"Azotic" wrote:

Location of Deepwater Horizon oil rig was criticized

More than 12 months ago some geologists rang the warning bell that the
Deepwater Horizon exploratory rig might have been erected directly over a
huge underground reservoir of methane.

Documents from several years ago indicate that the subterranean geologic
formation may contain the presence of a huge methane deposit.

None other than the engineer who helped lead the team to snuff the Gulf oil
fires set by Saddam Hussein to slow the advance of American troops has
stated that a huge underground lake of methane gas-compressed by a pressure
of 100,000 pounds per square inch (psi)-could be released by BP's drilling
effort to obtain the oil deposit.

Current engineering technology cannot contain gas that is pressurized to
100,000 psi.

Really? I used to work with waterjets that ran 60K psi and I noticed that the supplier of
my fittings had stuff that went 150K psi. Obviously, smaller than drilling pipe and
casing. Can't you scale up the walls of casing to deal with the pressures?

By some geologists' estimates the methane could be a massive 15 to 20 mile
toxic and explosive bubble trapped for eons under the Gulf sea floor. In
their opinion, the explosive destruction of the Deepwater Horizon wellhead
was an accident just waiting to happen.

I think not treating the pressure issues properly was the issue.

I *hope* the relief well doesn't make the same mistakes with mudding and cementing and
considers that this is a very high pressure well when setting the series of telescoping
cases as they go down hole.

Wes