BP completes the first of three containment domes. (Plans to emplace all 3 by this weekend).

[Statistical]

Bill Salvin, a company spokesman, said that crews had finished building a containment dome, a 4-story, 70-ton structure that the company plans to lower into place over one of the three leaks to catch the escaping oil and allow it to be pumped to the surface. Two more domes would be completed today, Salvin said, and crews hoped to install all three domes by the weekend. “That will essentially eliminate most of the issues you have with oil in the water,’’ he said.

...

The company was also trying to install a shutoff valve at the site of one of the three leaks. But according to David Nicholas, a BP spokesman, after the stormy weather of the weekend, the seas at the site had still not calmed enough by midafternoon for the valve mechanism to be hoisted safely out of a support ship.

...

Fryar and Charlie Holt, BP’s drilling operations manager for the Gulf, described an audacious plan to confront the blowout preventer problem. In this approach, they would seal the well by cutting the riser at the wellhead, sliding a huge piece of equipment called the riser package out of the way, and bolting a second blowout preventer atop the first one.

The risk in such a maneuver — which would be performed by robotic submersibles tethered to ships 5,000 feet above — is that the pressure of the oil rising from the well could be overwhelming, and the well could gush oil at a far higher rate.

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/05/04/bp_completes_first_of_three_containment_domes/

So looks like there are 5 plans to reduce/stop flow of oil:
1) Close valve on damaged/inoperable BOP - failed
2) Install valve on at least one of the leaks - not started due to heavy seas, would only reduce oil flow
3) Lower 3 containment domes over the 3 leaks - temporary solution but could significantly reduce oil flow
4) Replace damaged BOP with new BOP - dangerous because is it fails the flow of oil could increase significantly
5) Drill relief well to seal leaking well with concrete - permanent solution but will take 90 days to complete

I hope the containment domes work. They aren't a permanent fix and they aren't water tight so oil will still leak but if 80%-90% of oil could be pumped directly into ships that would be a substantial reduction in sheet volume of oil gushing into Gulf.

Having the flow reduces from 5000bpd to say 500 to 1000 bpd as early as this weekend would be a huge mitigation.

[Botany]

1. I hope they work

n/t

[BeFree]

6. The sooner the better. Like last week would have been good.

[Botany]

8. They didn't have 'em last week the domes are being built now

This technology has never been tried before.

[Statistical]

15. Well it has been tried just not at this depth.

In anticipation of Katrina dozens of wells that were not complete were capped with these domes.

Still doing something 5000ft down with robots is a lot more challenging that doing something 200ft down with group of divers.

[BeFree]

17. What?

A steel box with a pipe has never been tried before?

So, in one week the engineers had a light bulb go off in their heads and then this steel box with an outlet was invented, drawn up, and built?

The plans have been there all this time. They just couldn't see a profit in building one before now.

[Turborama]

36. This is what the steel boxes they've cobbled together look like....

Looks like something out of a 1950s sci-fi B movie.

[NJmaverick]

2. This is the smart way to go about dealing with the problem

when you have an emergency like this you should never put your eggs in one basket. Rather you attack the problem from multiple directions until it's solved.

[Statistical]

4. #4 scares me though.

I mean what happens if they cut equipment off wellhead and try to install new riser stack and BOP and.... ooops pressure is too great. Now they are stuck with a geyser that is 10x current flow rate. I think #4 should only be a last resort. Like if something happens and riser is torn completely lose and flow rate increases to 50,000 bpd. At that point why not try for the Hail Mary right?

On edit: just thought of something. I know why BP likes #4.

A new riser stack and BOP would convert this problem into a functioning well..... if it works. I mean without #4 the goal is to drill relief well (not cheap) and then cement leaking well. Well that solves the disaster but now BP has no well. So they spend even more money to build another well. #4 is a "shortcut" stops the flow and turns it into a profitable $$$ well.

[NJmaverick]

11. i think #4 is best considered as a back up plan

but you need to have multiple back up plans in place, as nothing is a sure thing.

[Statistical]

12. Agreed.

I mean if they lose control of the wellhead the max flow rate could be as much as 50,000 bpd. At that point there is little risk for trying #4 because it is as bad as it is going to get.

[Subdivisions]

37. Count me among those hoping this will work. n/t

[BeFree]

5. No. It is not.

They didn't have a fire boom ready to deploy.

They didn't have one of these 'domes' ready to deploy.

They are way behind. That is why we have this problem.

Their way is NOT the smart way.

This is like closing the barn doors AFTER the horse has escaped.

[Statistical]

7. Exactly. Regulation should require all that to already be onsite.

Especially during the most dangerous part of the project.

Of course part of the blame is with govt. The govt should EXPECT that companies will ALWAYS take the easiest/shortest/fastes/most profitable route.

Hence they should pass regulations for anything that is necessary not hope companies do the right thing.

[NJmaverick]

10. I saw the fire boom meme over at Drudge

Funny that you would be pushing it for Matt

[tbredbeck]

14. Not Drudge.

I first saw the fire boom report here: http://blog.al.com/live/2010/05/fire_boom_oil_spill_raines.html

There is a lot to be said about the complete lack of a plan B for failure of the BOP. They had pretty much nothing ready to go in case of a lost well.

[NJmaverick]

19. That's the Drudge link

[tbredbeck]

40. Fine, but that doesn't mean somebody's pushing it for Drudge.

[bridgit]

23. Welcome to DU, but I think the odd part of that meme is this, "The problem: The federal government..

"...did not have a single fire boom on hand." According to the Cheney energy policy, Bush family laissez faire war profiteering, and RW Tea Bagging capitalism the Fed Gov is not to have any infringements upon the private sector, because the private sector knows all there is to know about stuff or so they say. Why should the Fed Gov have to deploy fire booms to a BP/Halliburton operation they've been told & legislated to stay away from? Why shouldn't BP/Halliburton have been ready to deploy fire booms as a power point in the 'environmental/operational response' tab of their glossy offering? Cause I know I just answered my question: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/halliburton-may-be-culpri_n_558481.html




edit: laissez faire

[bridgit]

16. This catastrophe marched right past the fire boom option like it wasn't even there

[BeFree]

21. There was no fireboom

They could have wrapped the area with a fireboom and begun burning the oil day two.

There was a fireboom somewhere in Indiana. It took awhile to get it down there.

Bad planning all the way around. Just like bushco, eh?

[FightingIrish]

3. “That will essentially eliminate most of the issues you have with oil in the water,’’ he said.

What is he talking about? The crap already in the water will magically go away?

[kentauros]

31. I was just thinking that as I read it, too.

He's likely thinking only of the oil at the source, conveniently "forgetting" what's already in the surrounding waters. Honestly, some of these oil execs/PR people just don't know how to talk, much less talk to their engineers before opening their traps.

[Beetwasher]

9. Man, I Hope This Works

n/t

[bridgit]

13. Interesting - hubby said they'd be doing something along these lines...

as he watched the severity unfold. But wondered after watching no answers come forward; why gulf energy producers didn't have maybe a half dozen sitting round nearby just in case

[Dappleganger]

18. Because politicians trust corporations to police themselves and protect the public.

But that's only true for residents of Lala Land.

[jdlh8894]

20. Nearby? In the middle of the Gulf?

LMFAO!!!!!

[Statistical]

22. Yeah it would be utterly insane for one of the 2 dozen support ships in the area ...

to have a containment dome ready to deploy.

I mean we put a man on the moon but is is impossible to have a metal box sitting on support ship as a backup.

[bridgit]

25. Pft, I'm serious, friend, some people are way too dumb *for* dumb

As for the moon? Well, I know how we got there and feel great empathy for those that don't :cry:

[jdlh8894]

28. I'm sorry

2 DOZEN Support ships??? Where in the cathair did you get that info? It took a CG choppers 45 min to get there to rescue people on lifeboats and surrounding waters.The only support ship was a supply and mud mover. EOM

[Statistical]

30. There was only 1 support ship in the entire gulf with 4,000 rigs?

Really?

Nearby doesn't mean it would have to be sitting 12 feet from the rig.
Also you don't really need 1 dome for every rig in operation unless they all are going to blowout at the same time.

Still a deep water dome somewhere in the general vicinity (built and ready to deploy within hours) might be a good idea.

If they don't have enough ships to do that (which I doubt) then that is the point they SHOULD have more ships, more safety, more support equipment, more contingency plans, more backups, more redundancy.

[bridgit]

24. Have you seen the gulf? Do you know anything about it? Cause now is not the time...

To be a smart-ass. Materiels are prepositioned all around that region as it is known quite by many if not you - to be a region steeped in energy extraction. Its silly to be silly about this shit. Don't tell me you think battleship repair components are stowed somewhere in the Dakotas? Don't tell me you think concrete septic tanks rain the from sky. Cause I'll take you to a place where they are stacked up/preformed and ready for install - come on

[jdlh8894]

27. Guess I should have added this

:sarcasm: Sorry to have upset you. My apology.

[backscatter712]

26. Let's hope the containment domes do their job.

If things go right, they can mitigate this mess long enough to permanently solve the problem with the relief well.

[Echo In Light]

34. "Commence with Operation: "Soaring Eagle!"

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[walldude]

32. "The company was also trying to install a shutoff valve"

Gee maybe they ought to have done that when they built the fucking thing... :crazy:

[kentauros]

33. The problem is that you can't put drill pipe through a valve.

It just doesn't work that way. Unless your intent is to ruin your equipment...

[Statistical]

35. Welll the BOP is a valve. A complex valve but still a valve.

Why not have a BOP and a backup BOP.

Why not construct the ocean floor riser complex such that you have a BOP on ocean floor and a small tower of say 100ft and then a second BOP. Two BOP inline to provide redundancy.

Relying on a single system to prevent a failure is utterly stupid.

Jet engines rarely fail but jets are designed so they can be landed with only a single engine. Why do you think that is?

If the oil industry built airliners they would only have a single engine and the answer would be "well they rarely fail".

[kentauros]

39. Actually, in the world of pipes, a BOP is not a valve.

A shut-off mechanism, certainly, but it simply isn't a valve. I know some in the industry call it a "valve" but its purpose is permanent instead of reusable like a normal valve. I was merely answering with the information given. Putting drill pipe through a shut-off mechanism is done because it isn't a valve in the 'normal' sense and a BOP is designed to allow drill pipe access through it.

And I'm hardly the one to ask "why" on everything else. Have you tried emailing BP instead?

[SidDithers]

38. The domes are a measure to control the oil only...

they will allow the oil to be collected near the source, and pumped out to offsite storage.

Here's hoping the damn things work at depth.

Sid

[chill_wind]

41. kick.

Let's hope something starts working.