Seems like the cutting blade is removed. I was thinking they were cutting portions of riser off so it wouldn’t spring back when they did the riser cut, but now It looks like they are using this tool to crimp it for some reason.
[QUOTE=CPTdrillersails;34814]Seems like the cutting blade is removed. I was thinking they were cutting portions of riser off so it wouldn’t spring back when they did the riser cut, but now It looks like they are using this tool to crimp it for some reason.[/QUOTE]
The BP technical presentation by Kent Wells said they were going to cut it off. And that they have the riser supported from the surface to help alleviate tension in the riser due to weight when it’s being cut (prevent further damage to the BOP stack).
[QUOTE=charles_oil;34810]The disconnect acts at the interface between BOP and LMRP. This allows the annulars, as well as the control pods and their interfaces to be removed independently.
The riser is left “hanging” with the riser tensioners and slip joint connected.
The BOP is then left with the top rams (bind/ shear) closed, and under “normal” disconnect (e.g. when you have time to plan it) procedure a hanger or drillpipe suspended in the rams below.[/QUOTE]
I remember at least one time being caught by a fast moving hurricane and we did not have the couple of days which were necessary to pull the BOP and riser prior to deballasting to “storm” draft. The decision was made to hang off the drill pipe, shear it, disconnect the LMRP from the BOP, stroke in the Telescoping (slip) Joint, lock it in place, and shift the rig a few hundred feet off location. Everything went as planned and all was where we left it when we returned a few days later. Sure were some relieved expressions on the faces of management when we latched back on the BOP and “caught the fish” on the first attempt. I’m sure that was not something that anybody would recommend doing except in an emergency.
I’ve stood on the edge of “Crater Lake” in Conroe, site of the 1933 Blowout. It’s a small pond (though VERY deep) surrounded by pine trees. There’s no sign of a spill or environmental damage, obviously it’s been decades since the blowout. Completely different situation here but I wonder if the media is grossly exaggerating the environmental effects of the DWH spill.
[QUOTE=company man 1;34807]Pumping Jack, what is worst case scenario in this case, other than the operator being unsafe due to greed & incompetence ? This leads us to a fundamental decision. Will we as a nation isolate & punish the guilty harshly ? Or will we pumish ourselves & our way of life, because after all any one of us could have done what they did? Because America has now had time to think about this & they are staring to wonder is it worth the damage to ourselves that a disaster like this can cause. Therefore I will say again as I have said before, it is my belief, hope, & fervent desire that we pumish those whose disregard for the rules causes this kind of catastrophe, because Quite frankly there will never be a guaranteed way to get Pandora’s box closed once it has been opened.[/QUOTE]
Anyone know what we’re looking at on the live feed? Is this the leak at the top of the BOP?
[QUOTE=alvis;34813]It looked like they went for the cut, possibly wasn’t able to make the cut, backed off, then attempted closure again, and now are backing off one more time.
Edit: now I’m getting a bad feeling… wonder if they can cut one half at a time. Maybe they need to cut a section out of the auxiliary lines so it’s only cutting riser?
Edit 2: time to break out the shaped charges.[/QUOTE]
They must be back at the drawing board. The cutting doesn’t seem to be going as planned. I’m surprised the shears were having trouble with the riser. That wasn’t the part I expected them to have problems with. The cut could have easily been tested on the surface.
Is it something about using the shears at that depth that is causing the problem or was it just tougher to cut through than expected I wonder.
[QUOTE=stevenPensacola;34822]Anyone know what we’re looking at on the live feed? Is this the leak at the top of the BOP?[/QUOTE]Yes, the current view is the top of the BOP where the riser is bent over. Its not quite giving us enough to tell for sure but it looks like they may have the diamond wire saw in front of the cam as well.
The camera is now on the end of the riser. The leak at the end of the riser now has a different profile?
[QUOTE=RDD;34821]I’ve stood on the edge of “Crater Lake” in Conroe, site of the 1933 Blowout. It’s a small pond (though VERY deep) surrounded by pine trees. There’s no sign of a spill or environmental damage, obviously it’s been decades since the blowout. Completely different situation here but I wonder if the media is grossly exaggerating the environmental effects of the DWH spill.[/QUOTE]
Perhaps you will let us know in 2087.
Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t see your straw man standing there.
[QUOTE=RDD;34821]Completely different situation here but I wonder if the media is grossly exaggerating the environmental effects of the DWH spill.[/QUOTE]
You could have a point there… The environmental effects will probably be MUCH WORSE than currently being reported by the media.
At least they’re double-timing it now. Two ROVs with saws cutting.
Is this the riser they are cutting? If so, why no oil leaking out? Are they cutting upstream of where they apparently crimped the riser earlier today?
wonder if a bp engineer installed that rov saw blade backwards. sure don’t cut as good as it has been.
Thanks for all the good info guys.
Question - I’ve been monitoring the AIS from http://www.marinetraffic.com and most of the vessels in the area of DWH are no longer reporting. Skandi Neptune was at the broken end of the riser earlier and I can’t find her under way or anchored <?>. Not sure where the Pat Tillman is but she’s not listed either…
I bet the kids of today would make pretty good ROV pilots…what with their Nintendo/Playstation/etc skills…
Does anyone know if there is more than one pilot per ROV? Is the person running the tools the same person who is driving the vehicle?
[QUOTE=company man 1;34602]I’m down with that. I was brutalized relenlessly for calling for a top kill attempt while they jerked around talking about the top hat when we finally got a look at the flow. If his skin is that thin he doesn’t need to come on here, because he’s gonna get his oil checked. If he is even for real & not the next coming of rlanasa, & he can dish it out then he should be prepared to take on some sound serious questions & have a little patience with other’s opinions of the risks involved. Right now, my greatest concern is for the crew on the rig. Because if they stack enough weight on this thing & it makes a good seal right away, they better be prepared for the pressure comiing immediately & the gas coming in less than an hour.[/QUOTE]
There’s absolutely no way they’re going to just plonk this thing on top and produce to surface. It has to be landed with ‘Diverters’ open which will incorporate a number of Failsafe Valves.
Can it be done? Absolutely. But they may have to install 4 x guidelines to ensure centralisation upon landing. Visibility will be the main problem.
[QUOTE=alcor;34841]There’s absolutely no way they’re going to just plonk this thing on top and produce to surface. It has to be landed with ‘Diverters’ open which will incorporate a number of Failsafe Valves.
Can it be done? Absolutely. But they may have to install 4 x guidelines to ensure centralisation upon landing. Visibility will be the main problem.[/QUOTE]
http://bp.concerts.com/gom/kentwellstechupdatelong053110.htm
Kent, around 08:20 in, talks of another option using the Q4000 and the top kill manifold, which presumably still connect to the choke and kill lines, to capture oil topside.
[QUOTE=bnhpr;34625]It wasn’t told to.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=company man 1;34659]During activities invoved in drilling & completion the driller is suposed to keep an account of where the nearest tool joint is in relation to the shear rams. Unfortunately, they were not either drilling or completing. They were kind of in limbo in between. I remember during my first well control school, the teacher was going through the space out of the BOP assembly & we had a long discussion of the stack configuration. My argument was the need to have a redundant set of shear rams set below the choke & kill lines with a mechanism to have lower shears close last. His argument was that there needed to be communication with the well below the shears after shearing so the well could be pumped in on to get back on it after fixing whatever issues led to shearing off the sting. My argument was if you are in a bad enough situation that you have shear off the pipe at the rams, screw the well, you have to consider the safety of the rig & an uncontrolled blowout. I wonder if his thinking is different now? There is no doubt, if there is one need for dhange in regualtion it shold be that a redundant set of shear rams below everything else to minimize the chances of getting a tool joint caught in your rams while shearing off.
If you are triping in or out of the hole & the well comes in there is no sure fire way to make sure you won’t have a tool joint in the shears unless you have redundant shears.[/QUOTE]
That’s why you use close an Annular…to confirm the Tool Joint position.
The other alternative is to close your Fixed/Variable Rams using lower closing pressure and then increase when correct volumes are confirmed.
These methods are widely used as long as you have control of volumes in the well and recognise a kick/gain.
Bottom line is: if the kick is coming at you so fast and suddenly, the only remaining option is to close what you can as fast as you can. And even though you might be spaced out the force from the well may lift the string, so that, the BSR closes on a TJ.
I believe the Casing Hanger has been ejected from the well and one or two of the BOP functions have been energised. But, the BSR won’t shear or close on a hanger. Flow is restricted, for the time being.
Regards, ‘screw the well’, every Driller has a responsibility to catch these kick ‘signs’. That’s a big responsibility you bear. The well is talking to you and go ahead and shut in when you indicators are there. And, if any Co Man or Toolpusher don’t support this action then they aren’t training their guys.