Gulf oil spill: Well gushing after cap is removed [Updated]

The containment cap BP had placed over its blown-out well was removed by an undersea robot vehicle, and the oil company was working to place it again. U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, incident commander for the Deepwater Horizon disaster, said BP feared methane hydrates were coming through the pipe leading from the cap to surface vessels, and the cap was removed out of "an abundance of caution."

BP also found that one of the vents of the cap had been closed, possibly due to a bump from one of the remotely operated vehicles hovering around the well. The cap, or LMRP, was installed June 5, and added equipment was attached June 16, according to BP statements.

[Updated at 9:48 a.m.: Allen said workers noticed earlier Wednesday that a "kind of a gas" was rising through a vent that normally carries warm water down to the cap to prevent the formation of sludgy, crystal-like hydrates, which can prevent the flow of oil.

"Out of an abundance of caution ... they moved the containment cap with the riser pipe and moved away so they can assess the condition," Allen said.

Allen said workers were checking the containment cap to see if hydrates had formed in it. If not, he said, they would attempt to reinstall the cap and continue collecting oil later Wednesday. However, he said, if hydrates were found, the process of clearing the equipment -- and the timeline for reinstalling the cap -- "will take a considerable amount longer."

The damaged Deepwater Horizon well is leaking 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil per day into the gulf. The containment cap -- which collects the oil and sends it to the surface via a fixed pipe -- is one of two systems that have been operating concurrently while a separate system is being constructed that eventually will be able to take up all of the leaking oil, and will be less prone to hurricane damage. At the same time, two relief wells are being drilled in an attempt to permanently stuff the well far below the seafloor.

On Tuesday, the two existing systems took up more than 27,000 barrels of oil, Allen said. While the containment cap system is being studied, the second system will continue to collect some oil and gas and flare it off on the deck of a ship. But this system can take up a maximum of 10,000 barrels per day, while the cap system had the capacity to take up 18,000 barrels per day.]

Live video of the site is available here.

-- Geoff Mohan and Richard Fausset

Comments

[greg]

Funny thing. Even though they've been shown to be liars, I still trust BP more than I trust the LAT.

[MattBeezle]

Why is it that BP says something completely different. This is directly from BP's website

"This morning at approximately 0845 CDT a discharge of liquids was observed from a diverter valve on the drillship Discoverer Enterprise....."

".....has been moved off the Deepwater Horizon’s failed blow-out preventer (BOP) to ensure the safety of operations and allow the unexpected release of liquids to be analysed."

Seems like there might be something bigger going on here, and not just an accidental bump by an ROV.

[Greg Maragos]

A precisely-placed tactical nuclear explosion would turn the surrounding sand and rock into molten glass, effectively sealing the leak permanently.

[kgoddess]

Onother screw-up!?!?! The Bell is right, give me the DMV any time!

[BreakingNewsBlog.us]

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THE [OLD ,WRONG, BAD AND NEARLY USELESS] WELLHEAD "CAP" HAS BEEN REMOVED !!!!
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AND NOW THE OIL FLOWS IN THE OCEAN AT 4,000 BARRELS PER HOUR !!!!
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SEE THE BP LIVE VIDEO HERE: http://www.deepwaterbp.com/
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STOP the oil spill NOW: http://bit.ly/c8y9GX
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[Benny Hodge]

I have a way to stop the leak if I could get someones attention on the issue -- I have worked in a paper mill for over 43 years and I am a predictive maintenance employee, fixing to retire. The method I would use would be made of 1" steel plate and be shaped like an umbrella with hinged wings that when inserted into the open pipe is spring loaded to open the plates against the inside walls of the pipe. The internal pressure of the well would keep pressure on the opened inverted umbrella plates that are now wedged to the inside of the pipe, and this would stop the leak. I would need to get with the engineering design on this issue. I am ready for this leak to be stopped.

[stevor]

From reading the first paragraph, it seems we're now TRULY in trouble because non-manned robot vehicles are attacking humans by removing the oil well cap. Oh, there somebody was manning it and THAT person removed it by mistake or on purpose? That sounds even worse, if BP has that sort of thing happening.

I'm truly glad that Barry Soetoro (aka Barack Obama) is in control, though.

[Aaron]

BP and the Department of Energy are looking desperate to fix this problem and based on this e-mail from the DOE asking for suggestions, I don't think that they have too much going for them right now. http://thegreenertruth.com/2010/06/doe-asks-for-suggestions-on-how-to-stop-oil-spill/

[I don't get it]

"[Update 9:48 a.m.: Allen said workers noticed earlier Wednesday that a "kind of a gas" was rising up through a vent that normally carries warm water down to the cap to prevent the formation of sludgy, crystal-like hydrates, which can prevent the flow of oil."

Isn't that the whole point of the cap ? To prevent oil from leaking out anymore? I don't get it.

[Honestrob]

why is there no backup cap? they will need more than one when hurricane season comes...

[The Bell]

If this is BP operating at the pinnacle of private-sector corporate efficiency, give me the DMV any day.