ROVs working on decapitating riser

[HughMoran]

check it out http://globalwarming.house.gov/spillcam

[lonestarnot]

1. Bunghole Polstice practicing on yet another failure. No thanks, I can't look anymore.

[tridim]

2. Scary stuff..

But something I'll never see again, so I'm watching.

[HughMoran]

3. They have a habit of dropping saws

What's up with that?

[RKP5637]

5. Yeah, I've noticed that before when they were sawing the other day. Maybe

they drop them in disgust...

[HughMoran]

9. knowing how much force a big diameter saw can create when it binds

I think it's torqued out of the ROVs 'hand' - they simply need to take their time sawing!

[RKP5637]

Yep! It looks like tight quarters for the hub on the blade too... from the ROV

camera angle looks to be hitting the pipe.

[HughMoran]

18. At least the blade stays nice and cool

lol

[RKP5637]

24. Yep! LOL !!!

[HCE SuiGeneris]

4. Unleashing the greater Leviathan.

Great.

[Dr Morbius]

15. Not a leviathan. Bigger than that. Much, much bigger.

Angrier, too.

[NYC_SKP]

6. Don't know why that link doesn't work for me, but this one does:

In case I'm not alone in this (wonder if it's a mac vs pc thing)

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.html

:patriot:

[HughMoran]

8. I think it's a Windows Media Player plugin that needed

IIRC

[NYC_SKP]

10. Ah. Thanks.

I'm afraid I'm MS phobic, or just ornery about them.

The other link seems to be live.

I've read that they're using a wire saw to cut through the riser, I didn't realize that inside the riser pipe is another pipe (the drill pipe) that has to go.

It'll be a gusher with those out of the way, hoping that dropping the LMRP will be straightforward.

The cut needs to be pretty smooth and level for the LMRP to mate well with it.

Fingers crossed.

:thumbsup:

[HughMoran]

12. All future plans depend on getting a clean cut

I gotta say, what they are attempting to cut through with this saw is heavy steel - this seems a bit hardcore to me - I hope they know what they are doing.

[Feron]

17. Try this address...

http://mfile.akamai.com/97893/live/reflector:46245.asx?bkup=46260

I'm watching in VLC player.

[HughMoran]

7. Looks like they are attempting to make space for the diamond wire saw

by cutting a slit where the smaller pipes are close to the main riser pipe.

[NYC_SKP]

11. Giant Circular Saw? Wonder what the diameter of that is...

It would have to be around 48" if it needs to cut through 22" diameter riser.

:shrug:

[HughMoran]

13. They are clearing the diameter so the diamond wire saw can be fitted around the pipe

This is merely prep work before they get to decapitating the thing.

[NYC_SKP]

21. Looking forward to seeing how the wire saw works.

:shrug:

[HughMoran]

22. Me too - especially once they cut through one side an the oil starts spewing out

it's going to be a messy job. Will the pipe pop off and go flying when it's severed?

[flamingdem]

Hoping for the best, aware of what could be the worst

The best case for this is that the riser leaks would have given way eventually, and this could work. It surely got the thumbs up from a wide range of scientists and engineers (right?).

The worst case from the doomster on godlikeprod who believes this will let the genie out of the bottle permanently:

--snip
Man this won't be pretty...looks like they are cutting the riser supports...

I believe they intend to use a hydrualic shear to cut the riser away further down, then a diamond cable saw to saw off the riser....when they crip that pipe closed....the leaks will go berserk...

These dumbf***s in charge are insane for allowing this....
--snip

[Karmadillo]

14. Has the Obama Administration given the OK for this?

nt

[RKP5637]

16. Too bad there's no audio feed of what they might be saying as they work, but

I bet a bunch of it would need to be bleeped out.

[HughMoran]

19. sweet - the ring is loose

gonna rip that thing off

[HughMoran]

20. talk about cold-working steel

lol - real cold!

[RKP5637]

23. As someone was just saying here, there's nothing like being under just a

little pressure as you work with just the whole world watching you.

[HughMoran]

25. Arggh! I'm getting so frustrated watching them try to hook the saw onto the rov

[flamingdem]

28. What is the cost of a diamond saw like that?

Just wondering since it doesn't seem that well secured.

[HughMoran]

30. That's not the diamond wire saw

That looked like a carbide tipped circular saw, though it could have something harder in the kerfs, I don't know for sure. The saw to cut the riser used diamond impregnated wire that goes around the pipe and is run like a band-saw.

Note that the circular saw is also attached to the ROV with hydraulic lines, so it can't get too far away (as was seen when they dropped it and picked it back up.)

[RKP5637]

26. Someone ought to set this to music, like in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey." n/t

[RC]

27. Don't worry, someone will.

[RC]

29. What is that light colored thing hanging down from the top on the left side?

Never mind - It's a light. They just turned it on. BP must be reading DU.

[RKP5637]

31. Beats me. A Hoover vacuum cleaner. LOL

[NYC_SKP]

32. ROVs on mandatory robot break.

Per robot union rules?

:shrug:

[RC]

33. Naa, they are letting more oil leak out to relieve the pressure some before they get back to work..

:eyes:

[Gin]

34. how can I enlarge the picture? or can't I?

[RC]

35. Try another of the links above.

[Tesha]

37. "...Brain the size of a planet and here I am, stuck doing carpentry."

[HughMoran]

36. ...back to work

more sawing...