On Apr 30, 9:21*pm, "Martin H. Eastburn"
wrote:
Ok - here goes some of what I know.

I Think that was a drill rig - floating but had anchors into the bottom!-CORRECT, A SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE RIG, THAT WAS FLOATED TO THE SITE, THEN HAD IT'S BALLAST TANKS FILLED WITH WATER TO LOWER IT IN THE WATER. eIGHT ANCHORS AND EIGHT THRUSTERS HELD IT IN THE DESIRED LOCATION USING GPS

It might have more than one drill stem working. *Likely only one.

They were talking about underwater robotics turning off the flow from T's ROVS ARE CAPABLE OF OPERATING THE CONTROLS FOR THE BOP LOCALLY. tHEY MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO HOOK UP HYDRAULIC LINES FROM A NEW HYDRAULIC ACCUMILATOR TO OPERATE THE BOP SHOULD THE LINES FROM THE RIG BE DAMAGED

A T is normally put on post drilling. *Preventer are for drilling.CORRECT. tHIS RIG WAS FINISHED DRILLING AND WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CEMENTING THE WELL IN PREP TO A PRODUCING WELL

So it would sound as if drilling was completed and the hole was being
changed over from drilling to production. *T's hook up to pipes
the pipes run to a production rig. *Think umbrella - ribs are pipes to
the production rig in the middle. *A larger pipeline is routed to
the mainland from the production rig.

Underwater T's are used like faucet knobs. *Turn on this or off that.
Companies are in business to put on and others to play with them.

It sounds like a coupling that was used blew or a T itself blew.

That deep, you have to have robots to look and see and to do anything.
They don't sit on the bottom and are brought out from the mainland.

Not being an insider (I have friends in the business and such) I don't
have any first hand on this. *It might be the pressure was far in
excess of what was expected at that site. *The T might have burst.
If so - then another has to be brought out and sent down by robot...

What I want to know is why the Coast Guard waited around and did so
little - and why did it take a 1 hour until disaster - to do an all out....

The cargo planes dropping solvents - where are they - why not burns -
why not containment or more of it... * Something stinks on this -

I suspect the far left let this go proving to the press that off shore
wells can't be put near Santa Barbara or off the East coast or Florida.

This long delay speaks volumes!

Martin

BOPS ARE DESIGNED TO EITHER SEAL AROUND THE DRILL PIPE TO CLOSE THE
ANNULUS OR TO PINCH THE DRILLPIPE CLOSED AND SEVER THE PIPE ABOVE THE
RAM. THEY ARE POWERED BY HIGH PRESSURE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM WHICH MAY BE
LOCATED ON THE RIG OR ON THE BOP RACK AT THE SEA FLOOR. LOOKS LIKE,
FOR SOME REASON, THESE BOP RAMS DID NOT SEAL. THEY HAVE RUBBER
ELEMENTS THAT WILL QUICKLY BE EAT OUT IF ANY FLOW IS ALLOWED THROUGH
THEM. ONCE EATEN OUT, YOU'RE SCREWED. PINCHING OFF THE DRILLPIPE IS
LAST RESORT. ONCE THE RIG EXPLODED THERE MAY HAVE BEEN NO WAY TO
OPERATE THE BOP FROM ANYWHERE BUT THE SEAFLOOR. IT IS UNLIKELY ANYONE
WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED UNTIL THEY ARE ABLE TO BRING THE BOP
TO THE SURFACE. UNTIL THEN EVERYTHING IS SPECULATION

SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS BUT THAT WAS THE EASIEST WAY FOR ME TO ADD TO
MARTIN'S POST