How much oil is leaking and how much oil is estimated to be in the Macondo Prospect?

[flpoljunkie]

The prospect is located in Mississippi Canyon Block 252 of the Gulf of Mexico. BP is the operator and principal developer of the oil field with 65% of interest, while 25% is owned by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, and 10% by MOEX Offshore 2007, a unit of Mitsui. The prospect may have held 50 million barrels (7.9×106 m3) producible reserves of oil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macondo_Prospect

If the Deep Horizon Well is leaking 25,000 barrels* a day, over 52 million gallons of well have now leaked from the well. Yet the well is estimated to hold 50 million barrels (50 million X 43 gallons).

Calculator: http://alaskadispatch.com/blogs/political-animal/5275-how-much-oil-has-spilled-in-the-gulf-of-mexico

*http://news.bostonherald.com/blogs/lifestyle/green_world/?p=380&srvc=home&position=recent

[flpoljunkie]

1. Of course, the Deep Horizon well could be leaking 50,000 barrels a day, not 25,000 barrels.

BP used robots to position sensors in the well on Sunday to more precisely determine how much is leaking--perhaps 'gushing' is a more accurate description.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/us/14spill.html?pagewanted=1&ref=todayspaper

[Turbineguy]

2. For those who think BP is making mony on this

Oil will have to hit at least $150 per barrel for them to start breaking even.

[flpoljunkie]

3. Too bad BP did not bring this well on line, instead of rushing to cap it to drill yet another well

[Turbineguy]

4. From what I've read on the Oil Drum

they would have had problems anyway. If there had been a successful cap, the people opening the well back up would have gotten hit. They could not have gotten the well to produce with the non-functioning BOP.

These wells are extremely expensive and they now know what happens when you try and cut cost and save time.

In every possible way, this is an unfortunate event.

The problem in controlling the well is not so much the oil as the gas.

[flpoljunkie]

5. Your point is well taken. Have read earlier the metal casing was defective.