Comments on: BP’s oil well seeping, leaking

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:06:52 +0000

I have models of the blowout preventers like the one that failed for BP if anybody is looking for them. Many have purchased them for educational use etc. http://www.jhmco.us

By: MadScientist

MadScientist — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:55:01 +0000

If the seep *is* from the bore (as originally stated) then that would imply a crappy cement job at the bottom of the well. I doubt such a problem would be manifest at 2 miles though; the stuff usually runs right up along the outside of the casing and pops up nearby, not a few miles away.

Oil and gas certainly seep onshore – Texas had these placers all over the place. The same happens under the sea as well; a significant portion of contemporary exploration involves identifying seeps at the surface (both onshore and offshore).

By: NewEnglandBob

NewEnglandBob — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:02:29 +0000

I enjoy the alliteration you guy are providing here. 😉

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:19:05 +0000

Greg: the leak is between the BOP and cap, not from the sediment

The seep, not the leak, is from the sediment, and it is two miles away. But possibly unrelated to the BP well.

By: Jared

Jared — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:15:29 +0000

Rose: it’s mostly oil bubbles.
Greg: the leak is between the BOP and cap, not from the sediment

Also, the low pressure you mentioned earlier is quite possibly due to the formation of hydrates in the bore acting as a partial plug or due to the fact that millions of barrels of worth of pressure have been emptied into the Gulf…

By: Rose Colored Glasses

Rose Colored Glasses — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:38:22 +0000

The bubbles seem small until you realize that’s the size they are under the pressure of a ton or so per square inch.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:06:02 +0000

The latest report from AP has Thad Allen saying that the seepage “about two miles away is not likely related to the ruptured well.”

I suppose in a region with lots of underground oil and gas we should expect a certain amount of it to be seeping out of the earth on its own.

By: CherryBomb

CherryBomb — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:49:13 +0000

It seems unlikely that this would happen, but I have not been able to find anywhere what the actual casing program was on this well. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it, and could probably better estimate what is going on.