Where are the SUBS?

[nadinbrzezinski]

We've heard this over and over and over again.

Here you go...

http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=2

What you see there are ROV arms... I can't tell what they are doing. Just that they are, and I suspect they are setting this for the top kill attempt.

Now this is just to point out that unfortunately what you are seeing there is highly technical, proprietary technology.

Now my view... we will not see anything UNTIL a relief well is drilled.

I fear this will do no difference anyway, but hey...whatever

[Ozymanithrax]

1. Relief wells are a time tested remmedy that fix blowouts...

They are, in fact, the only real remmedy. All the other stuff are stop gap measures to slow the man made asphalt volcano in the gulf.

As long as they don't make the same mistake they did before, and remove all of the heavy drill mud, there should be no problem.

[Oregone]

3. Then why don't they pre-drill them?

And somehow cap them, just as a fall back safety measure


This does create another potential point of failure, but is it that volatile if unused with all other safety measures in place?

[Statistical]

5. Well predrilling them would be very hard (given they need to drill into main well)

but I think the government should look into forcing them to partially drill them. If they need to drill down say 35,000 ft. No reason why you can't have a relief well partially drilled to say 30,000ft.

Right? If they had been partially drilled the relief wells could have been completed 2 weeks ago and the well sealed a few days later.

[Ozymanithrax]

11. Blow outs are rare. Blow out preventers were designed to solve what...

at one time was a common problem. Blowout preventers usually do the job and blowouts only happen when a serious of monumentally stupid fuckups occur. That pretty much describes the whole operation put on by BP.

However, the blowout preventer in this one, as I have read, was not the most modern, and not actually designed to work in the conditions. From what I've read, BP performed a number of "cost saving" actions that led to this. They also did some stupid stuff, such as pumping out the heavy mud used to keep wells form blowing out, thinking that there would be enough weight of water.

Finally, drilling a relief well costs the same as drilling the original well, and the tolerances are much tighter because they have to drill into a narrow shaft about 2 feet cross at the depth of one mile.. It would require two drill ships, at sea, and two drilling rigs on land. Since blowouts are very rare, doubling the cost of the well, it is probably considered prohibitively expensive and pointless since almost all of them would never be used.

What they should do is ban drilling deep wells, or if they must drill, require oversight by agencies with real power to punish the offenders.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. And start by breaking up hte MMS, which they are

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. And it takes months to set for one

I think the WH is cumming to that conclusion too. I will be pleasantly surprised if the top kill works quite honestly.

[Ozymanithrax]

12. This is another stopgap measure that might work.

At least they are not going to nuke the well as the Russians are reported to have suggested.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Due to the depths it might come to that

they apparently did that on one of their wells.

[Ozymanithrax]

18. Even that wouldn't be quick.

I mean, just putting the nuke at the bottom of the ocean on top of the well would create a gigantic fall out problem.

They would need to drill a well shaft and bury the bomb at some depth, like they do for nuclear tests, and let the natural subsidence after a burst destroy the subterranean architecture.

I don't think there are any quick fixes.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. Nope, based on the Ixtoc I

the window is 9 months at the earliest, at this point I'd say 12, given they have not started any of that actual work.

[Submariner]

2. That is not an oil "LEAK".....it is an oil GUSHER under high pressure

Just for clarification.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. I know that said a lot of folks

here claim that there are no subs on site. Well very technically they are correct, there are no subs, but these are ROVs.

As you know these are ROV's not technically subs. And as you also know... Alvin, which can go to those depths, don't have the arms we are seeing there to manipulate crap at incredible pressures.

just trying to set some of the record, which is impossible on this site anyway.

Hold it... WE ARE GONNA DIE! dominates and the damage is\will be horrific... but that is far from... life on earth will end because of this. We want to discuss this in combination with everything else that is leading to the sixth great mass extinction, sure... but it is not because of this.

[HughMoran]

4. ...but what about the busses?

:rofl:

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Sorry, can't help you there son

:hi:

[HughMoran]

9. remember the NOLA busses?

same location, different mode of transportation :D

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Ah that mess

there were so many errors that should not have been made. They did have a dry run a year before, if you want to talk of on purpose lack of action

:-)

[Canuckistanian]

15. Ah yes, those shiny, shiny busses

They were the only hope for LA. But that mean Ray Nagin wouldn't use them.

It's a travesty, I tells ya.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

13. The technology for 18,000 ft intercepts has never been tested.

We are at a pivotal point. If the top kill is ineffective, the relief wells are still an unknown quantity. Success with the top kill is really a dire need.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Relief wells is what usually works

the Ixtoc I took nine months... and it was pretty deep too. That is my frame of reference for this mess... all the way to the mud and gas coming up and nasty explosion.

This brings us to the next problem... peak oil. We are there, not that anybody will scream it from the rafters. Why? The risk

reality is... we will NEVER get all the oil out... it comes a point when it becomes prohibitive.

[Karenina]

22. Just hoping the attempt doesn't make things worse...

Relief wells work. They also take time.

[slackmaster]

19. I just ate one from Vic's deli

It was pretty good.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. You are the guy on the Time Warner's commercial

I KNEW IT!