[QUOTE=bnhpr;34625]It wasn’t told to.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=alvis;34842]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]
That makes good sense. You need to divert as much ‘flow’ from the immediate area while landing. But, they may still need a diverter.
A serious suggestion to BP:
Your ROV pilots are continually getting their saws stuck in the kerf while trying to cut the riser hydraulic and Kill/Choke lines off. I realize the lines are highly deformed with residual stresses in them.
Here is a serious recommendation. Have your engineers assess the “lay” of the pipe. Try to determine which side is in tension or compression. Basically determine “how it will fall” when cut through. Start on the tension side and cut about 1/2 or 3/4 through. Now move an inch or inch and a half to the right or left and cut in again at a 30 degree or 45 degree angle. Take a wedge out of the pipe. Let that pie shapped wedge fall out. The resultant angled “hole” will center your blade easily for the remainder of the cut and will alleviate the blade grabbing in the narrow saw kerf. This should speed up this demolition, and lessen saw grabbing and dropping. Also keep from destroying the tension in the blades which induce blade runout.
Think of how we take the wedge out of a tree when felling it. Or if you have a large limb laying across two others on the ground, you don’t cut from the top, because the saw will bind. You wedge the bottom, then saw up from the bottom in the center of the wedge. If you need help visualize, seriously get a tree guy next to the pilot.
Suggestion with all due respect, trying to help you speed this up in a safe way and is based on the observation that your ROV sawing gets 1/2 to 5/8 through usually easily. It is the last 1/3 that is giving you trouble. BTW very, very impressed with your skills with the ROV’s! All the best.
From Kings Point Alumni Newsletter:
[B]GRADUATES ESCAPE FROM DISASTER
[/B]At 9:15PM on April 20th, [B]Darin Rupinski '08 [/B]of Long Beach, NY was asleep when the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) Deepwater Horizon was rocked by a disastrous explosion as it drilled in the Gulf of Mexico. Having completed a 12-hour shift as a “Dynamic Positioning Operator” just four-hours earlier, he ran to the bridge and grabbed some radios, a flashlight, a bullhorn and ran back down to the lowest deck where the lifeboats were stored. Many workers were yelling and screaming, some jumping 70 feet off the rig into the gulf. Rupinski and his supervisor tried to create order utilizing his bullhorn to get people into the boats and stay calm. After about 15 minutes his supervisor’s boat was filled and lowered to the water. After about another 5-10 minutes his boat was filled, including one who was severely injured, and lowered to the water. They motored to a supply vessel that was about a half-mile away. Rupinski, in an interview with a Long Island Newsday reporter, attributed his effective response to this disaster to his training at the Academy and in the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) course and the professional instructors in the Department of Marine Transportation. James Mansfield '00, an engineer aboard the MODU, was severely injured in the explosion and was successfully evacuated from the rig.
Looks like they’re maneuvering he sheer back into position right now.
[QUOTE=penrod80;34838]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…[/QUOTE]
Somebody linked that AIS site in here yesterday. While I have no rhyme for the reason, it was interesting comparing it to mine. http://www.marinetraffic.com was showing some vessels with a lot of lag in where they actually were. Definitely not what you’d call a Real Time position in most of the targets I looked at. In fact, some targets it showed were way off, while others were right on. For what it’s worth, just going by memory last I saw Pat Tillman, it looked to be heading to Fourchon. I think it was yesterday or day before.
[QUOTE=CMA_Decky;34855]Looks like they’re maneuvering he sheer back into position right now.[/QUOTE]
I’m certainly no expert in these mattters but it almost looks like they are trying to use the shear to bend and twist the riser at the spot they have made partial cuts in order to get to snap off.
I think BigMoose had it right earlier with his cutting out a wedge suggestion.
my bet is they use the claw to hold the riser while the band saw cuts it
[QUOTE=jksoft;34859]I’m certainly no expert in these mattters but it almost looks like they are trying to use the shear to bend and twist the riser at the spot they have made partial cuts in order to get to snap off.
I think BigMoose had it right earlier with his cutting out a wedge suggestion.[/QUOTE]
No, they’re going for the full cut. It just started to leak crude. This looks like the section of the riser that’s after the first initial kink, it’s horizontal. Maybe they’re trying to cut the rest of the riser off so that it’s not putting any force on the vertical portion where they’re going to make the cut.
[QUOTE=alcor;34844]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.[/QUOTE]
Yes!
Check this link out
[U]http://energycommerce.house.gov/documents/20100527/BP.Presentation.pdf[/U]
[U][/U]
[U][/U]
[QUOTE=CMA_Decky;34863]No, they’re going for the full cut. It just started to leak crude. This looks like the section of the riser that’s after the first initial kink, it’s horizontal. Maybe they’re trying to cut the rest of the riser off so that it’s not putting any force on the vertical portion where they’re going to make the cut.[/QUOTE]
They are going for it, but they sure seem to be having a rough time with the jaws. I thought they would have tested the shears on the surface on a similar pipe. Anyone know if these shears are regularly used underwater like this or are they a land based tool being repurposed?
EDIT: Of course, as I say that, it looks they have finally managed to sever it completely and the shears have been taken away.
EDIT: If we are lucky we may get to see the diamond wire saw go to work tonight. Its been in place for the better part of the day.
They are mighty blunt for shears…
[QUOTE=jksoft;34865]They are going for it, but they sure seem to be having a rough time with the jaws. I thought they would have tested the shears on the surface on a similar pipe. Anyone know if these shears are regularly used underwater like this or are they a land based tool being repurposed?[/QUOTE]
They just made a major mess and will never get a clean cut or seal now
ROV’s are looking at the diamond saw now. They probably cut the rest of the riser off so that as they finished the cut the riser wouldn’t kick back and splinter the last of the cut.
Here are 3 consecutive screenshots around 5:25 pm Pacific time as a single jpeg. The BYHD operator finally got through the pipe and it dropped down off to the right. It returned to grab the pipe again closer to the riser. (BYHD = big yellow hydraulic doohickey)
[QUOTE=rlanasa;34867]They just made a major mess and will never get a clean cut or seal now[/QUOTE]
They were never planning to do anything with that end of the riser…the cut that really counts is on top of the stack with the wire saw. All dressed up and ready to go…
I’m new here, my search-fu is weak. So, I will be as brief as I can, thereafter I will read a lot and post only a little.
What is the minimum diameter of the riser flow column, starting at the four, (triple redundant?), shutoff valves I saw on a TV animation? What, comparatively, is the flow column size of the recovery pipe they are trying to affix. BTW, I hope the thing is heavy enough and backed up with enough mechanical power to set down on that turbulent blowout.
Has the possibility of explosives been thoroughly discussed in public? Seems it was dismissed early. I pondered a ring of downward directed charges plus one on top might collapse everything down to a sufficient depth to leave only minor leaks, until “relief holes”(-term?), could be deep enough to inject concrete into the original well hole.
These are only the thoughts of a spectator, -we may not know much about all this but we sure do speculate a lot! We have no expert advice to turn to, you see.
Bruce
DWCM is running…
[QUOTE=BruceHinton;34872]I’m new here, my search-fu is weak. So, I will be as brief as I can, thereafter I will read a lot and post only a little.
2. Has the possibility of explosives been thoroughly discussed in public? Seems it was dismissed early. I pondered a ring of downward directed charges plus one on top might collapse everything down to a sufficient depth to leave only minor leaks, until “relief holes”(-term?), could be deep enough to inject concrete into the original well hole.
[/QUOTE]
Even though the explosive option has been generally ruled out by most, I do think your question deserves an answer. Please keep in mind I have no oil or drilling experience, but from a general engineering perspective as well as some experience with fluid mechanics, I think the biggest problem with any sort of explosive is that you run the very real risk of making the problem worse. The BOP currently is at least offering some restriction to the flow of oil. I would think any explosive option would have to take place below the BOP so any failure to completely seal the leak, could actually make the leak much worse as the the restrictions of the BOP would be eliminated.
I also don’t think explosives would be precise enough to the job. Shaped charges can do wonders to for cutting things, but what we need is sealing. I just don’t think the explosive charge could be crafted in such a way as to be certain of any seal whatsoever.
I believe one of the reasons they moved onto this new attempt the LRMP cap, is that they determined that the riser itself wasn’t contributing a significant amount of restriction to the flow, so the risk of making things much worse by cutting it off was within acceptable tolerances. I guess we’re about to find out…
CM1 was right about criminal prosecution… it has started. Criminal/civil: New Orleans News, Talk, Sports Station - WWL-AMFM | WWL Radio
US opens criminal probe of oil disaster
AP Reporting
Attorney General Eric Holder says federal authorities have opened criminal and civil investigations into the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.
Holder would not specify today which companies or individuals might be the targets of the probe. He says federal clean air and pollution laws give him the power to open the investigations.
… snip
There is one thing I will not let be forgotten in this incident: In addition to the extensive costs being borne by our environment and by communities along the Gulf Coast, the initial explosion and fire also took the lives of 11 rig workers. Eleven innocent lives lost. As we examine the causes of the explosion and subsequent spill, I want to assure the American people that we will not forget the price those workers paid.
…snip
If we find evidence of illegal behavior, we will be forceful in our response. We have already instructed all relevant parties to preserve any documents that may shed light on the facts surrounding this disaster. As our review expands in the days ahead, we will be meticulous, we will be comprehensive, and we will be aggressive. We will not rest until justice is done.
[QUOTE=BruceHinton;34872]I’m new here, my search-fu is weak. So, I will be as brief as I can, thereafter I will read a lot and post only a little.
What is the minimum diameter of the riser flow column, starting at the four, (triple redundant?), shutoff valves I saw on a TV animation? What, comparatively, is the flow column size of the recovery pipe they are trying to affix. BTW, I hope the thing is heavy enough and backed up with enough mechanical power to set down on that turbulent blowout.
Has the possibility of explosives been thoroughly discussed in public? Seems it was dismissed early. I pondered a ring of downward directed charges plus one on top might collapse everything down to a sufficient depth to leave only minor leaks, until “relief holes”(-term?), could be deep enough to inject concrete into the original well hole.
These are only the thoughts of a spectator, -we may not know much about all this but we sure do speculate a lot! We have no expert advice to turn to, you see.
Bruce[/QUOTE]
Your “search fu” is actually non-existent.
If you search above in this thread (actually this very page of this very thread), there is a link that bnhpr supplied that describes every little bit of construction of the well. Or at least that part of construction that bp is sharing. However, it is very descriptive and gives all the information you are asking for. Be careful though, it actually requires you to [I]click on it, and read it[/I]. It also has been linked to on almost every single site that discusses this event
For the love of god. Again, this cockamamie idea has been debunked a thousand times on a hundred websites. But, once again, I will debunk it just for you (since you can’t bother to use google to find any of those thousands of threads that debunk this cockamamie idea).
a.). There is nothing TO blow up. What would you have them “blow up”? The casing? How would they get these explosives there? If they could get something in there, don’t you think cement would be better? So should they “blow” the seafloor? Do you understand what the seafloor is? Basically it is the consistency of custurd. What do you think they would accomplish by blowing up pudding with a steel pipe running through it? So, should they drill a well down and blow up the rock that starts thousands of feet down? Well, if they are running a well down (which they are already), why not just, uh, fill the blown out well with cement instead? Oh, wait, [I]that’s the plan![/I]
b.)Even if they 'blew it up" what would that accomplish? So what would they accomplish by exploding the casing? Wouldn’t they just have a bigger, exploded casing? How about exploding the pudding consistency sediments around the casing? You think that’s going to do jack shit, except maybe create more leaks in the casing? Ok, well, how about the rock above the formation, why not explode that? Gee, maybe because you could potentially create a whole area of fractures that would allow the oil and gas to just travel directly to the surface, it wouldn’t even need a well anymore, because now it can just go up all those nice new cracks you’ve created for it with your explosives.
c.) Then there is the real reason why this is not worth discussing, and that is that there is nobody in either bp or the government who is yet dumb enough to buy this as a “solution” that has any potential upside whatsoever.
d.) So, now that we have dispensed (for like the five thousandth time) with why this is just with the most base knowledge a clearly dumb idea, why don’t we talk about something constructive. For example, maybe we could send a shuttle up, and have it go so fast in the opposite direction to the earth’s orbit that the earth starts spinning backward, undoing time to where this even never happened in the first place? Can someone explain why that wouldn’t work? It seemed to work when Superman did it.
Now, does anybody want to know why we don’t just use a nuclear bomb “like the russians did”?