A relief well being drilled to add a second seal to the broken BP well that caused the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico must be completed. BP, in hopes of using the relief well to eventually pump oil, had raised the idea the static kill which stopped the flow of oil last month may be good enough as a permanent solution. That the “bottom kill” conducted from the relief well may not be necessary was also suggested by Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration’s director of the oil leak response. After pressure tests on the well, he confirmed Friday that the bottom kill from the relief well would proceed as planned.
Thad Allen – well not plugged until relief well is finished
Saying only that it can be put to use one way or one more, BP refused to commit to pumping cement down the relief well for the bottom kill in recent days. The New York Times reports that to confirm that pumping heavy mud and cement to the Macondo well plugged the leak, BP and government scientists performed test on the well. The static kill fully sealed the well as evidenced by the tests. Thad Allen said that some oil — maybe 1,000 barrels, according to BP estimates — was still trapped within the well. The government said work on the relief well will continue until the gusher is permanently plugged.
Static kill – no guarantees
When the static kill was complete, BP engineers were assured that cement had plugged the metal casing pipe within the well. They didn’t know if cement had also plugged a space between the pipe and the well bore called the annulus. The Los Angeles Time reports that the tests indicate mud and cement poured to the top of the well and appear to have totally sealed the leak. Because it’s uncertain that the static kill has closed all the possible paths for the leak, Allen said the relief well must be the final step.
Relief well closes in on target
Drilling of the first relief well began in early May. The Associated Press reports the drill has bored two miles under the sea floor since then to come within 30 to 50 feet of its target. The drill, about as wide as a grapefruit is round, is pursuing a target less than half the diameter of a dartboard. It’s yet unclear when it could be finished.
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New York Times
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Los Angeles Times
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Associated Press
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