A relief well must be completed that will seal the ruptured well that was the source of the BP oil leak within the Gulf of Mexico. BP had suggested the relief well could possibly be used to pump oil, given that the static kill which stopped the leak last month is holding fast. That the “bottom kill” conducted from the relief well may not be necessary was also suggested by Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration’s director of the oil leak response. However he confirmed Friday the bottom kill would proceed accordingly after pressure tests were conducted on the well.
Thad Allen – relief well the only permanent solution
Saying only that it could be put to use one way or one more, BP refused to commit to pumping cement down the relief well for the bottom kill in recent days. The New York Times reports that BP and government scientists conducted the tests to determine the effectiveness of the static kill, in which heavy mud had been pumped to the Macondo well, followed by cement. Evidence from the tests show the static kill appears to have sealed the well. About 1,000 barrels of oil is nevertheless trapped in the well according to BP estimates, Allen said. Work on the relief well will continue until the gusher is permanently plugged, the government said.
Static kill – no guarantees
BP engineers could confirm that cement plugged the well’s metal casing pipe during the static kill. They didn’t know, , if cement had successfully blocked the annulus, a space between the pipe and the well bore. The Los Angeles Time reports that the tests indicate mud and cement poured into the top of the well and appear to have entirely sealed the leak. Allen said the relief well needed to be the final step because it could not be guaranteed that the static kill would close all the possible paths for oil to leak from the well.
Relief well close to objective
The first relief well commenced drilling in early May. The Associated Press reports that since then, the drill has been guided some three miles from the surface and two miles beneath the sea floor to within 30 to 50 feet of the target. The target is less than half the diameter of a dartboard, pursued by a drill about as wide as a grapefruit. When it is finally finished is not yet clear.
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New York Times
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Los Angeles Times
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Associated Press
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