Wanna know how F#*KED we really are? (oil industry)

[Bennyboy]

The Well from Hell

from Petroleum World, an oil industry publication...

By Christian A. DeHaemer

"The Dwarves dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum... shadow and flame."

— Saruman, The Lord of the Rings

There is something primordial about BP's quest for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. It's an Icarus-like story of super-ambition; of reaching too far, delving too deep.

I don't know if you've stopped to contemplate what BP was trying to do...

The well itself started 5,000 feet below the surface. That's the depth of the Grand Canyon from the rim.

And then the company attempted to drill more than 30,000 feet below that — Mt. Everest would give 972 feet to spare.

Furthermore, the company sought oil in a dangerous area of the seabed.

It was unstable and many think BP sought it out because seismic data showed huge pools of methane gas — the very gas that blew the top off Deepwater Horizon and killed 11 people.

More than a year ago, geologists criticized Transocean for putting their exploratory rig directly over a massive underground reservoir of methane.

According to the New York Times , BP's internal "documents show that in March, after several weeks of problems on the rig, BP was struggling with a loss of 'well control.' And as far back as 11 months ago, it was concerned about the well casing and the blowout preventer.”

The problem is that this methane, located deep in the bowels of the earth, is under tremendous pressure...

Some speculate as much as 100,000 psi — far too much for current technology to contain. The shutoff vales and safety measures were built for only 1,000 psi.

It was an accident waiting to happen... And there are many that say it could get worse — much worse.

READ MORE: http://www.petroleumworld.com/sf10062001.htm

[gristy]

1. Lots of hyperbole. Short on facts.

They drilled 18,000 feet to reach the reservoir. Don't know where this 30,000 feet comes from.
Shutoff valves built for 1,000 psi? I think not.

[papadog]

8. Show us your numbers, where did you get your facts from?

[gristy]

10. Admiral Allen, as quoted on the oil drum

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6664

they're going to try and intercept somewhere around between 16,700 and 17,000 feet. We will confirm that for you and put out a statement tomorrow. They don't have to go clear to the reservoir, which is at 18,000 feet, and what they're going to do is they're going to close in and very slowly close to that point where they will then drill through the wellbore casing, and if they need to, drill through the pipe itself. But you are right; they'll be slightly above the level of the reservoir.

Also from the oil drum, formation pressure was 11,900 psi.

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6659
(search for "There could be a drop in the formation pressure from the original 11,900 psi"

And I'm supposed to believe that BP built a system to tolerate pressures no greater than 1,000 psi?

[midnight]

2. K&R

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

3. Why would they seek it out for the methane? nt

[truedelphi]

6. There is a theory that methane and other chems

Found at this deep level of strata, when united with sea water, form oil.

I don't know if that is part of the thinking behind the abiotic oil reserve theory or apart from it.

American scientists think that oil comes about from the pressurized degraded remains of plants and animals. (Which is why oil is called a"fossil fuel.")

Abitoic oil theorists say that oil exists far below the strata where the remnants of plants and animals would be found. And that the oil there comes from chemical reactions that take place deep inside the earth.

Our scientists do not like this "abiotic" theory, but there must be something to it, as the Russians have drilled and found much oil at the extreme depths of the oil drilling world. But so far, they have drilled only on land and not at sea.

[jmowreader]

12. Methane is also called natural gas

Which can be piped to shore and sold.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. More on the oil industry.

A very interesting article about BP's Alaska operations here:

http://www.adn.com/2010/06/26/1342800/bp-helped-state-investigate-itself.html

and here: http://www.adn.com/2010/06/25/1341692/bps-latest-blunder-fuels-critics.html

Also I'm sure you're aware of their plan to get around the offshore drilling moratorium in Alaska by building an island offshore and then doing directional drilling from it, thus calling itself an onshore project. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/us/24rig.html

They are corporate criminals of the worst kind, creating the potential for disaster everywhere they go.

[ladywnch]

7. well, they did that before. the Endicott oil field was the first man made

island they put up in the Beufort Sea. I remember working the dedication. They lost control of the natual gas flare as they were trying to get all the dignitaries off the site. I thought it was going to explode the way they were running around. Then I found out that they get fined for the gas flare burning beyond a certain height.

[Blue_In_AK]

9. They really do operate in a cavalier sort of way up there.

The more I read about operations on the North Slope, the madder I get. They getting a little fine, a little fine there, but nothing seems to make an impact. Alaska has so many more renewable resources from which we could get our energy ... I don't know why we're stuck in this oil pit.

[RC]

5. 100,000 psi? I think not.

3 or 4 thousands psi maybe

[FedUp_Queer]

11. Gandalf, not Saruman.