THis Top Kill thing looks like a lost cause.

[LeftyAndProud60]

Seems to be a lot more black stuff coming up again.

[HughMoran]

1. again?

It never stopped. They've not been able to get enough pressure to push the mud down into the well - at least not yet. They seem like they are failing :(

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[CoffeeCat]

3. I have no engineering training..

...but I would think, that if this was going to work--it would have
all ready worked. They keep stopping, which totally leaves them
at square one. I understand the principle behind Top Kill. You
ram enough mud and gunk in there, and it will clog the leak. There
is a slow cumulative effect, and in theory, the mud/junk stop the
flow.

However, they've stopped twice to check the pressure--and we're
still seeing flow. And it looks like oil.

Again, I'm out here in the cheap seats, but I imagine the more
time that passes means the greater the chances that this method
fails.

[Jamastiene]

5. I agree.

It does look like they are trying to plug the leak now, which is a change from what it seemed was happening before, but it doesn't look like it's really working. I understand the concept, but I'm not hopeful from what I've seen and read. Fingers crossed. Who knows? Maybe they'll hit on some idea that will work.

[TransitJohn]

4. Well, it's hard when you have hoses through 5000ft of water to

exert enough ECD to equilibrate formation pressure....it takes bigger mud pumps than are probably on whatever barge or ship they're performing the operation from.

[edgineered]

6. The attempt has failed

NYT reports a few minutes ago: BP engineers failed again to plug the gushing oil well on Saturday, a technician working on the project said, representing yet another setback in a series of unsuccessful procedures the company has tried a mile under the sea to stem the flow spreading into the Gulf of Mexico.
“Right now, I would not be optimistic,” the technician, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the effort.

[LeftyFingerPop]

7. The way I understand this...

It should be similar to a total clog developing in your bathroom sink drain.

You know how the soap scum slowly builds around the circumference of the pipe, making the opening smaller until it eventually closes?

That being said, you would think we would be seeing a gradual slowing of the flow if the mud were clinging to the inside.

I do not think we are seeing that, and what I am envisioning is the force of the oil simply blowing the mud out.

[charlesg]

8. Time for another top hat, or whatever