The field was well known scientifically, there is gas in all fields -
breaking down of base crude into many oils and gasses.

It was the first well that deep. All others were in shallow - I believe
the Chinese wells for Cuba are close to Florida and are in shallower water.

This well is offshore from the old shore that was land before the ice age
ice melted off and raised the ocean level.

The wells that were sunk over the last 50 years in the gulf are not
that far offshore..

I want to know why the preventer failed.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
"Our Republic and the Press will Rise or Fall Together": Joseph Pulitzer
TSRA: Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member. http://lufkinced.com/

On 6/26/2010 11:41 PM, J. D. Slocomb wrote:
On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:10:10 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
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?

"Stuff" that will handle 150 kips is at the high end of workable engineering
materials. To make a little waterjet out of stronger materials is one thing.
To make containment and attachment fittings out of it, at that scale, is
just about off the charts.


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

I think that the most obvious question would be, the geologist based
his estimate on what data?

That Methane is frequently found in association with crude? Obviously
as it is just another hydro-carbon.

Were other wells drilled into the formation that showed this pressure?
I, at least, haven't heard of any other major blow outs that must
certainly have occurred if anyone drilled into a 100,000 psi
reservoir.

Where did the geologist find the seismic charts showing this gigantic
gas reservoir? Certainly I've never seen a seismic printout that
guaranteed that there was oil in that dome, or anticline. Can they now
detect gas?

Was this report published in a peer reviewed publication? Which one,
when? and if not, why not.

In the more then 20 years I worked in the oil industry I have never
talked to a Reservoir Engineer or Geologist who would categorically
state there is oil THERE! They all use words like "if there is it
should be there"; or, "this is the most likely place".

In any event, from all I can find, BP was using 10,000 PSI as the test
pressure for the well, which would indicate they anticipated much
lower pressures. They were using 16 PPG mud which again indicates
lower then 100,000 psi pressures and the 16 PPG mud apparently was
containing the pressure as from all indications the well blew only
after BP had plugged the well and was flushing the riser in
preparation to moving the rig.

Cheers,

John D. Slocomb
(jdslocombatgmail)