … Also tried to get the professor to state that the casing hanger could have moved up after the negative tests (during the full displacement); he said he had not studied that.

Now 6pm on East Coast and am logging off…[/QUOTE]

re:- during the 4th inflow test they started looking at flow and pressure in the kill line. When this was negative (zero pressure and zero flow) they concluded the well was ‘safe’, even though the DP had pressure and flow…- the professors thinks that the spacer had somehow gotten into the kill line and gave the false indication.Perhaps that was the semi-solid “snot” that resulted from the 2-component mix of “spacer” which was done to permit dumping of otherwise hazardous-waste?