A relief well must be completed that will seal the ruptured well that was the source of the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. BP had suggested the relief well might be used to pump oil, given that the static kill which stopped the leak last month is holding fast. The “bottom kill” conducted from the relief well may not be necessary was also suggested by Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration’s director of the oil spill response. Nevertheless he confirmed Friday that the bottom kill would proceed accordingly after pressure tests were conducted on the well.
Thad Allen – relief well the only permanent solution
Over the last week BP vacillated on its commitment to pump cement through the relief well for the bottom kill. The New York Times reports that tests were conducted by BP and government scientists to confirm the success of pumping heavy mud and cement—known as a static kill—into the Macondo well. The tests appear to show the static kill fully sealed the well. Thad Allen said that as outlined by BP estimates, about 1,000 barrels of oil remains trapped in the well. Work on the relief well will continue until the gusher is permanently plugged, the government said.
Static kill unknowns
After completion of the static kill, BP engineers knew cement had plugged the well’s metal casing pipe. However, it couldn’t be determined for certain whether the cement had reached the annulus–the space separating the pipe from the well bore. As outlined by the tests, The Los Angeles Times reports that tests show the leak totally sealed by the mud and cement pumped through the well’s blowout preventer. Allen said the relief well needed to be the final step because it could not be guaranteed that the static kill would close all the possible paths for oil to leak from the well.
Relief well homes in on tiny target
The first of two relief wells started being drilled within the first week of May. The Associated Press reports that since then, the drill has been guided some three miles from the surface and two miles beneath the sea floor to within 30 to 50 feet of the target. The drill, about as wide as a grapefruit is round, is pursuing a target less than half the diameter of a dartboard. It’s yet unclear when it might be finished.
Additional reading
New York Times
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Los Angeles Times
latimes.com
Associated Press
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