Posted on 05/25/2010 10:44:23 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
There were warning signs of a valve leak nearly five hours before the deadly gulf oil rig explosion, according to an internal BP investigation, which also found that a number of equipment and system failures may have caused the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
BP's preliminary inquiry raises questions about the cementing of the deep-sea oil well and the blowout preventer that failed, members of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations were told Tuesday.
The BP investigation identifies "new warning signs of problems" before the explosion, including "whether proper procedures were followed for critical activities throughout the day," Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), leaders of a congressional investigation into the disaster, said in a memo released late Tuesday.
As federal officials were briefed by BP, the company prepared for its much-anticipated "top kill" procedure, which could take place as soon as Wednesday. If it works — and BP executives have said there is no guarantee it will — the complicated underwater operation would finally stop the flow of crude, offering some relief to the embattled oil giant.
If it doesn't, BP has said it will try other fixes to cap the oil gusher. But another failure would add to growing political and public anger over the untamed spill, which has closed fisheries, fouled shorelines and tainted Gulf of Mexico waters.
The technique, never attempted at 5,000 feet, the depth of the BP leak, involves pumping heavy drilling mud into the well at a rate of 40 to 50 barrels per minute, followed by cement.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
In fact, it is Dems and enviros fault for making them drill so far out and so deep. Closer in and shallower would be so much easier to drill, repair, cap, anything--but that would make waaay too much sense.
vaudine
“.......Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), leaders of a congressional investigation into the disaster, said in a memo.......”
There’s a couple of trustworthy names. Makes me sit on the edge of my chair, face up to the monitor, and want to read further. /s
Amazing how these two get to run an investigation....but Pelosi sets this stuff up....
When Ma(LA)rkey was accusing BP of lying the other day on the sole basis of what they were seeing on the video feed BP was providing, you could see the top of Waxman’s head protruding into the bottom of the frame. It was sort of like those parental warning logos, except for credibility.
There were warning signs of a valve leak nearly five hours before the deadly gulf oil rig explosion???????????
????????????
So why didn’t they pump a “kill” down the tubing and reduce the pressure?
there are two sets of BOPs on every well I ever worked on.
They should have been able to shut the pipe rams and control the pressure
Word in the oil patch is that Schlumberger hands on the rig to do a cement profile log had tried to get the BP company man to kill the well. It is common safety practice in the oilpatch for anyone to call a stop to the job when conditions are deemed unsafe. The company man refused so the Schlumberger crew called HQ and got a chopper ride home. This happened six hours before it blew.
I’ll bet the company man had comunications with his superiors not to kill the well. He will end up taking the fall for them, probably do a couple of years in a minimum security facility and retire with a large pension.
They are the Captain Bligh of old world crazy King George III crony capitalism.
Time for them to get on the little boat.
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